Fall risk

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Does anyone use a Fall Risk Assessment tool for moms to prevent newborn falls? Most I have found on-line, send the baby to the nursery if the mom is considered high-risk (C-section, PCA, narcotics, etc.). However, our facility is Baby-Friendly and no longer has a nursery and we are trying to decide how to handle these high-risk mom's.

Thanks

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

We do a lot of patient education on putting baby in bassinet as soon as mom feels sleepy, and hourly rounding/safety checks.

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We don't have a nursery so we do the same as Klone . If it's a mag mom, and she has no visitors then we will open up the newbirn procedure room and the charge nurse would be assigned to the baby.

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Encourage mums partner or support person to be there with her seems like a good solution to this.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Doing away with the nursery in the name of being Baby Friendly really gets my britches in a bunch. The default should be that baby stays in the room with their parent. We should absolutely tailor obstetric care to promote a healthy physiologic transition, solid bonding, and successful breastfeeding (unless mom does not want to).

However. Labor and delivery can be emotionally draining and physically exhausting, even more so when there are complications. And many women have other young children waiting at home, often with little or no help. This might literally be their ONLY opportunity to get some rest for the forseeable future. And i'll go there- its okay if she wants us to feed the baby for her while she sleeps- we can cup or syringe feed if there is concern about nipple confusion.

Its not weird or baby-hostile for moms to be able to ask for help with their baby. It is not anti-baby to let an exhausted mother SLEEP after going through childbirth. Moms deserve help during those first few days, if they want it.

It makes me feel angry that the whole movement is branded as "baby friendly." Hello? What about the person who just gave birth? Its insulting. Family friendly is the real goal here!

Sorry, preaching to the choir.

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