The author in her natural habitat.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a nurse—I had no intentions of doing anything else! I always thought nursing was the field for me because I could care for others and be a teacher and counselor, all at the same time. I originally thought I was going to work in the emergency department; I had no idea that the NICU existed. One day, our class took a tour of one of the largest hospitals in Alabama, and one of the units we visited was the NICU. I was immediately drawn to these tiny babies.

After that tour, I decided to do my preceptorship in the NICU, and it was then that I fell in love with neonatal nursing. I was very fortunate after nursing school to be offered a position in the NICU. I could not imagine working in any other area of nursing—and that’s where I’ve been since January 2004. I initially worked as a bedside nurse and then decided to further my education and become a neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP), a role I’ve had for the past 5 years of my career.

What I love about the NICU is that premature infants are fighters. I see them defy the odds every day. If you don’t believe in miracles, come visit the NICU. I also love that from the beginning, each one of these little babies has their own personality. They cannot tell you when something is wrong; you have to depend on your assessment skills and their cues to figure out what they need. It’s such a joy to see these infants grow and thrive. What I love most, though, is watching the parents get more and more comfortable caring for their child.

I’ve met so many wonderful families during my years in the NICU. They entrust you with their most precious possession, their child. It’s hard not to bond or connect with these people who spend weeks and months in the unit. When I’d been a NICU nurse for about a year, there was a baby I cared for who was born at 23 weeks and spent months in our unit. As I cared for this infant on a regular basis, I really bonded with the family. I remember many times over the months thinking that this patient was not going to survive. This family had the strongest faith I’ve ever seen, and eventually they did go home with their baby. Years later, they brought that child up to the NICU to see me. I was shocked that I touched their lives that much! They recalled specific things I had said or did, and it was one of those moments when I realized that my job makes a difference. I don’t do this job for recognition, but it’s nice to know I made such an impact.

Shortly before Rilee’s birth.

After spending so much of my time around other people’s babies, I was excited when I found out my husband and I would be welcoming our own child into the world. I had no complications during my pregnancy, and my only risk factor was advanced maternal age, as I would be 35 years when my son was due to be born. However, Rilee had different plans—I went into labor at 29 weeks and 4 days, and just like that, I went from NICU nurse to the mother of one of those tiny, vulnerable babies.

My labor happened so quickly that there wasn’t much time to process it. I didn’t sleep well the night before. I just could not get comfortable but assumed it was normal. I was scheduled to work, so I decided to go ahead and get up early since I wasn’t sleeping anyway. While in the shower, I began to hurt and feel nauseated. Even then, I still didn’t process that I might be in labor. I figured if I was still hurting when I got to work, I would go to Labor & Delivery and get checked out.

Rilee made his appearance more than 10 weeks early.

While trying to get dressed and ready for work, the pain was worsening. I began to vomit and feel the urge to go to the bathroom. That’s when it finally hit me that I might be in labor. I woke my husband up, and he drove us as fast as possible the 75 miles to the hospital. About halfway there, my water broke in the car. The contractions were coming every 2 minutes, and I was focusing on trying to keep my legs crossed because I could feel the baby’s head. When we arrived at the hospital at 6:15 a.m., I was completely dilated. There was no time for any medications or an epidural; I pushed twice, and Rilee was born at 6:30 a.m. I was in complete shock, and it took a little while for me to really process the fact that I had given birth more than 10 weeks ahead of schedule.

Having worked in the NICU for so long, I had some idea of what would happen next. I knew he would require oxygen and have apnea/bradycardia episodes, and I was prepared for him to not be a great PO feeder. What I was not ready for was the pain I felt as he struggled to breathe and had episodes. As a nurse, I knew it was totally normal, but as a mom, I was disappointed every time he took a step back and that he was not progressing at the pace I wanted him to.

April and husband Thomas visiting with their son, Rilee.

Working in the NICU may have prepared me for what to expect medically, but it did not prepare me for what I was going to experience emotionally. I had no idea the guilt I would have for not carrying Rilee to term. I felt my body had failed me, and I had failed my child. I mourned those last 2.5 months I missed out on and my lost chance at a full-term pregnancy. It may sound silly, but I felt cheated out of normal experiences like maternity pictures or being pregnant at my two wonderful baby showers.

