Three day stay bill
Stuff reports:
A bill to give new mothers more support after giving birth will be put in the ballot this week.
National MP Louise Upston is proposing the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (3 Day Postnatal Stay) Amendment Bill, which would entitle new mums to a minimum of three days hospital care after the birth of each child.
New mothers are funded for two days of in patient care by DHBs, but Upston said they were often encouraged to leave as soon as possible which caused additional stress.
She said new mothers sometimes experienced the “baby blues”, had difficulty breastfeeding, were exhausted, or just needed a little extra help while they built confidence as a mother.
Sounds a good policy to me. The pressure to leave quickly can be quite overwhelming, especially when it is a first baby.