Priorities on the Maternity Unit

Granny Zealot

At several large hospitals in my state, every maternity bed has a small television set on a moveable arm hung over the bed. Only a few breastpumps are found on the entire unit. Babies stay in the nursery unless the mother requests rooming-in. The hospital "room charge" includes the TVs, but not the pumps.

These priorities are wrong! Let's get the babies in the rooms with their mothers 24 hours a day, replace the TVs with breastpumps, and use "prime time" for educational videos on breastfeeding and baby care. This would help moms and babies get to know one another, get breastfeeding off to a good start, and cost less too!