Rooming-In: Creating a Better Experience

Abstract

There are both pros and cons to the practice of rooming-in in the hospital after birth. One concern with rooming-in is the impact this experience has on postpartum mothers. Although rooming-in has many benefits, a challenge that mothers face in the early postpartum period is balancing the needs of their newborns while getting adequate rest. To explore this further, semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 postpartum mothers during their hospital stay. The results revealed how postpartum mothers perceived their sleep quality, rooming-in experience, and overall satisfaction. The majority (60%) of the postpartum mothers in this study had a positive rooming-in experience. Nevertheless, many factors were identified as contributors to poor sleep quality as well as positive and negative rooming-in experiences.

The patient experience of a postpartum readmission for hypertension: a qualitative study

“…During a maternal readmission the baby also does not have access to the newborn nursery and nursing support systems. Creating a hospital environment that promotes rooming in with the baby during a readmission could improve this experience if implemented appropriately [ 12 ]. At the very least, patients noted that simply acknowledging the stressors surrounding being admitted while being a new parent helped them feel more supported during the readmission.…”

The patient experience of a postpartum readmission for hypertension: a qualitative study

“…During a maternal readmission the baby also does not have access to the newborn nursery and nursing support systems. Creating a hospital environment that promotes rooming in with the baby during a readmission could improve this experience if implemented appropriately [ 12 ]. At the very least, patients noted that simply acknowledging the stressors surrounding being admitted while being a new parent helped them feel more supported during the readmission.…”

Social Interactions and Institutional Structures that Influence 24-Hour Rooming-in for New Mothers and Newborns in the Hospital Setting

“…Maternal exhaustion as a motivator for nurses to prioritize the care of the mother and send the baby to the nursery is well established (Grassley et al, 2015; Theo & Drake, 2017). There are strategies to maximize maternal rest on all shifts and increase support on the night shift such as reducing visiting hours during the day, designated daytime quiet times to maximize daytime rest (Grassley et al, 2015), minimizing interruptions, and clustering care (Theo & Drake, 2017). Themes from our study are consistent with themes in literature about the role that prenatal education and expectations play in postpartum newborn care decisions (Burnham et al, 2021; McKeever & St. Fleur, 2012; McRae, 2019; Merewood, 2014).…”

“…Inconsistent practices between shifts and peers are represented in literature, similar to our findings. It is known that clinician attitudes affect the practice of 24-hour rooming-in, and these attitudes may not be grounded in scientific evidence (McRae, 2019; Nickel et al, 2013; Svensson et al, 2005; Theo & Drake, 2017). It is critical that nurses receive ongoing education about the benefits of rooming-in from clinical specialists, lactation consultants, professional journals, and publications from organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) and Baby-Friendly USA.…”

“…Our findings illustrate the complex social interactions and institutional structures that affect exchanges between mother and nurse, often at night, that result in the inconsistent practice of encouraging and supporting 24-hour rooming-in at the hospital. Maternal exhaustion as a motivator for nurses to prioritize the care of the mother and send the baby to the nursery is well established (Grassley et al, 2015; Theo & Drake, 2017). There are strategies to maximize maternal rest on all shifts and increase support on the night shift such as reducing visiting hours during the day, designated daytime quiet times to maximize daytime rest (Grassley et al, 2015), minimizing interruptions, and clustering care (Theo & Drake, 2017).…”

“…It is critical that nurses receive ongoing education about the benefits of rooming-in from clinical specialists, lactation consultants, professional journals, and publications from organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) and Baby-Friendly USA. Tools such as scripts, strategy checklists, and unit-based policies may be useful to address some of the barriers to 24-hour rooming-in (Merewood, 2014; Theo & Drake, 2017).…”

The patient experience of a postpartum readmission for hypertension: a qualitative study

“…During a maternal readmission the baby also does not have access to the newborn nursery and nursing support systems. Creating a hospital environment that promotes rooming in with the baby during a readmission could improve this experience if implemented appropriately [ 12 ]. At the very least, patients noted that simply acknowledging the stressors surrounding being admitted while being a new parent helped them feel more supported during the readmission.…”

Social Interactions and Institutional Structures that Influence 24-Hour Rooming-in for New Mothers and Newborns in the Hospital Setting

