If You Are Having A Baby In The Hospital, Have A Lawyer On Call... - Page 2

[kalamos23]

Originally Posted by Jynuine 

Oh wow, don't get me started on my views on CPS...... >.< There's another GREAT thread here on Mothering on what to do about them, but yeah one reason I am not happy about having to birth in a hospital. Some also hold you hostage if you dont have a carseat that is less than 7 years old.

if you have a car seat older than 7 years old, it is most likely expired and should not be used
. I am 95% certain that the car seats sold 7 years ago came with 6 or 7 year expiration dates, though there are now some convertibles that last longer.

[Lamashtu]

Originally Posted by Jynuine 

Oh wow, don't get me started on my views on CPS...... >.< There's another GREAT thread here on Mothering on what to do about them, but yeah one reason I am not happy about having to birth in a hospital. Some also hold you hostage if you dont have a carseat that is less than 7 years old.

I'm sure this post was made tongue-in-cheek but, to any new moms reading who don't realize that Jynuine is joking, I'd like to make it clear that, if on the off chance someone actually tried to take home an infant from the hospital in a 7 year old carseat, the staff would be well within bounds to not let that happen! 

Car seats have expiration dates because most are made of plastic and plastic becomes brittle and can develop cracks over time. Car seats are subjected to extreme heat and extreme cold while sitting in your vehicle, so the plastics eventually react just like that toy left in the sun. You may not be able to see that the plastic is breaking down, or is more brittle, but that change could be dangerous in a crash when the car seat shell is stressed.  Even if it *looks* brand new, it isn't and should not be used.

Remember that medical staff and CPS are not always "The Man" trying to take all the fun out of parenting.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled thread! :)

[Turquesa]

Here's a TV version of the story:

http://www.ktnv.com/category/164911/ktnv-video?clipId=5701146&topVideoCatNo=undefined&autoStart=true

In both this segment and the article in the OP, the hospital will not communicate with media other than to say that they don't believe the patient's rights were violated.  Really dumb move. 

If they knew a thing about good PR, this would have been the response: "We uphold a high standard of care and take patient concerns seriously.  We are conducting a thorough investigation of the matter to make sure that no patient rights were violated."

It's as BS'y and non-committal as any other PR butt-covering response, but it's a lot better than the "NOT-OUR-FAULT" approach that they are taking, which is sure to cause their public credibility to diminish.
 

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Lamashtu 

I'm sure this post was made tongue-in-cheek but, to any new moms reading who don't realize that Jynuine is joking, I'd like to make it clear that, if on the off chance someone actually tried to take home an infant from the hospital in a 7 year old carseat, the staff would be well within bounds to not let that happen! 

When I had ds1, the hospital wasn't going to "let" us leave without a carseat. I believe that's still policy. However, we lived across the street, and if i hadn't had a c-section, I'd have been walking home. I asked them what they do about it if you're not driving, and they told me that my mode of transport wasn't their problem - I wasn't leaving without a carseat. (Just to make that doubly frustrating, our car broke down that same day, when my ex was on his way back to a job site, and we had no vehicle until ds1 was six months old. I'm not sure why we really needed a carseat.) I find the whole thing stupid.

[member234098]

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Edited by member234098 - 6/10/12 at 4:29pm

[Lamashtu]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride 

When I had ds1, the hospital wasn't going to "let" us leave without a carseat. I believe that's still policy. However, we lived across the street, and if i hadn't had a c-section, I'd have been walking home. I asked them what they do about it if you're not driving, and they told me that my mode of transport wasn't their problem - I wasn't leaving without a carseat. (Just to make that doubly frustrating, our car broke down that same day, when my ex was on his way back to a job site, and we had no vehicle until ds1 was six months old. I'm not sure why we really needed a carseat.) I find the whole thing stupid.

That is ridiculous!  What are you supposed to do; strap the carseat to your back???
 

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Lamashtu 

That is ridiculous!  What are you supposed to do; strap the carseat to your back???

I guess we'd have carried ds1 out of the ward in the seat (it was a bucket), then my ex would have carried the seat home, and I'd have carried ds1. But, it was really bizarre.