Renee, I don't know about studies on this subject, but I know for me personally it made a huge difference.  After the birth of my daughter I started to hemorrhage and was rushed to the OR.  I'd barely held my daughter after the birth and was quite faint from the work and blood loss.  3 hours later I came back to my room to find a similar sight to yours.  My daughter looking right at my husband while he held her to his chest and sang to her.  The nurses had done all of the baby care in the room just as they would have if I had been there and allowed my husband to hold her the whole time and to give her her first bath.  While I regret not having that time with her, the two of them were so close from the very beginning.  Fionna didn't nurse right away as I was pretty drugged up and uninterested, but I held her and we slept.  The next morning (8 hours after the birth and still no one had offered formula - good hospital - they get a bf cookie) I was a little more awake and she was getting hungry and latched on with no problem.  We never had any nursing difficulties (except some persistent thrush, but that's a different issue).  I definitely attribute her happiness as an infant and nursing success to the uninterrupted contact with a parent and no milk substitutes.

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Renee Drake
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2005 10:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Dad's role when initial birth separation happens


I am hearing all the talk about the csec moms and others with  difficult 
births where the mother and baby are separated for a period of  time.  Of course 
this happens way too frequently.  I am wondering if  anyone has thought of 
dad's role during this separation?  
 
I had a scheduled repeat csec with my daughter.  I knew I  would be separated 
from her initially for at least an hour during  "recovery".  I had a long 
discussion with my nurse  about this prior  to the section.  She understood my 
desire to have no interventions (no eye  ointment, no weighing etc) until I was 
able to be reunited an have our first  bf.  After an initial assessment and 
findind baby in great shape, she  returned DH and baby to my room and set them 
up in a rocking chair skin to skin,  and left them alone for bonding.  Imagine 
my pleasure, being wheeled in to  my room and the first sight I saw was my DH 
naked from the waist up with my  daughter also naked on his chest, wrapped in 
a bath blanket.  As soon as I  was settled, DH brought her to me for the first 
bf.  She latched like a  champ, like she had been doing it forever.  Although 
we had other bf  trials, the latch was never an issue. 
 
My question is...Could the uninterrupted bonding with dad make  an impact in 
these situations where separation is inevitable?  Has anyone  heard of any 
studies to the fact?  I would like to present this idea to my  hospital, to make 
this the norm, instead of baby laying in a warming bed the  entire time mom is 
in recovery.
 
TIA..and pardon any typos...it is difficult to type with a 12  mo old 
nursling attached. lol
 
Renee RN
IBCLC to be
LLL leader applicant (again)
 (http://www.tickercentral.com/)  

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