This is one of the saddest stories that I have heard to come out of the COVID crisis, and one which not many people would have thought about without the experience of another who knows firsthand.
Green-Eyes is a neonatal nurse, and during a brief respite from her 16 days of 14 hour shifts without lunch breaks, I met with her yesterday for a fleeting hour of catch-up with her Grandmother, H.I.
I asked how it was going on the wards, and she gave me the most heart-breaking information you could not have dreamed up for yourself.
Because everyone - including parents - have to wear masks on the wards, sick babies now do not know how to smile. Like monkeys, they have to interact with another member of their species being before they understand the facial expressions and emotional displays that make for the subtle communication for which words alone will not suffice.
Apparently, they make strange, confused twitching motions with their mouths because they have never been taught how to smile.
The youngest of the COVID generation will need more help than we are getting in the future.
That is so sad.
ReplyDeleteThe longer they stay in hospital, the harder it will be to catch up and adjust. Poor babies. That's as sad as the kiddies who start school being unable to talk, because no one talks to them at home. My husband is a school governor, and they've seen this, as well as a child who, when given his lunch, sat down on the floor to eat it because he'd never sat at a table. They deserve better.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter is 6 months old and has never been held or interacted with anyone other than her parents, as we live in a lock down city. They wonder how this will affect her development
ReplyDeleteOh God. Would that our rulers get a bloody grip.
ReplyDeleteSad, sad, sad, for the babies, for us. May the parents take special care of them, the babies who can go home, in the end.
ReplyDeleteSee-through masks have been used to aid in deaf folk still being able to lip-read. Perhaps neonatal units could use such equipment as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is heartbreaking. The see-through masks sound like a very good idea.
ReplyDeleteHow awful. It should be plastered on every billborad and red bus so that everyone knows.
ReplyDelete😢 XXXX
ReplyDeleteYes! This sad, very sad, something l would
ReplyDeletenever have thought of..
Good idea perhaps with see through masks,
or see through visors..it can't replace the
faccia a faccia..face to face between a
Mother and son/daughter..!
And surely this problem should have been
addressed by the NHS..Government etc..
Yes! Heartbreaking..! :(.
So very, very sad. The visor sounds like a good (yet still awful) idea. To add that to all the stress those babies have already, and the parents too.
ReplyDeleteSo very, very sad. (And it makes me think hard when I feel sad about not being able to see my grandchildren-triplets since February: they were so lucky to be born in September 2019 - before Covid. That is such a blessing that I can wait with a grateful heart till I see them again).
Horrible horrible thought .. so sad..... see through masks sound a possible solution perhaps
ReplyDeleteSo many side effects we had not thought of - sad indeed and the effects may last for years. I have sent you an e mail today - do read it before this evening if you can.
ReplyDeleteVery upsetting. Visors might help.A very difficult problem for the hospital. Johnson's inability to lead is having terrible side effects, half the people I know take things super seriously because they are scared, the other half take all kinds of dumb risks.
ReplyDelete