One of the hardest things I had to do was to leave my baby. When I was discharged and had to leave Rilee for the first time, I sobbed the entire ride home. It’s just not natural to leave your child. I had envisioned giving birth and leaving the hospital with my baby in my arms. It’s also difficult letting others care for your child. As an NNP, I’m used to making the decisions and caring for the patient. It’s hard to just sit back and feel so helpless. I felt like I had to put on a brave face because I worked in the NICU, but there were days I felt like I was falling apart. I was stressed, exhausted, and anxious.

I went back to work when Rilee was 9 days old. That may sound quick, but I wanted to save my maternity leave for when he was discharged. My hospital was great, and I was allowed to come back even though Rilee was a patient in my unit. I did not care for, round or make decisions on my son, but it was nice to be able to go back to work and visit him on my breaks and during my downtime.

April checking in on Rilee’s progress in the NICU.

My sweet coworkers were wonderful to Rilee, as well as to my husband and me. We both felt like my son was given extra-special care and attention. The nurses celebrated his accomplishments and milestones with us; they also let me cry and vent to them. A few of my coworkers have had premature infants, and they understood exactly how I was feeling.

One particular experience with my nurses will always stick with me: When Rilee was about 3 or 4 weeks old, the night shift nurse asked me if I wanted to help bathe him. I know this may sound silly to some, but I appreciated it so much. Working in the NICU, I have bathed many babies—but this time, I got to bathe MY baby. This little thing really meant a lot to me.

Knowing what to expect as a NICU nurse was a blessing and a curse. I knew Rilee was doing well for 29 weeks, but I also knew all of the things that could go wrong. I was constantly waiting on something bad to happen. I had a hard time enjoying my baby and how well he was doing for the fear of the “what ifs.” I remember saying multiple times during his NICU course that I couldn’t believe how well he was doing, but that I didn’t trust him. I also got anxiety when it was time for a test, such as a head or cardiac ultrasound. When all was said and done, Rilee was in the NICU for 50 days. He was discharged home at 36 weeks and 5 days.

Finally going home!

Being a NICU mom has definitely made me change my way of thinking when it comes to talking to parents. I know each and every mother’s experience is different, but I feel like I can empathize now. Sometimes when mothers are having a hard time or feel like no one understands them or their situation, I just sit down and talk to them. I let them vent and tell them I understand. My experience may be different, but I do understand. Sometimes I do share my experience with a mother if I feel led to or if I think it will help.

Skin-to-skin care is good for baby and mommy.

I’m also quick to make sure mothers are holding their babies or doing skin-to-skin as soon as medically possible. I felt like this helped me to bond with Rilee and with my breast milk production. I also encourage moms to start pumping right away. I think pumping made me feel like I was actually doing something for my son at a time when I was virtually helpless—I was unable to care for him, so making milk was my contribution. It was the one thing that only I could do for him.

To women who find themselves in the NICU, I would say to take it one day at a time. Your baby will have good and bad days—you will have good and bad days. It truly is a roller coaster ride. Lean on friends and family for support. Find a NICU support group, which is great for parents to bond and share their experiences with one another. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or voice your concerns. You are the voice for your child; you are their advocate.

For fellow NICU nurses: Talk to the parents of these tiny, vulnerable babies. Listen to their concerns, and ask them how they’re doing. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to. Also, get them involved wherever possible. Encourage touching and holding. Ask them if they would like to help you take a temperature or change a diaper. It’s their baby, and they would like to feel like they are contributing. I will always remember when I got to bathe my son while he was in the NICU. Small gestures like this will mean more than you will ever know.

April Farmer, CRNP, NNP-BC, is a neonatal nurse practitioner in Birmingham, AL.

The power of human touch is unmatched and irreplaceable.  It is an innate need of every human being, especially the infant.  I recently sat down and picked the brain of an expert in the field of infant massage.  Peter Walker, a London based physical therapist, who has been working with babies, children, and their parents for over 40 years. He travels the world and has trained nearly twenty thousand or more midwives, nurses, and other health professionals through his Developmental Baby Massage and Movement program. In his words “touch is the newborn’s first language-it is her prime means of communication and plays an essential role in the forming of early parent-child relationships.”  The following are just a few of the many benefits of touch and massage to both the infant and parents.

Skin to Skin

Study after study has shown the unbelievable benefits of placing an infant skin to skin with its parent.  The power of touch is evident from the first moments after birth when the infant is placed skin to skin. Remarkably, the infant’s temperature, heart rate, breathing, and blood sugar stabilize while being comforted on their mother or father’s chest.  Touch begins here.  A bond between parent and infant begins here.

