Why, oh why must nursery nurses be so rough with a newborn? I understand being efficient. I understand that some babies must be stimulated to breathe. But why must a healthy newborn immediately be whisked aside, buffed vigorously with a towel until they howl in protest, suctioned repeatedly and aggressively, turned this way and that like a lump of dough, suctioned again and rubbed some more?
“Come on, get mad at me!” the nurse urges. Where else is anger considered a sign of health and vigor? Often the poor babe is screaming so hard that he can barely catch a breath. He gets suctioned again. I grit my teeth.
I have seen babies who clamped their lips shut and refused to even root for the breast after such treatment. Others have been so upset that even their gentle mother had a hard time calming them enough to get them to latch on — 30 or more minutes after the assault.
As much as I dislike hospital births for all of the interventions that they “offer” to mothers (offer, as in “We’re going to do xyz now…”), the mother is an adult and has the ability to speak up for herself or may have a partner who will. She has a choice. I absolutely detest the way that new little soul is treated by the staff in the first minutes after birth. It makes ME angry!
Welcome to the world, sweet little one. I’m so sorry that your first impression is one of violence.