I had to turn down hospital treatment over ban on baby Instagram star mum calls for change
A MUM claims she had to refuse hospital treatment for possible sepsis as she couldn’t bring her baby due to Covid separation rules.
Emma O’Donnell says her GP pleaded with her to go to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) last month after a mastitis i n f ection showed worrying signs.
But despite Emma, 33, having sickness, fever, dizzy spells and a 120bpm heart rate, she refused to be admitted overnight for monitoring as she would not being able to feed her seven-month-old baby Harry.
She claims the QEUH told her GP that Harry could not stay with her and she couldn’t even bring him on to hospital grounds over virus fears. But there are no official guidelines forbidding mums from taking babies to hospital due to Covid “rules” and each facility has its own take on restrictions.
Emma says the “rules” are unclear and force some mums to leave distressed babies behind “for no reason”.
She said: “My breastfeeding supplies everything Harry needs so I couldn’t abandon him.
“I let them do tests but refused to stay over. Harry was so distressed at home I ended up discharging myself.”
Mum-of-three Emma believes other feeding mothers who may be in need of more urgent medical attention should not feel forced to separate from their babies and is calling for hospitals to review restrictions.
Now, she is rallying support from the 40,000 followers on her Instagram page, A Mother’s Tale, to raise awareness of the issue.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We treat all cases like this on an individual and womancentred basis, taking into account the reason for admission, condition of the mother, age of the baby and family support.
“We work with women to create a supportive, enabling environment for those breastfeeding. Wherever possible we try to keep breastfeeding mothers and their babies together.”