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What is Rooming In With Your Newborn
Rooming in is when a newborn stays in his or her mother’s hospital room instead of in the hospital’s nursery. There are two kinds of rooming-in:
- Partial rooming-in. The baby stays with his or her mother during the day and stays in the nursery at night.
- Full rooming-in. The baby stays with his or her mother most of the time.
What are the benefits of rooming in?
- You and your baby will have some time to bond. While rooming in, your baby will learn your voice, touch, and smell.
- It gives you an opportunity to learn your baby’s feeding patterns and cues.
- You may have less post-delivery pain, and you may not need as much medicine.
- You will get your milk faster.
- You will be able to practice breastfeeding.
- Your newborn may eat better, sleep better, and cry less.
- It decreases your baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
What are some tips for sleeping while rooming in?
It can be hard to get enough sleep while rooming-in. Here are some tips to help you get as much rest as possible:
- Sleep when your baby sleeps, even during the day.
- Limit the number of visitors that you have.
- Try not to schedule too many activities.
- Use quiet time for rest.
- Try breastfeeding in a position that allows you to lie on your side. In this position, you can rest while your newborn nurses.
- Find techniques that help you to sleep. These include listening to relaxing music, using essential oils, or wearing an eye pillow.