Our experience here at Winnie Palmer Hospital keeps getting better.

Our last night here and the new night shift tech comes in and informs us that we can not have Rhys in the room with out the harsh fluorescent lights on. The nurse then informs us that this is hospital policy and it must be enforced.

This is a policy that apparently the other nurses and DOCTORS decided was not necessary to enforce. We have been here with Rhys for two other nights. We were checked on by both nurses, techs and doctors and none of them had anything to say about the lighting conditions of the room. We are able to get him to sleep when the lights are dim (We keep the hall lights on. That is not good enough.) Now we can't get him to sleep in the harsh light. He blinks and fusses unless we shield his eyes from the light somehow.

So far the experience here as been exemplary! Poorly executed pain management and crappy attitudes from some of the nurses really brings to light the effectiveness here. (Please note that the nurses on duty over the weekend and their techs were very helpful and personable. They were also very apologetic when then epidural gaff came to light.)

If we had ANY idea that this would occur we would have left yesterday. I can get Heather pain meds on time and she can get to the bathroom fine at home.
We were trying to avoid the difficulties of travel for someone who has had major surgery following a difficult and unsuccessful labor.

A simple and effective solution to the new policy would be to supply a plug in light that would effectively illuminate the babies face with out being harsh or too bright. The idea is sound. The execution is so horrible as to be laughable. I would find it amusing if I weren't forced to suffer through the unprofessional and inconsistent enforcement of policy that this hospital has shown.

Needless to say we will not be back. I will be submitting a similar tirade to the papers here in the form of an editorial. If you can instate a policy that completely disregards the comfort of your patients when a simple solution to the problem exists and fulfills the requirements of the policy I wonder why others aren’t totally outraged.