“…Maternal exhaustion as a motivator for nurses to prioritize the care of the mother and send the baby to the nursery is well established (Grassley et al, 2015; Theo & Drake, 2017). There are strategies to maximize maternal rest on all shifts and increase support on the night shift such as reducing visiting hours during the day, designated daytime quiet times to maximize daytime rest (Grassley et al, 2015), minimizing interruptions, and clustering care (Theo & Drake, 2017). Themes from our study are consistent with themes in literature about the role that prenatal education and expectations play in postpartum newborn care decisions (Burnham et al, 2021; McKeever & St. Fleur, 2012; McRae, 2019; Merewood, 2014).…”

“…Inconsistent practices between shifts and peers are represented in literature, similar to our findings. It is known that clinician attitudes affect the practice of 24-hour rooming-in, and these attitudes may not be grounded in scientific evidence (McRae, 2019; Nickel et al, 2013; Svensson et al, 2005; Theo & Drake, 2017). It is critical that nurses receive ongoing education about the benefits of rooming-in from clinical specialists, lactation consultants, professional journals, and publications from organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) and Baby-Friendly USA.…”

“…Our findings illustrate the complex social interactions and institutional structures that affect exchanges between mother and nurse, often at night, that result in the inconsistent practice of encouraging and supporting 24-hour rooming-in at the hospital. Maternal exhaustion as a motivator for nurses to prioritize the care of the mother and send the baby to the nursery is well established (Grassley et al, 2015; Theo & Drake, 2017). There are strategies to maximize maternal rest on all shifts and increase support on the night shift such as reducing visiting hours during the day, designated daytime quiet times to maximize daytime rest (Grassley et al, 2015), minimizing interruptions, and clustering care (Theo & Drake, 2017).…”

“…It is critical that nurses receive ongoing education about the benefits of rooming-in from clinical specialists, lactation consultants, professional journals, and publications from organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) and Baby-Friendly USA. Tools such as scripts, strategy checklists, and unit-based policies may be useful to address some of the barriers to 24-hour rooming-in (Merewood, 2014; Theo & Drake, 2017).…”

The patient experience of a postpartum readmission for hypertension: a qualitative study

“…During a maternal readmission the baby also does not have access to the newborn nursery and nursing support systems. Creating a hospital environment that promotes rooming in with the baby during a readmission could improve this experience if implemented appropriately [ 12 ]. At the very least, patients noted that simply acknowledging the stressors surrounding being admitted while being a new parent helped them feel more supported during the readmission.…”

Social Interactions and Institutional Structures that Influence 24-Hour Rooming-in for New Mothers and Newborns in the Hospital Setting

“…Maternal exhaustion as a motivator for nurses to prioritize the care of the mother and send the baby to the nursery is well established (Grassley et al, 2015; Theo & Drake, 2017). There are strategies to maximize maternal rest on all shifts and increase support on the night shift such as reducing visiting hours during the day, designated daytime quiet times to maximize daytime rest (Grassley et al, 2015), minimizing interruptions, and clustering care (Theo & Drake, 2017). Themes from our study are consistent with themes in literature about the role that prenatal education and expectations play in postpartum newborn care decisions (Burnham et al, 2021; McKeever & St. Fleur, 2012; McRae, 2019; Merewood, 2014).…”

“…Inconsistent practices between shifts and peers are represented in literature, similar to our findings. It is known that clinician attitudes affect the practice of 24-hour rooming-in, and these attitudes may not be grounded in scientific evidence (McRae, 2019; Nickel et al, 2013; Svensson et al, 2005; Theo & Drake, 2017). It is critical that nurses receive ongoing education about the benefits of rooming-in from clinical specialists, lactation consultants, professional journals, and publications from organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) and Baby-Friendly USA.…”

“…Our findings illustrate the complex social interactions and institutional structures that affect exchanges between mother and nurse, often at night, that result in the inconsistent practice of encouraging and supporting 24-hour rooming-in at the hospital. Maternal exhaustion as a motivator for nurses to prioritize the care of the mother and send the baby to the nursery is well established (Grassley et al, 2015; Theo & Drake, 2017). There are strategies to maximize maternal rest on all shifts and increase support on the night shift such as reducing visiting hours during the day, designated daytime quiet times to maximize daytime rest (Grassley et al, 2015), minimizing interruptions, and clustering care (Theo & Drake, 2017).…”

“…It is critical that nurses receive ongoing education about the benefits of rooming-in from clinical specialists, lactation consultants, professional journals, and publications from organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) and Baby-Friendly USA. Tools such as scripts, strategy checklists, and unit-based policies may be useful to address some of the barriers to 24-hour rooming-in (Merewood, 2014; Theo & Drake, 2017).…”