Mother-baby togetherness: A survey of women's postpartum experiences in four maternity units

Abstract

Purpose. To describe women's postpartum experiences with mother-baby togetherness in hospital, and the concordance of their experiences with the recommendations from Health Canada (2000a) on family-centred maternity and newborn care (FCMNC). Design. Descriptive study based on secondary analysis of a telephone survey conducted at one week and six weeks postnatally. Five elements reported by women were examined: the timing of first physical contact, physical proximity during the first few hours, transfer together to postnatal unit, rooming-in, and combined mother-baby care. Setting. Four maternity units in Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) including two level I units, one level II and one level III unit. A proportionate sample was drawn from each unit. The overall response rate to both interviews was 88.3%. Participants. Women (N = 552) who returned home with their babies within the first postnatal week, between October 2000 and March 2001. Findings. While in hospital, 95.8% of mothers and babies were separated. Combined care was reported by 84.7% of women and rooming-in by only 33.9% of women. Only 8.8% of women experienced all five FCMNC recommended practices. Practices varied between the units (p < .001). Women who had a caesarean birth were more likely to be separated from their infants than those who had a vaginal birth. Routine procedures performed in the nursery was the most frequently reported reason (55.8%) for the first separation of mothers and babies. Conclusion. Few women reported receiving care based on the FCMNC recommendations about mother-baby togetherness. Hospital practices varied considerably. It is recommended that healthy newborns receive care at their mothers' bedside. Further research is recommended to study the relationship between unit policy, actual practices, nurses' beliefs and women's preferences about the elements of mother-baby togetherness.