Many newborn babies require intensive-care hospitalization after birth, or in their first years of life. This is an exceedingly distressing time for families, who are often also recovering from childbirth, and navigating their roles as parents for the first time. And unlike adult patients, older children cannot understand visitation restrictions.

My son was in the NICU for 17 days following the discovery of an unforeseeable and very serious health condition. I cannot imagine the additional trauma of spending that time without my husband at my side (or for either of us to be trading off time away from our son). These are the times where parenting teams should be cemented, not torn apart.

The current policy increase the risks of postpartum depression, places the burden disproportionately on women (especially those trying to breastfeed) and disenfranchises fathers (remember, many premie hospitalizations continue for MONTHS). 

But this is the reality today for San Francisco's NICU parents. Parents who were together through delivery are split apart, tag-teaming time alone at their baby's bedside. Despite the fact that most live together, so there is minimal or zero benefit in limiting the spread of COVID.

California Department of Public Health has revised its guidance to allow simultaneous visitation of children by both their parents.

"For NICU and PICU patients, CDPH recommends two designated support persons that may visit at the same time." 

See here for the petition that helped make that happen: https://www.change.org/p/gavin-newsom-nicu-babies-need-both-their-parents

But San Francisco's Department of Public Health has not yet approved the same.

Please support this petition to ask the San Francisco Department of Public Health / Mayor London Breed to extend this California guidance to the parents of in-patient babies and children in San Francisco.