Enhanced Immunity

The simple act of skin to skin with the mother sets forth an intricate orchestration of colonization and antibody formation that is transferred from mother to baby through the breastmilk.  A study done at John Hopkins University found a significant reduction of nosocomial infections in  infants massaged daily with sunflower seed oil however a Cochrane review of this practice published in 2016 found the evidence lacking that emollient therapy would prevent invasive infections and cautioned that more research was needed..

Hormonal Influence

Done regularly, massage may reduce the level of the stress hormone, cortisol circulating in an infant’s bloodstream.  In turn, it may increase the level of endorphins, the body’s natural opiates as well as oxytocin, the love hormone.  Both leave the infant with a sense of well being and further promote attachment between parent and child.

Colic & Gas Relief

The jury is still out on the exact the cause of colic.  Colic starts as early as the few weeks after birth and results in crying for long periods of time-particularly at night.  Massage may relieve a distressed and colicky baby.  Regular tummy time and massage of the stomach may ease gas, constipation, and aid in digestion.  It is best to avoid tummy time and massage directly after a feed.

Joint Flexibility & Increased Muscle Strength

 According to Peter, developmental massage, practiced according to his program “releases ‘physiologic flexion’ imposed by the fetal position from the time the infant spends in utero.  Gentle massage together with soft stretching can allow the infant to relax and coordinate their muscles to improve the circulation to their body’s extremities, open the chest to deepen their breathing volume, relax the tummy to assist digestion and disposition, and strengthen the muscles of the head, neck and back in preparation for (upright postures and movement).”

Develops Trust & Confidence

Infants learn through touch.  The gentle, reassuring hand of a parent teaches the infant early on that his or her needs will be met.  Touch and massage further foster a deep bond between infant and parent.  The infant learns to trust and the parent develops confidence in his or her ability to care for the infant.

Benefits to Parents

A 2011 study in the Journal of Perinatal Education found “participating fathers were helped by increasing their feelings of competence, role acceptance, spousal support, attachment, and health and by decreasing feelings of isolation and depression.”  Other studies have shown that mothers that massage their infants have improved mood and decreased symptoms of depression.

Educating Parents

Nurses and midwives at the bedside have an excellent opportunity to teach the benefits of skin to skin and massage.   Early education should start right at birth by encouraging immediate and regular skin to skin contact.  In addition, parents can be taught simple techniques as seen here.  It is best to use oil for massage so the hands move nicely against the skin. For sick or unstable infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care, teaching parents and family members the importance of touch in the form of a gentle hand is essential.  By simply placing and holding a steady hand over the infant that is confined to an incubator or radiant warmer, we are still able to convey trust and reassurance.  Early massage can begin when the infant is stable and willing.

Peter sums it up perfectly, “from the very beginning, the mother should remain at the center of any “treatment” offered to her baby.  Most mothers want to hold their babies and establish skin to skin contact before the baby is removed, weighed, measured, bathed, or dressed.  From his mother’s womb into her arms, touch becomes the primal language of the newborn, and it is through holding and caressing that a baby is made to feel welcomed and loved.”

AWHONN Resources

• Healthy Mom&Baby Newborn Skin Care Zone
• Breastfeeding Support
• Duration of Uninterrupted Skin-to-Skin Contact
• Diapering That Nurtures

Additional Resources

• The Babies Website
• Effect of topical treatment with skin barrier-enhancing emollients on nosocomial infections in preterm infants in Bangladesh: a randomized controlled trial.
• Changes in plasma cortisol and catecholamine concentrations in response to massage in preterm infants
• Supporting Fathering Through Infant Massage
• Effect of massaging babies on mothers: Pilot study on the changes in mood states and salivary cortisol level
• Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants
• Massage Increases Oxytocin and Reduces Adrenocorticotropin Hormone in Humans

Lori is an American Neonatal Intensive Care nurse that has made her way to Sweden.  Her passion is maternal and infant education.  She incorporates her years of work in maternal and infant health with a passion for wellness through her Prenatal Yoga, Mommy & Me Yoga, and Developmental Infant Massage classes in Gothenburg, Sweden.  Follow her adventures on Instagram or through her nursing blog, Neonurse.

