No meals for mum in hospital with tot

A TOWNSVILLE Hospital policy to not provide meals for mothers who bottle- feed their babies has sparked heated debate among parents.

Rasmussen’s Jessie Taylor was left confronted and hurt by the policy after a six- night stay with her baby son Riley.

The 11- week- old was admitted to the children’s ward of the Townsville Hospital on Mother’s Day with a viral chest infection.

Ms Taylor said when she informed a nurse Riley was on formula, the nurse explained the hospital only provides food for breastfeeding mothers but the ward did have kitchen facilities.

“It wasn’t really my first priority, it was getting ( Riley) settled and seeing the doctors,” she said. “It bugged me all week, it did genuinely upset me because it added that element of stress.”

Ms Taylor said it was upsetting to be denied meals based on her choice of how her baby was fed. In a Townsville Bulletin online poll, 80 per cent of the 340 respondents late yesterday agreed all mothers should be allocated a meal when in hospital with their babies.

“As a mum that has recently had my baby in the children’s ward I was left shocked that they didn’t offer a meal for the carer,” Kiera Gravener said on Facebook.

“If there is a rule ‘ no meals for carers’ that is one thing but to divide between breast and bottle is ridiculous.”

Not all parents agreed, with many also claiming breastfeeding mothers were more entitled to meal allocations.

“They feed the breastfeeding mothers because they are in turn feeding the patient, common sense, nothing to do with your parenting choice to bottle or breast feed,” Dee Rasmussen commented.

Ms Taylor said the hospital responded quickly to her complaint, but still believed mothers who breastfed were treated favourably.

“I understand the hospital’s approach, but when you’ve got a very young child it’s very difficult to leave just for a meal when in the next room a mum is getting a meal just because she’s breastfeeding,” she said.

Ms Taylor said staff offered her spare meals on two occasions during her sixnight stay, but she declined.

Acting Health Service chief executive of the Townsville Hospital and Health Service Kieran Keyes said the THHS did not provide meals to family and visitors and there were plenty of nearby options for food .

“The Townsville Hospital kitchen produces close to 500,000 meals for patients each year,” Mr Keyes said.

Mr Keyes said the hospital’s Ronald McDonald Family Room donated bread and milk and supplied a pancake breakfast for families.