R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, and Cork South West TD, Holly Cairns, have called on the HSE to ease the restrictions in maternity wards that prevent partners being present for the entirety of the mother\u2019s labour and for the duration of the hospital stay.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cairns said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past few weeks I\u2019ve received many calls and messages from pregnant people, new mothers and their partners who are very angry and upset about the ongoing visiting restrictions in maternity hospitals. The limitations also prevent partners or fathers from attending antenatal scans and appointments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know public health is the priority, as it should be, but it\u2019s difficult to understand why you are allowed to attend a wedding with 49 other people, but your partner can\u2019t accompany you to a prenatal scan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Covid-19 restrictions in maternity hospitals were introduced six months ago. As the situation has evolved, many other restrictions in general society have eased and I would urge the HSE and the hospitals to revise these restrictions as a matter of urgency.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome maternity hospitals in Dublin have seen a slight easing of restrictions, yet in Cork it\u2019s the opposite. Partners can only be present for active labour and aren\u2019t permitted to attend any other part of it, including prenatal scans. This is hard enough when everything goes well but is even more awful if there are complications. No-one should have to be alone at a time like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Shortall, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on Health, added:<\/p>\n
\u201cInconsistent practices in maternity hospitals only adds to a general confusion among the public. We in the Social Democrats have consistently argued for coherent policies that are supported by clear rationale and shared evidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout these basic features, public confidence and adherence to guidelines will waiver. When mothers, their partners or family members are treated differently in different hospitals, it creates unnecessary upset and frustration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis situation highlights underlying issues in our under-resourced maternity sector. Partners or close family members not only provide emotional support but also practical assistance, from nursing the baby to allowing the mother to have a shower.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 8, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, and Cork South West TD, Holly Cairns, have called on the HSE to ease the restrictions in maternity wards that prevent partners being present for the entirety of the mother\u2019s labour and for the duration of the hospital stay. Deputy Cairns said: \u201cIn the past few weeks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[400,7,264,399],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holly-cairns","category-press-release","category-roisin-shortall","category-tds"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n