‘Covid madness’: chief health officer’s vow to stop babies being taken from new mums for days

The CHO has vowed to put a stop the “Covid madness” that has seen women being separated from newborn babies in Queensland hospitals.

The chief health officer has vowed to put a stop to women being separated from babies in Queensland hospitals, with “Covid madness” seeing newborns whipped away at birth and kept in isolation for days.

Mackay Base Hospital has delivered the babies of three Covid-positive mothers in recent days, with one telling the horror story of being forced to wait three days to meet her newborn.

MUM LEFT ‘BROKEN’ AFTER BABY RIPPED FROM ARMS UNTIL NEGATIVE PCR TEST

The fully vaccinated mother claims she had her daughter whisked away from her following a C-section on Friday afternoon, with her newborn kept in hospital while she was sent home.

Both mum and dad did not meet the child until she was delivered to their home on Monday evening.

The Maternity Consumer Network is reporting “the devastating separations” have also happened at Toowoomba and Caboolture hospitals.

“It is Covid madness. We are hearing of more and more women being separated from their newborns for no reason,” the network’s Alecia Staines said.

“It is against Queensland Health policy and the World Health Organisation recommendations – Covid mums must stay with their babies. Imagine not meeting your baby for three days due to a directive that makes no sense.

“Animals in the vets are treated better.”

Narangba woman Aleasha Pique, 36, claims her newborn baby was taken away against her will after giving birth because of a heavy-handed hospital decision to remove him until she returned a negative Covid PCR test. Pic Jamie Hanson

Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates raised the maternity problems with Dr John Gerrard at a briefing on Monday and he promised to send out a mass communication to staff to make it clear that the separating of mothers and babies was “inappropriate” and should not be happening.

He said the Queensland Health guidelines state Covid-positive mothers should be with their babies.

But Queensland Health said on Tuesday night the CHO had not sent out a directive on the matter.

“Babies should be with their mothers and nurses and midwives know that,” Ms Bates said.

“It is unfair of the staff in these situations to be given misinformation and forced to take action they know is not right.”

The Health Minister Yvette D’Ath’s office told The Courier-Mail that the Minister supports the Queensland Health policy and the chief health officer had “expressed support for the policy at Saturday’s press conference following The Courier-Mail’s report that Narangba woman Aleasha Pique was left traumatised when she was told at Caboolture Hospital she could not see her baby until she returned a negative Covid test.

“But even after this was exposed the separations still continued. The Mackay woman was left devastated without her child all weekend. I hope the message from the CHO filters through because at the moment there is chaos in maternity,” Ms Staines said.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the policy is to keep mother and baby together after birth, including when the mum has COVID-19.

“The exception is when a newborn needs urgent medical care and is placed in a special care nursery or neonatal intensive care unit. These babies are already sick and vulnerable.

“If a COVID-19 positive person was to go into a special care nursery, the outcome could be serious – even fatal – for their own child and also the many sick babies in that unit. No one wants that,” he said.