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A Queensland mother is calling for change after she claims she was denied food at a hospital because she wasn’t breastfeeding her baby.
Brisbane lawyer Sarah Stoddart’s 12-week-old daughter Sophie woke up in the middle of the night unwell three weeks ago.
“I knew something was wrong. She took the milk and then basically projectile vomited everywhere and just the temperature coming off her skin was crazy,” Stoddard told 9News.
For any parent or caregiver, this can be a stressful experience with the pain of watching a sick child suffering a fever, vomiting, or painful cries.
A frantic trip to an emergency department can ensue, which only adds to the stress.
For Stoddart, the emergency department visit turned into a bureaucratic nightmare.
Twelve hours after arriving at Prince Charles Hospital’s emergency department where Stoddart’s daughter was admitted, she asked staff whether she’d be able to get access to a meal.
She was then handed a welcome sheet.
“They had circled and brought to my attention that only breastfeeding mothers were entitled to meals,” she said.
“First of all [it] made me feel devastated and guilty but then quite enraged, that that is a decision that is being made in this country and this state in 2023.”
Stoddart was given an exception for one meal and was told the staff would “sneak through an approval”. But with her partner at home taking care of the couple’s other children, Stoddart said she was made to feel guilty for a decision she had made for the benefit of her and her baby.
Vowing to fight for change, Stoddart shared her experience with 9News to help other mums.
“In that first trimester and beyond they’re already struggling with enough, they don’t need the judgement from the government as to how they chose to feed their child,” she said.
9News raised the issue with Metro North Health and can reveal as a result of Stoddard’s complaint and experience the hospital has changed its policy at the Prince Charles Hospital and others in the region, including the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
“The Prince Charles Hospital now provides meals to parents of children six months and under who are admitted into our care,” it said in a statement.
“Parents of all patients admitted to the Paediatric Ward at The Prince Charles Hospital have access to food, water, tea and coffee.
“Further paid options, including fresh food vending machines, cafes and a stocked fridge, are accessible 24hrs a day.”
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said: “In my view it shouldn’t really matter whether you are breastfeeding or not, it should be about trying to make our parents who are doing the best they can to look after their sick kids as comfortable as possible.”
Fentimen said she will be working with other hospitals across the state to make sure mothers – breastfeeding or not – are provided with food during a hospital stay with their child.
