Hospitals start to request mothers not have birth partners amid COVID-19 outbreak

Understandable but hard for expectant mums.

Whether it's your other half, parent, other family member or friend, almost all mums will have a birth partner to help get them through child birth. It's a time where as a mum you need as much support as possible, so naturally the news that some hospitals are requesting that mums not have birth partners due to the COVID-19 outbreak is a crushing blow. I can't imagine how stressful things have been for expectant mums the last while. It's stressful enough when you're pregnant without having to worry about a new virus rapidly spreading across the globe. Hospitals around Ireland recently put into place new restrictions on visitors with some even banning all visitors, including birth partners. According to BBC news, Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar have said that they will not be permitting birth partners into the hospital for the protection of mothers, babies and their staff. Ireland is not the only country that has begun banning birth partners from the delivery room, as many hospitals across the United States have begun to do the same. While Gov. Cuomo's office announced that people giving birth in New York will not be forced to do it alone, that has not stopped hospitals in New York from asking mothers to please not bring birth partners to the hospital. These new rules are understandable as several pregnant women and young babies were recently diagnosed with the virus. Still, this just adds more stress to expectant mothers at an already stressful time. The official stance of the World Health Organization is quite different from that of hospitals though;

"All pregnant women, including those with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections, have the right to high quality care before, during and after childbirth [which includes] having a companion of choice present during delivery."

While WHO disagrees with banning birth partners I can see how hospitals would be concerned about patients and staff. The entire situation is extremely difficult and whatever decision is made by hospitals regarding birth partners, I hope new mums are provided with as much support as possible.