Wow.  Sounds like "give the history of the world in 25 words or less"!



Not only does the nurse responsible for immediate postpartum care have her
own agenda for getting all her tasks done and in as little time as possible,
but computer charting, while helpful in many ways, can also contribute to
the problem.  Where I worked, all the delivery data had to be entered before
the baby's chart could be fully initiated.  This data included birth weight
and the fact that eye ointment and Vitamin K had been given.  If a nurse did
want to give the new family those first minutes to bond, she had the other
staff breathing down her neck to get the data in so they could do their
jobs!  The other factor pressing for immediate weight is often the
grandparents.  After "Is baby OK?" and "girl or boy?", the next pressing
question seems to be "How much does it weigh?"

Then the next barrier is the bath.  One can understand why a nurse might be
anxious to get this over with when it is required that she wear gloves in
handling baby until the first bath is complete.



I think it is important to start off by acknowledging these reasons why
nurses tend not to let the new family have time alone.  Then talk about the
importance of those first few minutes and ask them to consider which should
take priority, nurse's convenience, or the needs of the new family.  I like
to encourage the nurses to ask themselves, "Is this task something that
really MUST be done right this minute, or do I just want to get it done for
my own convenience?"  While it does take some of your brief time, I would
encourage you to consider the self-attachment video.  You might just show
one segment and then ask all the nurses to view the full video when they
have a few minutes.  I would also suggest looking through the book The
Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding (not sure if I have the exact
wording correct).  It contains lots of arguments for minimal interference.



Good luck.



Winnie


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