Today we took Sally home from the hospital. It wasn’t a moment too soon for me. You see, fathers get treated like second class citizens at BC Women’s Hospital. The hospital’s most important people are women – new mothers to be exact. Everything is designed for the care of the mother, nothing for the father.
Sarah got a nice bed to sleep in each night. I was given a floor mat with no pillow or blankets. The fridge is stocked with milk, cheese and juice – for the mothers only. Fathers can use the vending machine. The moms are served free breakfast, lunch and dinner during their stay. The dads have to buy their food at the cafeteria. Any requests by a dad seem to fall on deaf ears – unless that request was on behalf of the mother. Based on the handout, we’re not even call dads – we’re a “support person.â€
I’m not use to being second class but for this one time I accepted it. The payoff was more than worth it. I guess it’s call BC WOMEN’S Hospital for a reason.