Date:    Wed, 20 May 1998 17:38:40 EDT
Luuli <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>As of April 1, 1998, two major hospitals in our town have switched from
>complete rooming-in to a policy of separating mom and baby for a >mandatory
>four hours.

Luuli,

This policy is barbaric, inhumane, and even dangerous.  It makes my
blood boil thinking about it.

I suggest you obtain a copy of "A Guide to Effective Care in
Pregnancy and Childbirth" by Enkin, Keirse, and Chalmers (Oxford
University Press), where you will find the results of studies on a
number of forms of perinatal care.  Section 46.2 ("Restriction of
early mother-infant contact") will give you the ammunition you need
to fight these policies.

To summarize the main points:
- maternal affectionate behaviour is significantly less common in
women who are separated from their babies in the first few hours
after birth.
- mothers who are separated from or allowed restricted access to
their babies during their hospital stays show decreased affectionate
behaviour, increased feelings of incompetance, and lower confidance.
- in the case of socially disadvantaged first-time mothers, early
separation leads to increased risk of child abuse and neglect.
- in a series of trials, mothers who wished to breastfeed were
separated from their babies for anywhere from 4 hours to 4 days.
Although breastfeeding began after the separation was over, the
number of mothers who stopped BF within three months was
significantly higher than in the control groups.

Good luck

Jennifer Landels, BA, CE
Vancouver BC