Monday, March 28

Mothers, Don't Leave Your Rights At The Door!


Nurse Called Police/CPS on Parents over Jaundice

BABY HELD AT HOSPITAL, NURSE CALLS CPS WITHOUT CAUSE AFTER PEDIATRICIAN GIVES OK TO RELEASE BABY

 
Las Vegas, NV – A mother laboring under the care of Certified Professional Midwife April Kermani was transported to Summerlin Hospital Tuesday for stalled labor. Dr. Donald Roberts assumed care, and the mother gave birth vaginally to a healthy baby girl about 7 hours after admission. On Wednesday the parents,  were told they could not be discharged without a blood test for jaundice, a common and typically harmless condition among newborns. The test results came back with slightly elevated levels of bilirubin, indicating a mild case of jaundice.


 {Conrad loves Breast Feeding Mommies!}
The nursing staff told the parents they would have to place their daughter in isolation to undergo phototherapy and not allowed to nurse, but fed artificially with formula instead.  They refused the treatment since newborn jaundice will usually resolve itself within two weeks. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that jaundiced newborns continue to breastfeed regularly, as frequent feedings help remove bilirubin in the body.  They were told by the attending pediatrician they were cleared to take the baby home and follow up with their midwife and pediatrician over the next several days.

A pediatric nurse then reported these parents to social services and the police, for unknown reasons. Their baby was held against their will at Summerlin Hospital for well over 24 hours.  “We are being treated like criminals,” says the distraught mother.  The CPS social worker calls the case “ridiculous.” Lilia’s bilirubin levels were back within the normal range very quickly.

Jaundice and Treatment Information: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001559.htm 
We went to a rally today in support of this mother and any other mothers who have felt like their voice was muted by doctors or nurses in hospitals. It was great to see the birthing community out in support of this mother. The street was lined with about 50-75 moms and their little ones smiling and holding up their signs in front of the hospital. A few news stations were also out to get the scoop and we had a few cars stop to encourage us and cheer us on. 
It makes me angry & sad to see just how far a person might go to prove that their way is the best way and that a mothers research or intuition is invalid. Often times we take the advice from these professionals because their vast knowledge & experience is greater than ours, but taking away a mothers right to make the decisions for her baby is absolutely wrong. I get that hospitals want to cover their butts against law suits, so they must follow certain protocols when it comes to the baby's safety, but this fact that the nurse went above the Dr's head is downright nasty. Maybe she had some sort of point to prove. So do we!


Whether a mom wants to feed her child formula or breast milk, her choice should be supported!


Mothers, listen to what your gut is telling you when it comes to your kids. Don't let anyone take away your voice.  Your motherly-god given intuition is so precious. Stand up for what you believe.

27 comments:

  1. awesome post! can't believe this story...oh wait actually i can...which is so sad and scary. if we lived near you we would've stood up next to you all!

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  2. Are people really saying that you shouldn't breast feed? Wow. That is crazy! So glad you are standing up for that poor woman!

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  3. Great post! Thanks for documenting! :)

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  4. so great to see so much support!

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  5. What a great message Chelsea. I work in insurance, and I am an advocate for everyone who doesn't know what their rights are. This is so important when it comes to our health. We forget that we pay for it, and we have every right to speak up!

    Shana
    ColorBlind
    THRIFTERS WANTED LINK UP HERE

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  6. I love the little "born at home & jaundiced" sign!!! That's what I was thinking of doing had I been able to go. Fabulous blog & post.

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  7. Jude was jaundiced too. I was so blessed that my husband was so educated on the benefits of nurseing. He made sure that every nurse and doc knew that I wanted Jude on my chest the minute he was cleaned and I was in the initial recovery room. They never gave him any formula thanks to my husband. (I was a bit out of it from c-section) After 24 hours of nursing our pediatrician came in and basically scolded me. She said that I caused Jude's jaundice and that I was not a loving mom if I chose not to supplement too. They wanted to keep him in the NICU to put him under lights..let me tell you..i wouldnt even let them remove Jude from the room to weigh him ! We took him home...we ordered lights from a home health company..he did have to get a few blood tests, but within a few days he was fine. Sadly, I was not able to nurse well. I would nurse Jude, then I had to supplement and then use the Yellow Monster to express as much milk as possible...which was less than an ounce each time. I felt like a failure as a mom that couldnt nurse. I did this for almost 3 weeks and then I had to throw in the towel. I am 100% for nursing. It makes me sad when women don't educate themself and give of themselve to their baby.

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  8. Elizabeth Smith28 March, 2011

    truly a nurses most important job is to advocate for their patient.. which is especially hard and most important when they don't agree with a doctors orders. and when it comes to calling cps if there is any question about a child's safety... both as a nurse and a former teacher.. do. every time. not to try to take away any rights from parents.. but what is worse? a parent having to go through an unpleasant investigation or not having anyone there to investigate when it truly is necessary. i'm not saying i agree with the nurse but i can't see any fault in her attempt to make sure what was best for the child was being done. not all parents make their decisions based on what is best for their child and the nurses and hospitals should do everything they need to in order to protect all of the babies because those kind of people do exist.

