Pregnant Síle Seoige slams ‘outrageous’ maternity restrictions
Mums and dads across the country have had enough of Ireland’s harmful and arguably, unnecessary maternity restrictions.
The rest of the country is opening back up, so why are mums and dads still being restricted from being together in maternity hospitals during some of the most pivotal moments of their lives?
Opening up about her thoughts on these “outrageous” restrictions, Irish presenter Síle Seoige has said that her biggest fear is that her husband will miss the birth of their baby girl.
Due to welcome her second child this November, Síle has shared her frustration with RSVP Live, saying, “The women of Ireland, and the couples of Ireland, have been really, really let down with these maternity restrictions and I think Covid is being used as an excuse to prevent a lot of these things from reopening”.
Síle went on to explain that once she goes into labour, things could start moving a lot quicker than she’s prepared for, and she worries there might not be enough time for her husband to join her.
“If I am in active labour, I will be assigned a room and then I can text my partner Damien and he will come up, but what if I am on the verge of the baby coming out?” the Gaelgoir wondered.
Recalling her first labour experience, Síle said that it all happened very quickly and that the second time around would more than likely go the same way. “So that is my fear, what if he missed the birth of his baby!!!” Síle exclaimed, adding, “It is outrageous to be even thinking that. We are sharing a home, a bed, we are very safe and follow the protocol.”
Explaining her thoughts on how harmful being alone in this process can be for expectant mothers, Síle said, “it is easier for a woman to be submissive when she is on her own, she doesn’t have someone to speak up for her, whether it is her husband, her partner, a doula, a mother, a sister, when you don’t have someone there speaking for you – you are more compliant.”
“I want a birth experience like I had the last time, which was drug free and natural because that is what suits me. Whether you have a vaginal birth or a C-section, you need to be relaxed and the person that will help you relax is the person closest to you. It is common sense, the more stressed the woman is the more she will need help.”
“When necessary, medical help is amazing and I bow my head to science — if I have to have a c section then I will embrace it with open arms. But my dream is to have an experience like last time and the only way I can do that is if I am relaxed, and if I am feeling good. My worry is I won’t feel that way if I am on my own,” Síle confessed.
Mums and parents across the country have been campaigning for and begging for the harsh maternity restrictions to be eased once and for all, and for expectant mothers to be given the respect and compassion which they so desperately deserve.
