Dads get reclining armchairs as wives give birth
HOSPITAL bosses who faced concerns that fathers were treating maternity units like hotels have come up with what they hope is the perfect solution – reclining armchairs.
Ninewells Hospital in Dundee has ordered 38 father-friendly recliners to help create a harmonious atmosphere between medical staff and anxious dads-to-be.
It hopes the ultra-comfortable armchairs – in washable faux leather – will stop fathers sleeping on the floor or trying to squeeze into a single bed with their partner.
But they will have to sign an agreement, drawn up by midwives, instructing them to remain ‘fully dressed at all times’. They will also be banned from sharing a hospital bed with a partner – and they must use the correct toilets.
Donna Brough, the midwifery team manager at Ninewells, said they aimed to create a father
‘Empowered our midwives’
friendly labour ward. She added: ‘We have 38 recliners coming – one for each bedside. It’s fantastic news because we’ve proved women want this, and that partners benefit from it.’
Miss Brough said the decision was taken after listening to mothers and midwives. She said that the initiative has ‘empowered our midwives because they feel their concerns about fathers being too loud or getting in the way are addressed by the agreement’.
Midwives at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh protested recently that – as at Ninewells – fathers were treating the labour ward like a hotel, sleeping on floors or in the mother’s bed.
Some had even ordered takeaways and used the staff kitchen. But fathers claimed staff could be hostile, spoiling the precious moment when their son or daughter arrives.
The infirmary said family welfare should be ‘an integral part of maternal and newborn care’.