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  9. "Whether a mom wants to feed her child formula or breast milk, her choice should be supported!"

    Agreed! You are supporting a great cause - thanks for letting us "support" it as well!

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  10. Inspirational! I can't believe this happened at Summerlin Hospital. Glad the Mother to Mother Group stood up and protested.

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  11. thanks for covering this and coming out to show your support-it should be on Ch 5 and 13 tonight

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  12. love the last pic. Thanks for blogging on it!

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  13. Are youserious?! That is so crazy and I am so happy to see these women and yourself stand up for your rights. I don't agree with how much say these hospitals are getting and trying to infringe on a mother's rights.
    Awesome post!

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  14. I hope, so hope someone takes legal action against that nurse. She should at a very minimum lose her job. Outrageous!

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  15. I think that it's great that we have cps to investigate when parents are or are suspected of harming their children. I had to go through the interrogation process after i accidentally burned conrad causing him 3rd degree burns on his hand when he was a baby-trying to multitask with him on my hip opening the oven.

    There are people out there who do harm their children so i'm glad we have those advocates out there to protect our kids.

    This nurse though seemed out of line after the pediatrician and doctor said the mom was ok to just nurse her baby instead of immediately giving it formula-so I think she was wrong even if she had the best intentions.

    The point really is to let mom's know that you dont have to take the doctors word for it or nurses word for it. IT'S your baby. Speak up if you're not comfortable with what's being done with your baby.

    Often times, hospitals can seem like intimidating places. So don't be afraid to put your foot down if you need to.

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  16. loved reading this! i was so thankful that when my Lily was jaundiced my dr. said breastfeed her & place her in the sun! She was my first too, so I could have easily just taken whatever advice they gave me...i appreciate having doctors who know more than me, but we still have a voice & can atleast do what's best for our babes & breastfeed!

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  17. I am so happy to see this woman supported and actually know she could refuse the doctors! this actually happened to me too, my son's bilirubin level was actually pretty high and they had to put him under the lights and told me they wanted to feed him formula to help that as well as help him gain weight (he was losing a bit more than normal). Had I known then what I know now I would have said no! I tried to breast feed after this happened but I beleive by him being fed formula for almost a full day it caused him to not want the breast, it broke my heart and after trying for almost a month I gave up on breastfeeding. Thanks so much for your post, you are awesome!

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  18. I think you are such an amazing mom, Chels.
    i praise the Lord and thank Him for the wisdom He has blessed you with as a momma. Also, the passions He has blessed you with are rubbing off on me... or, bringing out similar ones He has blessed me with. Wow.

    I can't wait to see you in a couple of months. I love you so much.

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  19. This makes me wish I had really stood up for myself and my son. I had a very similar experience at Summerlin hospital with a mild case of newborn jaundice, I was coerced into letting them put an IV into my son when I refused formula and engaged in a 3am screaming match when a pushy nurse kept insisting I still *had* to give my son formula(and even that formula 'cures' jaundice!), barked at and told to leave him alone under the lights even though the pediatrician made it very clear that I was allowed to hold and nurse my son. I was told so many times that they *could* keep us there that I just wanted it to be over and followed orders even though I knew it was wrong.

    This needs to stop, hospitals have no right to treat parents this way.

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  20. WOW mariah, thank you for sharing your story. That blows my mind that they treated you so terribly. I guess there are more cases out there than I thought! This is exactly why we need to bring light to this issue and empower mom's to stand up for what they want.

    Thank you for sharing.

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  21. When I had austin he was taken from me pretty much immediately and put into the level three nursery for reasons that I still do not completely understand. They mentioned he had fluid in his lungs but when I held him he seemed fine? Im not a doctor so I didnt know how serious it was but to me it did not seem like a critical situation. I wasnt given the opportunity to breast feed him when it came time for his first feeding. At that point I really DID NOT know that I had a choise. The nurses told me the most important thing was that Austin ate because he wasnt eating as much as he should, they said the bottle would be best. When he was finally allowed to come to my room in the hospital I tried to breast feed but he had already taken to the bottle. I continued trying to breast feed a couple week thereafter, not a good experience and it bothers me that I wasnt able to breast feed.

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  22. How beautiful!
    You go girl :)

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  23. Chels I totally know this girl! She was a cheerleader for UNLV when I danced for them! And then I read this story on the news website. I couldn't believe it. So sad! Way to go to stand up for whats right!

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  24. What a great cause! Loved both of your signs :) That is tragic that that woman and her child had to go through all of that, especially at such a tender and wonderful time during those first few days...makes my heart sick. I know doctors take oaths to serve people and they know patients have rights...I wonder if nurses have to do the same...??

    Thank you for sharing this message. I know I feel more empowered for my next birthing experience! And Chelsea, I hope the birth of your second goes smooth...prayers for you & your family :)

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