I'll agree with the others that said that 6 couplets is WAYYYYY too many. I'll admit though, that I've worked on a small PP floor where we routinely had 5 or 6 couplets, and we survived. I'm not sure how, but I think our acuity was really low at that time which helps. AWOHNN standards dictate 3-4 couplets, which is what we follow. We also have a lot of NICU moms, and antepartums, so we would rarely have 4 moms and 4 babies. It's usually 3:2, 4:2, or 4:3, or something like that.
Our L&D does the initial baby assessment. Skin-to-skin for 1hr, then shots/drops, measurements, footprints, assessment, etc. Bath is delayed for 24hrs and is generally done at the bedside by the tech or RN (usually the RN).
Admissions to the floor involve assessment on both mom and baby, and orientation to unit and room (reviewing visiting hours, plan of care, etc). I personally feel the orientation/education portion is the most time-consuming. The RN is generally on her own for admissions but it's really a 1-person job anyway. Although we are supposed to document at the bedside, we usually do it at the desk when we can.
By the time couplets are transferred to us, they're so exhausted they usually just want to be left alone. I can't imagine having to do all the required baby stuff (that our L&D does) when we get them.
