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ARCHBOLD.ORG
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FALL 2016
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skin-to-skin contact, which produces great
medical outcomes for both of them,”
said OB-GYN Barbara McCollum, MD. “It
helps babies feel secure, but also helps
regulate their heart rate, body tempera-
ture and breathing. The concept has
also proven to aid in building the baby’s
immunity to germs and increase their
cognitive ability.”
Skin-to-skin contact has also proven to
help mother and baby adjust to breast-
feeding, which provides even more
health benefits.
The perfect food
“Human breast milk provides the best
mix of nutrients and antibodies for
babies to thrive,” said OB-GYN Melissa
Bruhn, MD. “Breastfeeding helps moth-
ers recover from childbirth, promotes
the development of a baby’s brain and
nervous system, and fosters closeness
between mother and child. Babies give
clues when they’re ready to eat. And
if caught right away, the baby will be
more likely to successfully breastfeed.
Rooming-in really makes breastfeed-
ing convenient for new mothers while
they’re in the hospital, because mother
and baby are together a majority of
the time, and they learn together how
breastfeeding works.”
Another beneficial aspect of the
family-centered model of care is the
access patients have to specially trained
Melissa Bruhn, MD
OB-GYN
Shaw Center for Women’s Health
Joseph Novak , MD
OB-GYN
Shaw Center for Women’s Health
Archbold nurses who
teach techniques that
help parents care for their
newborn.
“When it’s time to deliver
the baby, mothers need peace
of mind that our physicians and
nurses are going to provide the very
best care possible during the labor,
delivery and recovery process,” said
Whitney Sampson, Nurse Manager of the
Mother Baby Unit. “But the new model
of family-centered care also allows our
staff to spend more time with the family
after the baby is delivered, and help
prepare them to transition to a home
setting, which is something our patients
really seem to appreciate.”
Back to safe sleep
Archbold nurses provide education and
assistance with breastfeeding, and they
teach families how to safely care for their
newborn, including providing physician-
recommended guidance on safe-sleep
options for babies.
In the early 1990s, the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
recommended all babies
should be placed on
their backs to sleep. And
deaths from sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS) have
declined dramatically ever since.
But sleep-related deaths from other
causes, including suffocation, entrap-
ment and asphyxia, have increased. Each
year, 800 to 1,000 children die due to
choking or suffocation injuries, which
may be contributed to co-sleeping with
parents.
Less is more
“Our nurses teach new parents that ba-
bies should sleep on their backs and in
their own beds without stuffed animals
or loose blankets, pillows, or baby bed-
ding and crib bumpers,” said OB-GYN
Joseph Novak, MD. “The nurses also
teach that regardless the circumstances,
parents should never share a bed with
their baby.”
“New parents are encouraged to
continue skin-to-skin contact for as long
as the new mother prefers when she
returns home,” said OB-GYN Rob Stubley,
MD. “Not only does it promote bonding
between mother and baby, it does so
without increasing the danger of sleep-
ing together in the same bed. Safe-sleep
measures have proven to decrease SIDS-
related situations nationally.”
“Our overall goal of the family-centered
care model is to help educate our
patients and community on the best
care recommendations that help keep
babies healthy and safe,” said Michelle
Palmer, Labor and Delivery Nurse
Manager. “Our physicians and staff have
worked together to implement wonder-
ful evidenced-based maternity care best
practices, and their dedication to these
new initiatives will prepare new parents
for a successful foundation of safely car-
ing for their baby at home and providing
them a caring and safe environment.”
“Safe-sleep measures
have proved to decrease
SIDS-related situations
nationally.”
—Rob Stubley, MD