Do you have a nursery at your facility?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

For moms to take babies for the night if they are tired? I just find this such a foreign concept. Our hospital has a 24 hr rooming in policy and where I work on low risk there is no nursery and even on the high risk side there is a nursery but it is not staffed so it is still 24hr rooming in. The only time that nursery is even used is if the mom is critically ill, then they will staff it, other then that it is you and your baby 24/7 until discharge.

So what does your facility have?

Well I don't work nights:) but I know they do rounds at night q1-2 hrs. I haven't heard about any problems with choking babies.

I can see the logic in using a nursery for moms who have been up all night in labour but on the other hand I know that mom is able to rest after delivery because her support person stays and looks after the baby (minus feedings if they are BF) so mom can get a few hours sleep. It hasn't been too much of a problem that I've seen. I guess it must be the norm here because the patients expect to room in and though there are a few who get angry we don't have a nursery, they are few and far between.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, Tele, L&D. ICU.

We are a rooming-in facility-completely. If mom is critical, babe goes to NICU (unfortunately, but not with the sick babies). In the rare instance that we take a baby to be watched at the desk, they are bottle-feeders. It is detrimental to mom in the long run if she is breastfeeding and missing babes "cues". Plus our unit is H-U-G-E and to run a baby down the hall every q1-1 and a half hours is not feasable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB, lactation.

We do rooming-in. If someone needs it, we can usually watch a baby for a while but it's unusual. Most of the babies sleep a lot and moms sleep when their baby does.

I've always heard that the literature supported rooming in for various reasons, and also found that the moms rest wasn't even really dependent on whether the baby slept in the nursery or her room. This article touches on a lot of it and has the references:

Lamaze International

I believe it is these three that addressed the sleep issue:

Waldenstrom, U., & Swenson, A. (1991). Rooming-in in the postpartum ward. Midwifery, 7 (2), 82-89.

Keefe, M.R. (1987). Comparison of neonatal nighttime sleep-wake patterns in nursery versus rooming-in environments. Nursing Research, 36 (3), 140-144.

Keefe, M.R. (1988). The impact of infant rooming-in on maternal sleep at night. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 17 (2), 122-126.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I always slept better with my baby WITH me, not in the nursery.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I always slept better with my baby WITH me, not in the nursery.

With my first, almost 24 years ago, they took him to the nursery soon after delivery and didn't bring him back until morning. :o

Two years later, in another hospital, my son roomed in. Been that way with the other two also.

Especially with my last, after my cesarean, I wanted to see him - I was in recovery for about an hour and they brought him to me after a few hours in NICU. He only left after that for bathing and vitals and PKU and circ.

There is nothing like that feeling of being alone with your child asleep on your chest. It has only been five years since my little guy was born but I still love it when he falls asleep on my chest.

steph

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We have a fishbowl nusery - completely surrounded by glass with places where toddlers can stand to get a view of their baby brother or sister. It's 50/50 at my hospital. Half keep their babies with them all the time and the other half stay in the nursery while mom rests.

I haven't had kids yet, but I think I'd take advantage of the nursery. I'll have plenty of sleepless nights when I get home.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Question for those who have rooming in only: where does baby go if he/she codes? Is there a room special for that with crash cart, etc?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Question for those who have rooming in only: where does baby go if he/she codes? Is there a room special for that with crash cart, etc?

Yikes! What a question . . . .

Well, we would take the baby to the nursery. All the equipment is there.

steph

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Most of our pts use the nsy at night at least for a couple of hours. The majority of the pku's, hrg screens, weights, bili's etc... are done on night shift. So the baby usually goes in for that and I give mom the option of rest and bring the baby back at the next feed. Most moms are very glad for a couple hours of sleep and many keep them the rest of the night.

My biggest pet peeve is BF mom who sends baby with request for NO paci, NO supplement and keep kid all night!! I don't get it. Naturally baby is back out to BF q1-2 hrs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Yikes! What a question . . . .

Well, we would take the baby to the nursery. All the equipment is there.

steph

Maybe I'm misunderstanding. It happens alot. The question was "do you have a nursery" which to me implies that not every hospital has a nursery. My question, if no nursery, where do they go? Or do all hospitals have a nursery? But those with rooming in only don't always have a NICU to send baby so they can be watched closely.

Also, is there an increased risk for infant abduction for rooming in only? If mom is sleeping after taking pain medication she may not wake up if someone walks into the room. Or is waking up a mother's instinct?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It works out well for us staff too. We can keep a better eye on babies without disturbing parents. We do make rounds on babies q2hours if they're in moms room. But there have been instances (choking, gagging) that if baby had been with mom (sleeping) the consequences could have been different. In the nursery, the baby was seen immediately, and taken care of.

Personally, I like having the night nursery. I know it makes my job easier.

When I had my daughter about 5 years ago, I had a really long labor and decided to put her in the nursery for the night (they brought her to me a couple of times to b-feed). At the hospital I was at, it was the policy that if you wanted to room-in with your baby, you had to have your room-mates permission. My roommate care in after I did (pretty late in the evening) but had decided since I was putting my baby in the nursery she would too (I would never had said no if she wanted to keep the baby in the room). Anyway, it the middle of the night, a nurse came in and woke my roommate up to tell her that her baby had been "silent choking" in the nursery. It was noticed immediately and taken care of without any problems. The next day she kept saying how thankful she was that the baby was in the nursery being watched. I think now if I had another baby, I'd be too scared to room in the first night or two.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We have a resus room if the baby codes with a crash cart and NICU down the hall. We have never had a problem with infant abductions. Babies do not leave the room at anytime for bathing,weights, pku's ect. Babies cannot be carried out of the room unless in a corificeat or mom wheeling the baby in a bassinett, nor are they allowed off unit.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment