Dear Janice,
There are a lot of unanswered questions here.
It doesn't seem to me that this is an issue of nursery or not. I think
healthy full term babies should be in the room with their moms. But maybe
it's an issue of  cobedding or cosleeping.  I think there is an important
distinction when it comes to the newborn period while still hospitalized. As
tragic as this is for the mom/family involved it may have happened even if
the baby was cosleeping or in a nursery without anyone being able to detect
anything.
It's awful that all these changes are being made over one incident
(although I know that one baby was EVERYTHING to the mom involved). My
personal opinion is that babies should room in with their moms but that
hospital beds can be confining and not terribly safe and that maybe a
bassinet right next to moms bed is safer. I would not suggest cobedding to a
mom that had taken pain meds after childbirth as that could produce an
altered sleep state, while I would certainly think that cosleeping in this
instance would be OK.
Really what it seems is needed here is a more detailed protocol for
cosleeping/cobedding
in hospitals that takes into account pain meds, csec, and other factors that
might affect
safe sleeping arrangements. Seems silly to throw the baby out with the bath
water!  Dr. McKenna's "Sleeping with Your Baby" seems to provide excellent
and even conservative guidelines for once mom/baby are home.

Ilene Fabisch, IBCLC/RLC
Brockton, MA

> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date:    Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:18:18 -0600
> From:    Janice Reynolds <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: baby death being used to call for nursery reinstatement &
> condemnation of co-sleeping
> 
> A few weeks ago a 5-hour-old infant died in a hospital maternity ward
> (Regina General), while sleeping in a regular hospital bed beside its
> mother.  An autopsy and investigation are occurring.  The mom held a press
> conference and called for re-instatement of the hospital nursery.  This
> hospital Mother-Baby Unit was recently reorganized and the nursery
> eliminated.  It appears that the nurse’s union is using the incident to
> call
> for more staffing and reinstatement of the nursery.  The issue was brought
> up in the Legislature, by the Opposition party.
> 
> 
> 
> This is having huge repercussions throughout our province.  It seems that
> in
> both large cities that birth about ½ of the babies of the province, the
> main
> hospitals that deliver have changed practice against co-bedding, and the
> mothers are being told to nurse sitting-up, and then move the baby to a
> bassinet in the room.  Neither of these hospitals have central nurseries
> anymore.
> 
> 
> 
> In the other large city (Saskatoon), they are moving to remove all
> references to co-sleeping from the new-mom take-home publication.  They are
> even considering removing all books recommendations that might support
> co-sleeping, and even removing contact information for LLL, since they
> might
> recommend co-sleeping.  This publication also covers the period up to 24
> months, so basically it will appear that the Health Region does not support
> co-sleeping at any time, at any age.  This is all based on liability fears.
> 
> 
> 
> The publication was written by a local bfing advocacy group (which still
> holds copyright) and it is thoroughly researched and referenced.  It has
> been used for 10 years or so, by the health region.  As a member of this
> group, I may be attending a meeting with Health Region representatives,
> public health, etc to discuss this, tomorrow.
> 
> 
> 
> Any advice or support or experience would be appreciated.  I am very
> concerned about this, as I am already hearing that this incident and the
> repercussions following it, have squashed any thoughts of removing
> nurseries
> in other hospitals.
> 
> 
> 
> Both of these hospitals were working towards BFI designations, but it would
> seem that these worries and politics could override any progress made in
> that effort.
> 
> 
> 
> Janice Reynolds
> 
> Lay breastfeeding advocate (not a health professional)
> 
> Saskatchewan, Canada


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