Thanks to those of you who have replied to my request for references and
with ideas on tackling the backsliding that is going on locally with
regard to nurses feeling that they need to observe babies in the hospital
for four hours post-birth.

Becky Engle, I absolutely agree with you that references don't always get
at the source of the problem, but I feel like that I very well may be
challenging many routines -- not just the mother-baby separation issue --
as the first nurse-midwife to practice in our community, and it may be
easier to gain support on a management level if I am armed with
literature to support my position.  When I worked there in the past, I
did inservices on breastfeeding, wrote a discharge handout for
breastfeeding moms (all they were previously doing was giving out formula
literature), and was generally enough of a "squeaky wheel" that at least
some of the staff paid attention.

We will see.

Ione Sims (who remembers what a thrill it was to get her IBCLC four years
ago, and just received her certificate of completion from nurse-midwifery
school today and is even more thrilled)