How could they make parents evacuate and leave newborns in hospital?

[deborah_r]

I'm referring to some stories I have seen on CNN of new parents who have not been able to find out how their newborns are doing. I am stunned by this. And I'm not blaming the parents. I just can't imagine why parents of newborns would not have been given the option of at least one parent staying in the hospital with their newborn baby. I know it got really bad in the hospitals and it would not have been an ideal place to be, but they didn't know that beforehand, and how much of a drain on the resources could they have imagined one or two parents staying with their newborns? And I would rather be in horrific conditions and trying to make sure my baby was OK, than to evacuate.

I guess I can't imagine a situation where I would let them keep my baby in the hospital while I evacuated. It's not like they were literally forcing people to leave (obviously, since so many people were still there.) I'm sure I must be missing something logical here, can someone explain how this could happen?

[TonFirst]

When the choice is fitting one newborn and its mother on a helicopter or fitting three newborns and no parents on the helicopter, what would you choose?

[deborah_r]

So are you saying that they anticipated having to helicopter the babies out of the hospital and that is why the parents wouldn't be allowed to stay? Why didn't they helicopter them to another hospital before the storm even hit?

I guess I'm thinking if it was my baby I would have tried to get them to release my baby and gone to another city and put him/her in a hospital there. But I guess not knowing how bad it wasgoing to be, you wouldn't think to do that.

It just seems very inhumane to me to separate parents from their newborn babies, and I'm wondering if there could have been other ways of handling it. I would hate to find myself in this position some day.

[Smiles81]

I agree with you. I saw this on the news as well, and could not really understand why it had to be this way. Also, lots of times sick babies, and preemies thrive when they have their mom around. U hope they all get reunited and no info gets lost.
Reena
Mom to Dovi 3/16/04

[icunurse]

I haven't heard anywhere that parents were not given the option to stay with their child (as legally a minor has the right to have one parent/guardian present at all times). Perhaps the parents had to go home to other children, salvage whatever they could, knowing that their premature or sick child was probably in the best/safest place possible. Sometimes, when there is a major crisis happening (and this one is bigger than anyone expected), when you do not have the luxury of a husband or extended family to help out with kids at home or a car to flee danger or money saved up to find a safe place, you have to make difficult choices.
Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting for #2!