This list was written as an attempt at influencing the common practice our patients had of leaving their babies to the nursery, most often at night. We were trying to encourage mothers to practice 24 hour rooming in, but a common complaint of the nursing staff was that parents were bringing babies in to them. We knew research showed it to be beneficial for babies to be in their mom's rooms most, if not all the time and this "bonding tips" list was our attempt at providing this education to parents. We also hoped to influence the way they saw their role while in our facility, as being the primary caretaker of their infant, and the nurses' role as providing care for the couplet and to assist mothers in learning about their babies, not being the primary caretakers for them. I tried to word this so that mothers would feel empowered to care for their infants and would get a sense of how important they are to their baby. I also intended to convey the fact that newborn babies are capable of communication beyond crying, if we just pay attention. By the same token, this tool was also intended to impart this same education to staff but in a non-threatening way.
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