Jeannette Crenshaw, RN, MSN, author of a new review article in the current edition of The Journal of Perinatal Education: Advancing Normal Birth said, "We're too quick to separate mom and baby after birth."
Crenshaw goes on to say, "Studies have shown moms don't get more sleep when babies are in the nursery. And when you keep them together, they get to know each other sooner, which impacts maternal caregiver skills."
Babies who are kept with their mothers cry less, are easier to soothe, and sleep more soundly, according to Crenshaw's paper. Babies who room-in with their mother also breastfeed sooner, gain more weight, and are less likely to develop jaundice, according to the research.
"For years the thinking has been that if the baby stays in the hospital nursery at night the parents will be more rested when they get home and better able to care for their newborn," said Presbyterian pediatrician Dr. Early Denison. "But pediatricians should consider recommending that parents keep their newborns with them throughout their hospital stay to promote optimal breastfeeding and bonding with the baby."
Mothers who are with their babies for longer periods of time also have higher scores on tests that measure the strength of their attachment to their newborns.
Researchers go on to say mothers and newborns also should have skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth because babies placed skin-to-skin on their mothers stay warmer, cry less, have lower levels of stress hormones and breastfeed sooner than newborns who are separated from their mothers immediately after birth.
Additionally the baby is exposed to the normal bacteria on the mother's skin, which may protect the baby from becoming sick from harmful germs.
