Temkin E
Nurse-Midwifery Center, College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29403, USA.
Am J Public Health. 1999 Apr;89(4):587-95. doi: 10.2105/ajph.89.4.587.
In 1996, public outcry over shortened hospital stays for new mothers and their infants led to the passage of a federal law banning "drive-through deliveries." This recent round of brief postpartum stays is not unprecedented. During World War II, a baby boom overwhelmed maternity facilities in American hospitals. Hospital births became more popular and accessible as the Emergency Maternal and Infant Care program subsidized obstetric care for servicemen's wives. Although protocols before the war had called for prolonged bed rest in the puerperium, medical theory was quickly revised as crowded hospitals were forced to discharge mothers after 24 hours. To compensate for short inpatient stays, community-based services such as visiting nursing care, postnatal homes, and prenatal classes evolved to support new mothers. Fueled by rhetoric that identified maternal-child health as a critical factor in military morale, postpartum care during the war years remained comprehensive despite short hospital stays. The wartime experience offers a model of alternatives to legislation for ensuring adequate care of postpartum women.
1996年，公众对新妈妈及其婴儿住院时间缩短的强烈抗议导致一项联邦法律通过，禁止“快速分娩”。最近这一轮产后短暂住院并非没有先例。第二次世界大战期间，婴儿潮使美国医院的产科设施不堪重负。随着“紧急母婴护理”计划为军人妻子的产科护理提供补贴，医院分娩变得更加普遍且可及。尽管战前的医疗方案要求产褥期长时间卧床休息，但由于医院人满为患，母亲们被迫在24小时后出院，医学理论很快就被修订了。为了弥补住院时间短的问题，诸如上门护理、产后之家和产前课程等社区服务应运而生，以支持新妈妈。在将母婴健康视为军队士气关键因素的言论推动下，尽管住院时间短，但战时的产后护理仍然全面。战时的经验为确保产后妇女得到充分护理提供了一种替代立法的模式。