Premature babies depend on us as nurses and parents to be their advocates, their protectors, and most importantly their voices.  Their development in the NICU should mimic as closely as possible the uterine environment.  As new parents of NICU babies, it is often hard to understand this concept, and that is when the NICU nurse is your best resource for education about your new baby. 

As a NICU nurse for 8 years, and also a mother of 5 children, 2 being 34 week identical twins that spent time in the NICU, I have come to see both sides of the very challenging transition that is faced when you have a child in the NICU environment.  As parents all we want to do is snuggle with our new babies and offer them the comfort of our touch and our love, because we know that nothing calms a baby more than being swaddled and held by their mother or father. 

In the NICU that is not always possible, the way that the new parent wants it to be.  The NICU environment is often extremely busy, loud, and intimidating to new parents. Imagine what it feels like for the baby who has entered this world long before its brain, senses, and body have fully developed to handle all the stresses of a hectic environment.

As a NICU mom I knew the environment that I was headed into when my daughters were born because I was lucky enough to have delivered them in the hospital where I work.  They were admitted into my NICU surrounded by special friends, who were also my fellow co-workers.  My NICU is a single room NICU that offers each baby its own room filled with all the technical equipment to keep a baby safe, but also equipped with environmental advantages to help a baby adjust and thrive in a stressful environment.  Each room has shades on the windows to adjust natural light, dimmers on all the in-room lighting to adjust for a calming atmosphere, comfortable chairs where I could  relax when spending time with my babies, and temperature control specific to the room for  my comfort and that of my 4 pound newborns.

What stands out most to me during my stay in the NICU with my daughters was being able to come to the NICU and go to my daughter’s rooms, close the door, and spend quality time with my babies in an atmosphere that was close to a home environment.  I was able to pump breastmilk at my daughters’ bedsides while watching them in their isolettes, which is proven to help with milk production, all while in a very private, quiet, and comfortable environment.   These little environment pluses helped me and my babies more than you could ever know.  Being able to be skin to skin  with them in a private and comfortable place helped facilitate the bonding experience that is often not possible with NICU babies.  Each mother of a NICU baby deserves an experience like this to help facilitate the mother/baby bond that is so important to make as soon as physically and medically possible.

My NICU nursing experience has taught me so many important things about how to deal with my NICU patients and their parents.  I strive to offer the best NICU experience to both of them.  I spend a lot of time educating and explaining to new parents what their NICU baby is going to need from them and a time frame for when each new experience will happen.  This tends to lessen the anxiety that they are feeling and it also helps to make them feel like they are involved and have a say in what kind of care their new baby will receive.  My biggest goal when I have a new NICU family is to help them to initiate the bonding that they desire.  Skin to skin bonding is proven to both benefit the baby as well as the mother and father.  The first time a mother gets to bond with her baby, skin to skin, is a magical moment, not to be missed because of NICU environmental challenges.

Tracy Whitman, RN
Tracy Whitman is a Registered Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) Charge Nurse at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, PA. She has been a NICU nurse since 2007, graduating from Pennsylvania State University with her Associates degree in nursing. She continued on to get her Bachelors degree from Pennsylvania State University in 2010. She is currently enrolled at Drexel University pursuing her Pediatric Acute and Primary care Nurse Practitioner degree. She is a proud member of AWHONN where she is participating in the Emerging Leaders Program. She is also a member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), and the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. She was a finalist for NICU Nurse of the Year through the March of Dimes Association. She has recently obtained her Certified Legal Nurse Consultant certification, and is anticipating receiving her certification in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing in mid-December. She resides in Scranton, PA with her husband and five children.

Photo @jocelyndale/Creative Commons

What you can easily forget in all the excitement is that you take care of yourself too!

To help you focus on YOU, we recently asked our nurses and midwives what postpartum recovery advice they give their patients.

We received advice for you from over 100 nurses!

Take note of the clear themes – limit visitors to take that time to bond with your new baby, accept help from others, do skin-to-skin and sleep when the baby sleeps!

Good luck in all your new parenting adventures!

