Transitional Care for Chase

After hearing a friend of mine talk about transitional care for her baby done in the delivery room, I was very curious. When I delivered Colby I was very uneasy about the nurse taking him away for three hours because everything I read went something like this:


Maintaining Parent-Infant Contact
During the immediate postpartum period, the mother and newborn, within
the context of their family or personal support, should be viewed as a unit.
Whenever possible, disruption of the close parent-infant relationship
during the crucial few hours following birth is to be avoided; meanwhile,
direct physical contact between the baby, mother, and father is strongly
encouraged. The parent-infant bond — the first step in the infant’s
subsequent attachments — is formative to a child’s sense of security and
has long-lasting effects. Indeed, the benefit to the parents should not be
underestimated: this early physical contact with the baby affirms their sense
of accomplishment and promotes their self-confidence as parents. Keeping
babies and parents together should clearly be of the highest priority.
Institutional policies can at times restrict this contact, so flexibility should
be the guiding principle.
EARLY POSTPARTUM CARE AND TRANSITION
At the time of birth, certain policies and practices can help initiate
the attachment process. For example, skin-to-skin contact between mother/
father and baby should be encouraged; babies should be examined and cared
for within the parents’ range of vision; and babies should have the
opportunity to breastfeed during the first hour after birth.
Whereas continued contact between parents and baby is a positive predictor
for successful breastfeeding, separation from parents after birth jeopardizes
successful lactation. During the immediate postpartum period, parents need
undisturbed time to inspect, explore, and begin to recognize their baby.

It really bothered me and made me really anxious while Colby and I were apart and I know it effected his ability to latch on and nurse. I remember Chris calling the nurse at the three hour mark and asking when would he be returning. I didn't think that it was right for him to be away from his mother that long. So, when I heard that River Oaks now offers transitional care in the delivery room I was praying that my hospital also does too. I called yesterday and was so estactic to discover that in fact it is provided. The nurse told me I would love it, how much better it is for the baby and mother, how great the accommodations are and then said it was an extra $300. Hello....why in the world is there a charge when they know it's what's best for the baby and mother. I will definitely pay the extra money because I think it is well worth it, but I just can't believe that I have to pay an extra $300 because I want to keep my baby with me at all times....sounds a little bizarre!