It’s been nine months of carrying your precious little one around in your belly, and now that she’s finally really here, the doctors and nurses are doing what?
They’re taking her from your loving arms, shuttling her away and keeping her in a place that’s far from your gentle grasp. What’s going on? No, it’s not the plot of a new horror film and it’s not an isolated incident of mistreatment. It’s what happens every day to new mums (especially in the U.S.). There’s nothing more that you want than to stick close to your newborn after giving birth. That said, it’s not always a possibility. You need to feed her, snuggle and shower her sweet-smelling head with kisses, but the sleeping arrangement certainly doesn’t help.
Cuddling up with your newborn may seem like the right idea (after all, you can’t bear to be away from the little bundle for more than a few seconds). But, the hospital staff says a firm no to keeping baby in the bed. Between the side-rails, your IV and the beeping gizmos and gadgets, it’s not likely that there’s anywhere for baby to safely fit.
So what’s the solution? Well, a new hospital bed is helping mums and newborns stay together! A bassinet comes straight off the edge of the bed, making it fit for both mum and baby. Instead of having to get out of bed to pick up a crying baby from a separate bassinet, this bed puts it all in one.
Now, mum can simply reach over to be with her baby. When keeping babies in separate nursery areas to sleep or putting them in bassinets that require mum to get out of bed are standard practices, this new style of sleeping arrangement becomes a quick fix. If having to walk a few steps to be with your baby doesn’t seem like a major deal to you, keep in mind that not every new mum can get up and pad around.
A safe co-sleeping arrangement (or nearby sleeping arrangement) is even more important for new mums who can’t (or aren’t allowed to) get out of bed. Mums recovering from C-sections and those with other complications may be on total bedrest. This means that something as simple as standing up, walking halfway across the room and picking up baby from a stand-alone bassinet is just not doable. Sure, if you’re in this type of situation you might have a helpful partner who is all too willing to play the role of baby taxi for you. If you don’t have some helping hands (or if your partner has stepped out of the room, gone home for a quick shower or is busy trying to wrangle the car seat before it’s actually time to leave the hospital) getting to baby means relying on the medical staff for constant assistance.
Imagine how much easier this bed makes it on the new mum. Even if you’re completely capable (and allowed) to walk around, you’ve just been through an amazingly exhausting experience. Not that you’re lazy, weak or anything like that. But, you are tired. You’ve spent hours in pain, then pushing and now you’re ready for some well-deserved rest. Even so, you are still all about holding on to your baby. How nice would it be to just reach your hand out and have her there? And, that’s not even covering how much easier it makes feeding! No one ever said that nursing is a breeze. Having to get in and out of bed or waiting for a nurse to bring baby to you isn’t going to make beginning breastfeeding any easier for anyone.
This super-smart device is a much-needed invention that is still yet to be put into practice in most areas. The norm in many maternity wards is still to keep baby in a separate sleep area – even if it’s just slightly out of arm’s reach. Swapping the traditional one-woman bed for this bassinet included version is what seems like a simple solution for many maternity wards. Why isn’t it being used by every hospital everywhere? Maybe it’s just too new, maybe the costs prohibit it or maybe the bed just needs more buzz!
Either way, it’s only a matter of time before we see more!
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3 Comments
I love this idea! My second bubba was sick when he was born, and I would try to sleep with one hand in his cradle, or wait until the nurses left then cuddle him into me so we could both rest.
They are a fantastic idea. You can have your baby next to you but there is no risk of rolling on him/her or any other risks like other designs you can buy to have next to your bed at home.
They need to refine it a bit. Why is the pink fabric or whatever it is close to the baby’s heads? For a Mum’s point of view their should be no gap between the mattress of Mum’s bed to the metal “posts” of the baby bed