The moments when my boys were born were surreal. Hearing their cries and
seeing their eyes and little faces for the first time was beautiful and
awe-inspiring. And yet, the birth experience was also a bit like standing
at the edge of the Grand Canyon. It didn’t quite seem real. Yes,
I knew I was having a baby. Both times felt this way. And both pregnancies
were welcomed, planned, celebrated. As a former pregnancy editor, I had
also read so much research and felt ready. Until I didn’t. Immediately
after their births, after the joy settled in, hormones began to rage.
I was emotional. I was in a lot of pain. And I became suddenly more vulnerable
than any other time of my life. The jolt of not being able to take care
of myself and heal physically and emotionally—before having to immediately
take care of a helpless, needy being—was hard to grasp. And with
my second, the pressure to still give attention to my other son, while
also focusing on helping my newborn to latch and allow my breast milk
to come in, to bond, and to be mindful of what I needed to do—or
not over do—in order to heal from cesarean surgery, was stressful.
My story isn’t isolated, although few new moms want to share how
hard it is for fear of sounding ungrateful for the gift of a child. Yet
I’ve heard from so many new moms over the years through my writing
in the pregnancy and parenting field, as well as being a prenatal yoga
teacher. New mothers are stressed, sleep-deprived and overburdened. Many
deal with dynamics not often addressed within a hospital setting, including
financial worries, overly insistent family involvement or a partner who
has to immediately go back to work. We all know stress has an enormous
impact on a person’s health. In fact, most physicians claim that
chronic stress is the main trigger for preterm labor (babies born before
37 weeks of pregnancy with increased risk for health problems). Studies
have been conducted linking high levels of stress with breastfeeding problems
and an increased risk for postpartum depression as well. That’s
why it’s imperative that new moms be in an environment that is not
only sensitive and
compassionate—but also offers every possible amenity to support
their health, as much as their baby’s.
HAPPY MOTHER, HAPPY BABY
With that goal in mind, Torrance Memorial Medical Center is creating a
new Mother/Baby unit focused on the needs of the mother. Every aspect
of this new facility, slated to open in late October, is geared toward
lowering a mom’s stress and fostering a peaceful, healthy start
to motherhood. For starters, each room will be 30% larger than the current
rooms for new moms at Torrance Memorial—allowing mom, newborn(s),
partner and siblings to be together. “We are moving from an older
28-room unit, to a unit with 25 rooms that are much larger, more comfortable
and more accommodating, ”says Mary Wright, RN, director of the maternal
child services & nurse staffing office. “When I first started,
babies went to nursery and mom would have to go to nursery to feed her...
They probably felt like they were in a fishbowl. It’s so much better
to have mom in the room with her baby. It’s private. It supports
bonding. And we even conduct cardiac screenings, hearing screens and jaundice
testing right there in the privacy of her room, which can actually accommodate
two bassinets if she has twins,” Wright continues. “I’m
thrilled about the additional space of the new maternity ward,”
says Deepjot K. Singh, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology. “Family
bonding is crucial and we now have the space to facilitate that. ”The
new unit isn’t just about bigger rooms that allow for more privacy
and comfort. Everything within this new unit reflects and supports anew
mother’s health. This unit, which has been planned for nearly seven
years, incorporates suggestions from physicians, nurses—and former
patients. Hospital executives listened to the needs of patients in order
to create products such as softer, wider gowns, as well as a period of
daily silence when nurses and physicians are not encouraged to enter a
new mother’s room (unless necessary or called), to allow her a few
hours of uninterrupted sleep.
PATIENTS HAVE THE POWER
Mary Matson, MHA, CAVS, Director of Service Excellence for Torrance Memorial
manages a volunteer services department, as well as coordinates patient
experience efforts. “We listened to the voices of patients over
the years to help with the design and product implementation,” Matson
says. In fact, last October a group of patient and family advisors (aka
PFAs—former patients and family members of past patients) were called
to test out new gowns. “We use them [advisors] on an as-needed basis.
When we need the patient’s voice, we reach out to them. Two had
their babies here at the hospital or had children treated in the pediatric
unit,” Matson explains. After feeling the fabric and trying on different
gowns, the advisors weighed in. The result? All patients at the hospital
(not just new moms) will benefit from larger, softer, more versatile gowns
that fit patient as well as physician and provider needs. These same PFAs
reviewed a new Labor& Delivery/Mother-Baby visiting guidelines brochure.
Their feedback resulted in changes that made the brochure more user-friendly
for our patients and visitors. “When you ask your patients, they
can help you out a lot,” adds Leah Romine, BSN, RNC-OB, PHN, Torrance
Memorial nurse manager, labor and delivery and mother/baby. Over the years
Romine has paid attention to what new moms need most and says she is beyond
delighted to be able to welcome them into a space that will foster such
care. “Our goal is to provide outstanding family-centered care and
we want to keep the family as a unit, and their first experiences together
and bonding and getting to know each other is really important to us,”
Romine says.
AND THERE’S MORE
So what are the other perks to be found within the new Mother/Baby Unit?
Lactation consultants are on the floor, available every day of the week.
There’s no limitations on who can visit you—so children, family
and friends are all allowed to see mom and baby, as long as mom approves.
And how about a snack room with healthy nibbles and juices for family
members, open 24 hours a day? Another treat is literally a treat: “Our
volunteers pass out warm chocolate chip cookies every afternoon at 1 p.m.
And a special dessert is made daily with dinner, as well as two red velvet
cupcakes with edible orchids, given after the birth to celebrate,”
Romine says. All interviewed for this article reiterated that the environment
is created to help mom feel safe, private, luxurious and peaceful—without
compromising a high quality of care. For that reason, state-of-the-art
technology has been utilized to increase security of the unit, as well
as to better educate mom and family within the privacy of their own room.
Each room will be equipped with smarter televisions that offer child care,
breastfeeding and postpartum education videos 24 hours a day. And for
those families who deliver preterm babies, they will soon benefit from
NICVIEW, an app that allows mom and partner to view their infant remotely
any time of the day. It will also allow nurses to reach out to parents
whenever they need to leave the hospital. “Imagine. Our nurses will
be able to send a picture of the infant to its mom saying, ‘Hi.
I had a bath today!’ It’s so important to stay connected when
going back and forth from the hospital. ”Wright says.
When chatting with a few pregnant moms in Torrance Memorial’s prenatal
yoga classes, they all said how grateful they were for the bigger rooms
and redesigned Mother/Baby Unit. But after explaining all of the advancements
offered, most moms (12 in all) said they especially wanted to take advantage
of the hospital’s encouragement of quiet, bonding time. Torrance
Memorial already has the daily silence hour, which allows only mom and
partner to bond with their baby after the birth. But the new unit will
also institute two hours of daily quiet time for mom. Between the hours
of 2 and 4 p.m., daily visitors and hospital staff are not allowed to
continuously interrupt mom, so she can get much-needed rest. “We
were getting patient complaints about too many interruptions in the room.
We don’t want mom to be taking care of herself, the baby and her
2-year-old, and entertaining friends and family. Of course siblings are
allowed during that time, but only if there is another adult there to
help take care of them,” explains Romine. Only two women out of
the 12 in my prenatal yoga class will deliver after the new Mother/Baby
Unit opens ... and let’s just say there are 10 pregnant women in
the South Bay very jealous they don’t have due dates in November