Top 20 tips from our nurses and midwives:

1. Absolutely choose a hospital for the care you will receive and not the new beautiful building. You’re much more likely to receive a positive birth experience and the education you receive from your postpartum nurses will make all the difference in the world.
2. As a former postpartum nurse, I noticed how often new mothers put their needs last. It seems often families look at postpartum time as party time. I have seen c-section moms sleeping in the same room as 15-20 family members talking loudly and passing baby around for hours. My best advice is for new mothers to have 1-2 designated family helpers to be there to help care for baby while she gets much needed naps throughout those exhausting first days. Baby’s hunger cues are often missed when there are too many visitors for long stretches of time. It is difficult for new mothers to set limits.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask people to leave. I have seen so many new mothers that are worn out from feeling like they cannot turn people away. Turn off your phone too. I wish I did for the first couple of days.
4. Breastfeeding is an acquired skill for you and baby, be prepared to be patient and try, try again. It is a wonderful thing for you both, but needs to be learned. Do not suffer in silence, please contact your OB/midwife for lactation nurse help/referral if you are having difficulty with latching and/or very sore nipples.
5. Sleep when baby sleeps.

6. If you had a cesarean, take a pillow for the car ride home to support your incision for the bumps in the road.
7. Use the Dermoplast (benzocaine topical) spray before having a bowel movement…it’ll make the process a whole lot more comfortable and a lot less scary.
8. If someone offers to come over so you can shower, take them up on it.  For c-section moms remember not only did you have a baby, but you had major surgery.
9. Trust yourself and your instincts. Pick and choose the advice, tips, expert advice etc. that works for you. And know that if you’re worried about being a good mom, you already are.
10. Padsicle! Pad, ice pack, tucks, then a spray of Dermoplast.
11. Know your body. When you get home, use a hand held mirror to look at your perineum or you cesarean section incision. This way, if you experience problems, you will have a baseline to know if something is different, for example: increased swelling, redness, tenderness, or drainage from incision. It is helpful in knowing when to contact your physician with these issues.
12. Limit your visitors. You will not get this time back. Use it to bond as a family, seek help with breastfeeding. Skin to skin is the best bonding tool! We want to help you succeed with breastfeeding. You can press your call light for every feeding if you need to. Your baby needs your love and protection. You are your baby’s primary advocate. Not all mothers’ choose to or are able to breastfeed. How you feed your baby is your decision and your nurse will support you. Ask visitors to wait until you’ve been home for at least a couple weeks. Settle in, recover. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If someone wants to visit, ask them to leave their little ones at home.
13. Sleep when the baby sleeps. Keep drinking water to flush out the excess fluids and keep hydrated. Accept help from anyone willing to cook a meal, run errands or do housework so you can rest and spend more time enjoying your new baby. Get outside for a walk. Fresh air and activity help to restore and rejuvenate sleep deprived minds and bodies as well as improve the blues!
14. While planning your new routine, ask someone to watch the baby for an hour of each day for you to spend as you please.
15. Good nutrition is key. Have a healthy snack each time you feed baby if you don’t have an appetite. Try to get a good four hour blocks of sleep several times a week. Ask support people to change, burp, comfort baby and only bring baby to you for breast feeding to extend your sleep when tired. Have a good support system and don’t be afraid to ask them for help. Soak up the sun when you can. Have an enjoyable activity to look forward to each week. Try to get out of the house, but if you can’t do something you enjoy at home or pamper yourself. Relax and enjoy your baby. Use what works for you and don’t try to follow everyone else’s advice.
16. Accept offers of help and assistance with meals, cleaning etc. I tell father’s to give moms one uninterrupted hour to herself each day. She can bathe, sleep, read, or anything that she wants for that hour. Daddy needs time to get to know baby too!
17. When you get home, set visiting hours and have each visitor bring groceries or food (they’ll be thrilled to get what you need). And stay in your pajamas. Most people will be less likely to overstay their welcome.
18. Once “settled” in with the baby reach out to a Mother’s group ( stroller club, baby sitting co-op, Mommy and me Gym or Yoga class), to get out of the house and receive and provide support to other new Mom’s.
19. Give yourself a break. Sit at the bottom of the shower and cry if you need to every now and then, parenting is hard work. Learning to breastfeed is hard work and so is incorporating another member into your family. Sleep deprivation and shifting hormones will, in fact, make you feel crazy at times but it will get better. You will find your new norm. It’s not all cute onesies and hair bows, it’s more like poopy onesies and newborn rashes, and that’s ok.
20. You’re stronger than you think! Don’t worry about what others might think. Enjoy every moment.  Parenthood is a beautiful experience. Allow yourself grace & room to grow.

