The nests, conceived for the eggs and the young of the birds, serve to keep them together while the mother is not. Fortunately, every time hospitals with nests, nurseries or nurseries are less frequent in those left to newborn babies while their mothers remain in another room.
In addition, it has been found that once “institutionalized” the joint accommodation between mothers and babies and the nests are disappearing, they and the health personnel usually affirm that they prefer this type of cohabitation to the nest room. Joint housing has beneficial effects, both for breastfeeding and for the mother-child relationship and for the hospital.
The positive effect on breastfeeding may be due in part to the fact that joint housing facilitates breastfeeding on demand. We have already commented extensively on the effects of mother-baby separation on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding on demand is difficult when the baby is in the nests, while restriction of the blowjobs is difficult in the joint housing.
In hospitals with joint housing, it has been shown that certain diseases such as diarrhea, otitis media, neonatal sepsis and meningitis decreased, both in full-term and low-weight newborns, as well as mortality from infections.
It is also detected that the consumption of artificial milk powder decreases in these hospitals, and that the average hospital stay is reduced by more than two days for mothers and babies who have been together in the same room.
Newborns cry more in nest
In addition, according to the Joint Declaration of WHO and UNICEF on the “Ten steps to a happy breastfeeding” Newborns in nests cry more, and their caregivers do not respond as often as mothers in the same room.
This is totally logical, not only because who better than the mother, father or family of the baby to assist you at the moment. It will always be better for a stranger to do it without any link with the baby, who also has another ten, fifteen or twenty children to attend in the same room at the same time.
In addition, the nest becomes the antithesis of the cozy environment that we want and want any newborn baby: away from human contact and in a noisy environment of cries that are also spread.
No wonder that noise that is thunderous for them (If it already seems to us often, what will it be for someone who comes from the womb) fear them and respond with the same cry. Among the factors that help to receive the baby in a cozy environment is that company and maternal proximity, together with a quiet environment.
The arguments usually adduced for not practicing joint accommodation in the same room, such as possible interference with the mother's sleep, do not seem to be valid according to studies collected by WHO.
Despite all that has been said, special situations will always have to be considered, since each particular case is a world, like mothers whose health status does not allow them to take care of the baby and have no other family help.
But in general, newborns, breastfed or not, should stay in the room with their mothers 24 hours a day. The advantages for the mother and the baby are multiple and obvious, but only for prevent little ones from crying more in the nest, as it has been shown to happen, I think it is worth it.
