NURTURE
hospital routines to facilitate roomingin. This is in keeping with NUH’s
Breastfeeding policy, which adheres
to the BFHI’s 10 Steps to Successful
breastfeeding.
* “Breastfeeding For You and Your Baby” by the NUH
BFHI Steering Committee Jan 2013, available in
English, Mandarin, Malay.
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Personal
&
Having finally gone through
grueling hours of labour,
the first thing on your mind
should be a well-deserved
rest. Would you rather have
your newborn whisked away
and recuperate in solitude,
or remain together as close
as two peas in a pod? It’s a
personal decision, really.
You’ve been obsessing and fussing over
the life in your womb for nine months,
and now that’s finally come to an end.
But the challenges of motherhood are
far from over: postpartum weight loss
woes, getting back on track at home
and in the office, and most importantly,
caring for your brand-new baby. The
typical boyfriend/husband approach by
declaring a need for “space” and “time”
seems a tempting option to take before
you return from the hospital with your
bundle of joy. Yet, like every other
relationship, taking it long-distance with
your newborn is a big decision. Even if
it’s within the same hospital building, a
few floors or walls away.
The practice of rooming-in – an
arrangement where a newborn is
kept with the mother instead of in a
nursery – can nurture both mother and
child in more ways than one. While
breastfeeding is more easily induced
through observation of feeding cues, it is
also an opportunity for your newborn to
recognise you and at the same time, cry
less as you learn how to better take care of
your baby.
The general
philosophy of
roomingin care as
opposed to
nurserybased care
emphasises
that each
motherbaby pair is
unique...
22
Family & Life • Sept 2013
Rooming-in is just one of the “10 Steps to
Successful Breastfeeding” as part of the
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI),
a world-wide programme develope