Rooming-in helps substance-exposed newborns transition following birth

Rooming-in, the practice of caring for the mother and her newborn together in the same room immediately following birth, has been widespread across Canada since the 1990s.However, standard care for substance-exposed newborns generally means immediate separation following birth and transfer to a higher-care nursery or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Rooming-in is known to have numerous benefits in terms of mother-infant bonding and attachment and encouraging breastfeeding. Traditionally, substance-exposed infants have been separated from their mothers due to a belief that withdrawal management is safer when they are not in the care of their mothers.

A study published last week explored the possible benefits and risks of rooming-in for substance-exposed infants. The evaluation found that rooming-in is both safe and beneficial for newborns. Rooming-in was associated with:

• a significant decrease in admissions to NICU

• a shorter NICU length of stay for term infants

• a greater likelihood that infants remained in the custody of their mothers at discharge.

This study was conducted in British Columbia. The group of infants that received rooming-in were located at Fir (Families in Recovery) Square, a combined care unit within BC Women’s Hospital. To learn more about Fir Square, click here.

Reference

Abrahams, R.R., MacKay-Dunn, M.H., Nevmerjitskaia, V., Macrae, G.S., Payne, S.P., and Hodgson, Z.G. (2010). An evaluation of rooming-in among substance-exposed newborns in British Columbia. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 32(9): 866-871.