The query about policies on BF in the recovery room has me confused.   There
was a request for a policy regarding BF in the recovery room, *especially*
for cesarean section families, and for managing BF in the first 2 to 3 hours
after birth.

The evidence for the 10 steps to Baby-Friendly hospital status contains
references in support of keeping mother and baby together from birth on, and
leaving them undisturbed, in skin to skin contact, for at least 30 minutes,
and preferably until the baby has found the breast and latched on well for
the first time.

But my confusion is about this recovery room.  Is this a place that is
commonly occupied by mothers who have *not* had cesareans, or manual removal
of the placenta under general anesthetic?  Could anyone enlighten me?  

My frame of reference:  The only mothers in Norway who move from one place
to another within the hospital during their labors are those who have
unplanned cesareans or who experience complications post partum
necessitating transfer to an operating room.  After a normal birth, I guess
we don't consider that they have any recovering to do.  They are simply new
mothers.  Of course we keep an eye on them both until they are stable after
the afterbirth comes out, but we don't move them and this period of
observation is carried out by the midwife who attended them in labor unless
there has been a change of shift in the meantime and a new midwife has come
on duty.  The top priority, apart from preventing post partum hemorrhage, is
keeping mother and baby together to facilitate breastfeeding, which also
minimizes risk of hemorrhage in the mother and hypothermia and hypoglycemia
in the baby.  The next priority is tidying up the room after the birth and
getting the paperwork done.

Even here in Lactopia we have room for improvement.  Mothers having
cesareans are more often than not separated from their newborns for several
hours post partum and when babies do come to them in the recovery area they
are rarely given the calm, undisturbed time they need for babies to go to
breast.  That happens, at best, on post partum.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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