by Salem, Birth Without Boundaries
Hello from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My name is Salem and I represent natural birth advocates from my community.
The struggle to regain natural innate birthing rights for mothers and babies can be rigorous, exhausting, and exhilarating all at the same time. And, it is work that we absolutely must do.
I am one of the four people who were arrested by Pinnacle Health System several weeks ago. Our crime: protesting the newborn policies of Harrisburg Hospital.
During my work as a doula, I witnessed the unwanted separation of precious newborn babies from their mothers shortly after birth. The practice of a 4-hour separation and the routine distribution of discharge packs from the formula companies were 2 issues that we felt should be changed. But how? We were dealing with a very large and powerful institution, ranked second in the state for the number of babies "delivered". We tried contacting staff at the hospital, but this went nowhere. After months of failed attempts, we felt that we should try something different.
On August 5, shortly before 12:00pm, we arrived at the hospital's front entrance, and were greeted by news cameras, newspaper reporters, and of course, the hospital's security team. We were not causing a disturbance, or blocking any traffic areas. The threat we did pose by being there, came from what was spray painted on a 99-cent queen size sheet from a thrift store that read "Pinnacle's Policies Hurt Babies".
In the days preceding, we had contacted the television news teams, as well as the local newspapers, verifying that they had received the press releases that we had sent to them and requested their presence on the day of the protest. In the press release, we stated our objective and also mentioned that we were prepared to engage in acts of "civil disobedience" if necessary. We delivered a letter to the CEO of the hospital stating the reasons we would be there, and that we had also notified JCAHO and the Pennsylvania Department of Health about their newborn care practices.
Shortly after we arrived, we were told by the director of security that we must leave the property immediately. We told him that we were staying where we were. At 12:01, the Harrisburg police were "engaged" and within minutes, the entire front parking area of the hospital was inundated with police cars. The onslaught of police officers on our group of about 15 was shocking and hostile. My 20 month old baby, Trey, was resting on my hip in his sling when I was forcibly pulled from the sign I was holding and I was threatened to have him taken from me if I didn't have someone who could care for him. My sister was there and as she lifted my baby out of the sling, they handcuffed me.
I deliberately went limp and dropped to the ground. They proceeded to then drag me across the parking lot, then tossed me into the police car head first. "For the babies...for the babies" was my mantra not only while I lay in the back of the hot, suffocating car, but also for the weeks to come. Just one hour following our arrest, we were given a citation and released.
However, the scenes of the arrests were played over and over on the news throughout the day, and into the night, leading the news stories for the day. The next morning the front page of the newspaper carried the story, complete with photos of my baby crying for me as I was being handcuffed. The Associated Press picked up the story and the local news stations continued with it - one station even hosted an independent internet poll with the question "have you had problems with Harrisburg Hospital's newborn policies?" The poll showed that nearly 80% replied yes!
The following week we began planning our next event – this time with a permit from the City of Harrisburg for the riverfront park that was conveniently located right across the street from the hospital. A few days after the announcement of this rally, we contacted the VP of Quality Control at the hospital and requested a meeting with the administration. Within 24 hours, we received a response that they were, indeed, also interested in a meeting.
On Aug 18, we met with senior administration as well as nurse managers from the maternity floors. During the meeting, we presented copies of the WHO//UNICEF code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes along with the "Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative" as an optimal guideline for their institution. We also included Lamaze International’s Care Practice #6: No Separation of Mother and Baby with Unlimited Opportunity for Breastfeeding as well as the policy statements and recommendations of the CDC, the AAP, and CIMS. The practices of this hospital, we argued, were not adhering to the recommendations of these very reputable expert agencies, were not the healthiest for moms and babies and were clearly undermining successful breastfeeding. We also asked them, did they not want to be known as a magnet hospital, leading health care facilities with their newborn practices? If so, this was their opportunity to show the community that providing the very best for their patients and babies was a priority.
During several hours of meeting with them, they agreed to modify their "No-Separation" practices, informing every patient of the right to keep their baby with them, and guaranteed to provide it to anyone who requested it. Although they would not really even discuss the formula discharge packs at that time, they did agree to institute a Task Force comprised equally of hospital staff and community members of our choice to address birth practices. They also accepted our invitation to the upcoming rally, and offered to provide a spokesperson to make a statement.
They had listened, they agreed to work with us, and would now make it public.
August 22, the day of the planned rally, was a beautiful sunny day on the riverfront. Hospital administration mingled with breastfeeding mothers, watching this happy, mother and child-filled event complete with musicians, a henna tattoo artist, a bake sale and puppets.
The speech given by the Pinnacle representative, stating that they would be working with us and were looking forward to it, was followed by two local pediatricians who had "come out" after the media attention that the first protest drew. Their speeches supported the same facts that we had made just days earlier, using the same information from WHO, CDC, and AAP.
Concluding the rally, I gave a directed speech calling for everyone there to please listen to the voices of the babies and to respond with compassion rather than indifference to these precious little lives that WE were responsible for welcoming to the world.
The spirit of that day was beautiful, and powerful. We were filled with relief and accomplishment after working so hard. It kind of felt like giving birth. Now, we have a "baby" to care for, to nurture, and to feed - our newly formed relationship with Pinnacle Health.
Since then, we have met again, and have agreed on a meeting schedule, as well as the members of the community Task Force that include a pediatrician, a doula, a La Leche League leader, a home birth midwife, and a wonderful matriarch from the inner city community. We confirmed the objectives that we have and were given news that the "no separation" practice changes were already being made.
As we all continue to work towards regaining normal and natural birth rights for mothers and babies, whether within a hospital setting, or a Birth Center, or at home - I have hope for this movement. I have hope because I believe that there is a much greater force at work and I believe that it is tapping into this force that will change the way we birth.
I am overwhelmed knowing that you all are reading this right now, and I thank you for sharing this experience with us. I am reminded constantly that things rarely change when "safe, easy or acceptable" methods are used. Historically, I doubt anything worthwhile ever was changed without significant sacrifice, and fear. I think of the mothers who sacrificed so that their children would not be born into slavery, or of the women who worked so hard, pushing through fear and intimidation, to insure that I would have the right to vote.
THIS, is when courage is discovered.
Mothers and babies, I'm convinced, know courage innately, and are able to draw on it whenever it's needed.
I believe that courage IS NEEDED NOW, and am asking you to call on it, and to do whatever it is that you are to do..."for the babies...for the babies.."
My name is Salem and I can tell you that peace IS coming.