Latina Opens Debate on Refusing Visitors After Childbirth — It’s Not A ‘Group Activity’
Latina influencer Lauren Giraldo just opened an important conversation on Instagram about having visitors at the hospital after giving birth. Her take? She refuses.
Giraldo explained, “I don’t want to see anybody while I’m bleeding, while I’m in a diaper, while I’m exhausted, while I’m trying to get my baby to latch.”
The influencer, who is currently pregnant, explained to her followers in a reel: “I don’t want any visitors at the hospital when I give birth.”
Adding, “And I also don’t want anybody knowing when I go into labor.”
Interestingly, the video received hundreds of comments echoing her opinion. One follower wrote, “I feel like this is something that needs to be normalized, especially within the Latinx community.”
“There are almost no such thing as boundaries and it’s super stressful growing up with little to no privacy,” the commenter recalled. “Then trying to enforce it later on in life or literally just to get some space to breathe.”
Countless more comments agreed: “It’s weird that people make YOUR pregnancy about them 😭.” Clearly, this is a topic that struck a chord, particularly in the Latino community. Still, it’s not spoken about nearly enough — either because of fear of family members being hurt, feeling guilt, or a mix of both.
Giraldo said she only wants her husband in the room while giving birth
The influencer described how she does not even want other people to know when she is giving birth. Why? She prefers for her and her husband to be 100% focused on bringing their child into the world.
“The only person I feel comfortable being in the room with me is my husband,” she explained. “And if he lets people know she’s in labor, they’re going to be blowing up his phone for updates the entire time.”
Saying, “He’s not going to be able to give me the attention that I need.”
However, Giraldo admitted that this is a topic that has been “upsetting” her as of late. Why? Well, because of loved ones who do not understand her decision.
“I have learned this really upsets people, which is in turn upsetting me today,” she revealed. “I mean you kind of want people to get it, and be like ‘It is your body, it’s your baby, it’s a huge procedure you’re going under, so whatever makes you the most comfortable… we’re happy.'”
The reality, though, unfortunately, looks very different. As Giraldo put it, some family members might see giving birth as a “group activity.”
“Treating childbirth like a group activity would not work for me. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable,” she said.
“Honestly, after carrying something in my body for nine months, I don’t feel obligated five minutes, 10 hours after the fact, to have to share that with anybody until I’m ready.”
The influencer’s decision struck a chord with her followers — especially those in the Latino community
As you can expect, such a culturally loaded topic brought in countless comments from Giraldo’s followers. Particularly those in the Latino community.
One person wrote, “People get upset [because] your family is Colombian and you know how it is there, people are literally at your house the second you get home, and your mom and aunts need to be at the birth.”
“It’s a cultural thing,” they added. Even Giraldo agreed, writing back to one of her followers, “[Definitely] a thing in the Latin community.”
Meanwhile, another person commented: “Setting those boundaries early on is a must!! 😩 Wish I could redo and do so many things differently!”
As one follower put it, “Period!! the most important thing is you’re as relaxed and comfortable as you can possibly be.”
“It’s such a vulnerable thing your going to go through! These are your birth wishes and not a family Christmas bash, and if they can’t respect that then let them be upset🫶🏽.”
While many people talked about their frustration with “entitled” family members, one person in the comments section pushed back.
“Some of these comments though…. Calling family member ‘entitled’ for caring about the birth of a new baby,” they wrote. “I don’t think it’s entitlement. I think it’s love and excitement. But they still need to respect your boundaries.”
Still, as one person wrote, “Your body, your baby, your rules, full stop. Everyone else will get over it.”
Another shared how they also refused visitors after giving birth, calling it the “best decision” ever. “We did not allow visitors for four days when my daughter was born and it was the best decision we ever made. Once the four days passed, we welcomed visitors no problem! Do what YOU want and don’t let anyone change that.”
Not surprisingly, this is a huge topic and many TikTok videos prove it
Over on TikTok, one woman professed she doesn’t care even if her child’s father tells her: “You have to let them visit, they’re my parents”:
“I’m two days postpartum, no one is visiting me until I’m ready,” she captioned the video.
Another woman on the social platform showed her reaction when people ask her, “You’re really not allowing visitors after you give birth?”
“Sure aint 🤭🤭 I didn’t spend nine months growing my baby to pass her around,” she added.
Another woman posted a “POV” of her family huddled around her hospital room waiting for her to give birth. While she didn’t caption the video, she accompanied it with a song aptly titled “Oh No”:
Meanwhile, another TikTok user posted a similar video of her own birth, also surrounded by her extended family. She captioned it with crying and laughing emojis, writing, “I was in labor and my whole family came to watch 😭😂”:
Also, for women who want to give birth at home, it’s important to note they also can enforce a “no visitors policy” if that makes them more comfortable:
