No breastfeeding, no meal

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No breastfeeding, no meal

3News NZ

The baby had been born premature and mum had struggled to breastfeed her

The baby had been born premature and mum had struggled to breastfeed her

Yesterday afternoon we spoke with a young mum in Dunedin.

She has a three-week-old baby girl, and last Monday the baby girl was admitted to Dunedin Hospital with severe bronchitis.

The mum, who was also suffering from bronchitis but not admitted as a patient, was stunned when hospital staff told her it only provided meals for breastfeeding mums.

The baby had been born premature and mum had struggled to breastfeed her.

The baby's father was away for work and mum told us the hospital advised her to make her own arrangements for food to be delivered.

So is it fair for meals to be provided for some mums but not all regardless of whether they are breastfeeding?

Watch the video to see the report.

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Comments

10/09/2012 8:05:21 p.m.

JC wrote:

Why should the family of any patient be "stunned" when told the hospital isn't going to feed them?

This mother isn't a special case, and shouldn't be so selfish. The only reason lactating mothers are feed is because they are feeding the child - the patient. Other family aren't feed.

There is nothing disgraceful about what is happening in this case - at least from the hospitals side. People shouldn't always be insisting on their "rights". Society does not owe them anything.

4/09/2012 8:40:01 p.m.

Naomi wrote:

absolutely disgraceful this mother has already gone through enough stress with having bub early then for the baby to get sick and her self as well and then you do this to her it was not something she could do anything about it only makes her more upset i had to give up at 6 months due to my child not coping with the breast and I felt really bad because of it then saw how well my son was doing on the bottle and thankful he took it with out issues. I know that breast is the best start to a child's first few weeks but it is not always an option for some mums and in the end the welfare of the child should be the only thing that matters

4/09/2012 9:22:00 a.m.

Gary wrote:

And yet we spend billions on war! Where is the human race heading?? Do we have the right to call ourselves intelligent beings!

4/09/2012 9:16:22 a.m.

Rose wrote:

As a mum I had my heart set on breast feeding. Due to no fault of my own I ws unable to and this sent me into a horrible grieving process that was followed by postnatal depression. I felt like a total failure. With my second child due in December, I so want to breastfeed this time but am now aware of the things that can go wrong. Most of us don't just decide not to breastfeed and we need support and help with how badly this can affect a new mum. This story is a prime example of being judged instantly when a frightened new mum needs the most help!

4/09/2012 8:42:29 a.m.

shiralee wrote:

I am glad DHB has finally doing the right theng i was in hospital for 3 mths with my 2 month old and went in breast feeding i got feed after 4 days he needed to be pump fed continuously as he has a lung condition (The doctors suggested that he be placed on fomrula as breast milk couldnt be left hanging our 2 hours) this happned in the morning by lunchtime my meals stopped when i asked i was told by the nursing supervisor that i was no longer breastfeeding (Not my choice)so i don't get meals anymore i was livered. My husband tried talking to the CEO and was fogged off 5 times then even went to our local MP who again swept it under the carpet. We would have liked to take it further but at the time we needed all our strengh to be with our baby whom was very very sick. We are fomr out of town i had 2 other children in Oamaru my husband was looking after them trying to work while i was in Dunedin we lost an income and got into debt paying to my meals which come to around $20 a day as they dont have cooking facilities. I was so scared to leave my baby as he was on deaths door and as scared that something might happen while i am away and when it was exteremly busy i would live off toast for 2 or 3 days as nurses werent able to stay with my baby while i went down to get meals (he needed someone with him at all times)so i am so glasdd this women did take it further and i am happy that dunedin hospital are now providing meals for parents with babies.I disagree with wat Katrina has said as some people don't get a choice to breastfeed like myself and by stopping bf saved my babies life and we need to stop making people feel bad before they can't or wont breastfeed at least parent are feeding their child no mater what it shouldn't matter a parent is under enough stress when a child is sick without making them feel bad and discrimated because they aren't bf we need to get over it.

4/09/2012 7:35:02 a.m.

bj wrote:

@tinman- waitemata dhb dont provide formula for babies. parents are asked to bring their own sodifferent dhbs do different things there. im disgusted at this as being a premmie tht baby had weak lungs to begin with most likely so maybe should not have been home yet or at leadt mum shouldve been able to take herself and bubs back easily with care for BOTH provided. waitemata dhb provided meals for breast and bottle feeding mums back in 2010

2/09/2012 8:50:09 a.m.

stev wrote:

To Katrina, really! Are you that heartless?

1/09/2012 8:29:11 p.m.

Theresa wrote:

When my 4 month old daughter here in Australia was sick from an unknown virus and was admitted, they had a small kitchen for parents with sandwiches , tea coffee and the sort. It was comforting knowing i wouldn't have to go down ten floors just to get a drink :)

1/09/2012 5:40:34 p.m.

Megan Hewland wrote:

When I was in QueenMary Dunedin delivereing our 3 children 15 years ago over a 3 year period and could not breast feed, it started as bottle feeding and by my 3rd was called artificial feeding. There is a culture here that makes you feel like an outcast and has been going on for years.

1/09/2012 5:17:21 p.m.

Jacqui Latham wrote:

I came across the same thing 2.5 years ago when I had my daughter. I'd just been discharged from womans after a post birth infection, was still very sick, a solo mum and my daughter only 2 weeks old stopped breathing. She was low blood sugar so was having breast but topped up with formula to help keep blood sugars up. Because she was having bottle also the hospital would not provide meals as they said it either budgeted for a meal or formula not both. I was too ill to go out and get meals so lived on toast for 4 days that they supply in the parents room. I also had to sleep on a fold out chair which could not even fold down properly, I was totally miserable, sick and hungry as well as extremely worried about my daughter and feeling ostrasised because I wasn't solely breast feeding. I think it was appauling to have to go through that and I never want to have to go through that again!