The Birth Advocate
Box S0L 1Z0 Lucky Lake, SK, Canada

Fully baked babies are healthy and more enjoyable:)

I’m 30 minutes into a recording of the major Alberta COVID-19 update today, which started with Premier Jason Kenney delivering a lengthy slide presentation on t...he AHS projections. There are all sorts of numbers about the impact of the disease on our available hospital beds, the need to add more beds and the hardship of postponing many elective procedures during this time. The number one reason for hospitalization is birth. We have had over 4500 births in Alberta since WHO declared the pandemic. About 95 per cent of them are in hospital. Babies don’t wait to be born. Birth is not elective. We don’t need to hear about plans to appropriately support birth during this pandemic at every single briefing. But come on, say something? Every now and then, acknowledge the fear and concern for birthing during a pandemic, tell us what plans you have in place to protect and preserve normal birth, to keep the birthing dyad together, to minimize unnecessary interventions, to protect, promote and support, truly support breastfeeding.