When You Disagree with the Hospital

Last week and into this one, I shared our personal story of how we felt coerced into staying in the hospital with our 3rd daughter, Meghan. To read that story you can check it out here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). I shared the story because I think a lot of moms feel sabotaged in their breastfeeding efforts by nurses during their hospital stay immediately following the birth of their baby. I think sometimes, parents disagree with the hospital staff but are either too tired to fight or don’t feel like they have any rights. However, as parents, you … Continue reading

Come Sing, Jimmy Jo – Katherine Paterson

In “Come Sing, Jimmy Jo,” we meet James Johnson, who is the eleven-year-old son of Jimmy Lee and Olive Johnson, untraditional parents to say the least. For decades, the Johnson Family has had their own band, comprised of Grandpa, Grandma, their son Earl, and other son Jimmy Lee. When Olive married into the family, her soprano singing voice was just what the band needed. They traveled from town to town, playing at fairs, family reunions, and church gatherings. Grandma’s voice gave out right around the same time James was born, so she kept him on the farm and raised him … Continue reading

Hospital Staff Bullies vs. Parental Rights Part 3

If you haven’t read the first two blogs in this series, you may want to before delving into this blog. The story makes more sense as a whole. . .but is too long to tell in one blog. You can read the first part here and the second part here. To quickly summarize: We were in the hospital discussing our ‘options’ as we disagreed with the hospital’s treatment plan regarding our newborn daughter, Meghan. Almost the End of the Story Meghan was not nursing well, as by this time she had had numerous bottles and not a lot of time … Continue reading

Hospital Staff Bullies vs. Parental Rights Part 2

I left off last time sharing our story of the birth of our 3rd daughter. You may remember that I’ve written about her before. . .but I’ll get to that. If you haven’t read the first blog, I suggest you do so as it will help you understand this one a little better. The Strenuous Job of the Nursing Staff Nursing is a tough job. I’m sure it’s harder in an inner city hospital. However, bringing a baby back to a mother or notifying her that her baby is hungry is not optional depending on how busy it is. Giving … Continue reading

Hospital Staff Bullies vs. Parental Rights

This blog is in response to some comments made on another blog that I recently wrote about a man who was stunned with a tazer gun and as a result dropped his baby, whom he was trying to carry out of the hospital. Clearly, after hospital and police statements were made, the picture has changed slightly. However, I find in talking with new moms that what I call “the hospital staff bully” phenomenon, is alive and well, even if there is more to this one particular story. While most of us probably have more common sense and access to resources … Continue reading