hmmm.... While I am all for the theoretical aspects of rooming in, I know from experience it is not always the best choice. In fact, in my case, rooming in was a significant factor in excessive fatigue and postpartum depression. Granted this was because we were there for 5 days. However, the "rooming in" mindset of the facility prevented me from getting more than 2.5 hours of sleep each 24 hour period. While in my room, my daughter was on billi lights and antibiotics and an O2 monitor so monitor alarms, pump alarms and bright lights were constantly on or sounding.
On night four, I was throwing up from lack of sleep (the unfortunate way my body handles that situation), I started bleeding excessively and I was barely able to keep any conversation going with my husband...just couldn't think straight. I BEGGED for the baby to go to the nursery at 4am. I got a look of total shock from the nurse and an "oooooooooKaaaaayyyyy" as she slowly rolled the bassinet out of my room. I am not kidding here when I tell you they returned the baby to me 2, TWO hours later!!!!! WTF???? I became so angry and resentful at that point towards the staff, my husband, my mother-in-law, my other daughter and also the baby. I was sent home 5 hours later to the usual new-parent, breast-feeding, other-children-at-home fatique without any rest whatsoever after delivery. That anger ended up being the major manifestation of my pp depression. I didn't even recognize myself. It took a while to resolve, but it did. All I had needed was sleep after delivery to cope better. I'm not saying I wouldn't have experienced some degree of ppd, but my anger and resentment always trailed back to the hospital whenever I thought a lot about it.
So, while in most cases....and I do believe in most...rooming in is probably the best option, it certainly is not ALWAYS best. I think facilities and nursing staff need to pay really close attention to the mothers' behavior patterns and not just vital signs (as I have seen in most cases -- yes I have worked L&D). Many are tired or don't want to be pests so don't really say what they need.
This wasn't a flame on the OP, I just wanted to give another viewpoint to the story.
-Alyssa