Do you have advice for new moms as well? If so let us know. We’ll keep rolling out the advice.

For additional resources for mom visit our Healthy Mom&Baby website!

Cara and Baby Simon

By, Sarah Copple, BSN, RNC- MNN

Stepping into the “Skin to Skin in the OR- Don’t Let Triplets Stop You” session at the AWHONN Conference last year, I had no idea what a difference it would make in my nursing or in the experience of my patients and their families.I decided immediately that surely if skin to skin could be done with triplets in the OR, I could implement it in my facility. My nurse manager, Deb Tell had also attended the session and was onboard with making the change.

Upon return to Iowa, I approached two women who were having repeat cesarean sections and taught them each about the benefits of skin to skin care and asked if they would be interested in having this time with their baby in the operating room.  Next, the families and I discussed the potential plan with their obstetrician and once everyone agreed I moved on with laying out the plan to the unit.

The day of the first scheduled C-section with planned skin to skin in the OR came quickly.

That morning I came to work just to help out with this new process.  I talked with the obstetrician again to confirm the logistics and discussed the plan with the anesthesiologist and all the staff involved in the care for Rose and her new baby. Our team recognized that working seamlessly together was the key to success. We made sure to have a backup plan if the baby or Rose (our first mom!) were not stable at the time of delivery or became unstable while skin to skin. We also discussed with the parents that the plan was not a guarantee, but we would try our best to make it happen. We headed back to the operating room and everything went exactly as planned.

Later, Rose described the experience as “magical”.

Rose, Wes and Baby Theo

 “Theo’s birth experience was quite a memorable experience. It was as natural as a cold, sterile surgery could be. Rather than being whisked away, weighed, cleaned, dressed, and given meds, Theo was put onto my chest, right in front of the blue curtain.  It was so instinctive as his crying immediately stopped, he snuggled right in, and started rooting around to nurse. I hardly remember any of this process because I was so focused on my new son so close to me.

I wish I was more eloquent with my words to describe the overwhelming flood of emotions I felt at that moment.  I was able to have the skin-to-skin experience that has always been reserved only for vaginal births and got to do something that I never thought I’d be able to do.”

Then it was time for C-section number two with mom Cara. Immediately after delivery I carried her baby straight from the Cara’s abdomen to the head of her bed as I was drying and stimulating him. I placed him on her chest and placed dry blankets and a hat on him. He was able to remain there for 25 minutes. She was amazed with the experience!

Cara and Nurse Sara

“It was awesome; I never expected to get that opportunity.  I lost track of time, I was zoned in on him forgetting that I was in a surgery room. It was just all about having a baby.  This time I was not worried about bleeding, surgery or other things that concerned me the last two c-sections, I was just focused on my new baby.”

Kurt explained how important it was for his wife to get the opportunity to hold their son prior to coming out of recovery

“Our other two c-section births gave me the chance to have first contact with our children.  I felt better that my wife, as a mom, got the opportunity to hold our son first.  I understood that she was sad that she did not get the chance to hold our first two children until we were in recovery.” 

We started with a few patients and the word has quickly spread to others on how great of an experience it is, it even made the local news!

Since then, we have been working on staff education and creating an official procedure for our maternity center. I have given my first webinar “Skin to Skin Following a C-section” for Blank Children’s Hospital Advocacy and Outreach Program to nurses across the state of Iowa and a few from Illinois.

“If I had to tell women who were having a repeat cesarean about this, I would say go for it.  I would say that is was such a positive experience and just a little extra work to coordinate with the doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists is definitely worth it. I had such a positive experience.  Holding my son on my chest afterward is even hard to put into words because it was such a magical time and it made the experience a wonderful one” said Rose.

Hearing how awesome this experience is from our patients makes it worth standing up against adversity and the discomfort of trying something new.

I am hopeful that our patient’s comments and the positive experiences we have had will help to further motivate our team members to be supportive of this awesome change, truly putting women and families at the center of the care we provide.

Sarah Copple is a Unit Based Educator and Staff Nurse at Methodist at UnityPoint Health – Des Moines in Iowa. She is married with three beautiful children and enjoys being active outdoors (including riding bikes and running half marathons).

 
Resources
Leading Nursing Journal Finds Mothers and Babies Benefit from Skin-to-Skin Contact after Cesarean Birth

Learn more about what you can learn at the 2017 AWHONN Convention.