Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 32 : Spring 2017 | Page 71

This also allowed her husband, Mark, to be more
a part of the process. “Mark stayed right there with me
every night. This was the birth of our first child, and we
went through that together. He was as involved as I was
in learning how to take care of her.”
With extended time together by rooming in,
mothers (and fathers) quickly learn their babies’ needs
and how best to care for, soothe, and comfort their
newborns.
The Thompson family enjoys some bonding time while still in the OR.
Nicole Thompson, a mother of four—all of whom
were delivered by cesarean section, knows all too well
what a difference this makes.
“My first two children had to go straight to the
NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Eastern Maine
Medical Center], so I had to wait days to touch and hold
them. When my youngest daughter was born three
years ago, they weren’t doing skin-to-skin like they are
now. I got to hold her for just a few seconds before she
was taken away. With my son, born last year, I was able
to hold him and keep him with me in the OR and recov-
ery,” recalls Thompson. “I didn’t even realize how much
it means until I actually got to experience those first
moments. It should be a mom’s right to hold her child
before anyone else. It is heartbreaking to lose those first
moments.”
The benefits of skin-to-skin contact continue
beyond the first hour. The longer and more often
mothers and babies are skin-to-skin in the hours and
days after the birth, the greater the benefit.
Rooming In
“There are so many benefits to
rooming in for both the mom and the
baby,” says Lilley. ‘Rooming in’ is when
the baby stays in the mother’s room
continuously during the day and night.
It is now the typical practice for babies
delivered at TAMC.
“I just couldn’t imagine not having
her right there with us,” says Megan
Stanley, who delivered daughter
Charlotte in November 2016. “It was
reassuring to have her with us.”
“It was good as first time parents to have her with
us, but also to know that we just had to stick our head
out the door or push the call button to have someone
come help us when we needed it,” says Stanley. “Not only
did the nurses help with the basics, like how to feed and
burp her, but they were good moral support so we didn’t
get discouraged or panic when something didn’t go well.”
That support came in very handy when baby Char-
lotte didn’t respond well to formula. Due to concerns
about the weight she lost during this time, Charlotte
needed to stay in the hospital a couple of days longer.
Although Megan Stanley was officially discharged after
two days, both she and husband Mark were able to stay
in the hospital for the extra days and continue to keep
Charlotte with them.
Studies have shown that rooming in helps lead to
stronger attachments between mom and baby. Also,
while babies are with their mothers, they cry less, soothe
more quickly, spend more time quietly sleeping and
breast feed more easily. Babies who room in with their
mothers take in more breast milk, gain more weight per
day, and are less likely to develop jaundice.
Building a Bond
“While first and foremost we want to make sure
mom and baby are healthy, it’s about so
much more than that,” says Lilley. “We
want mom and baby to bond with each
other and the whole family to bond
with their precious new addition. We
want to make sure mom is comfortable
with how to care for her baby when
she goes home, and that she has the
resources she needs in place. Ultimately,
we want the best possible outcomes for
our patients, both moms and babies, so
we do all that we can to make sure they
get a great start on this amazing new
journey in life together.”
Mark Stanley holds daughter Charlotte
moments after her birth at TAMC.
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