07/06/2026
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Did you know ?????
Have you ever wondered why your parents, grandparents, aunts, etc., seem so keen to visit you at the hospital?
You think...right after I've birthed an entire human?! While breastfeeding? During cold/flu season?!?
Well, one major reason why, just twenty or so years ago, most hospitals had busy nurseries.
And thirty years ago, 24/7 rooming in was not the norm. Hospital nurseries became the norm in the early 1900s as birth moved from primarily at home to hospitals.
✨️The 1943 edition of Standards and Recommendations for Hospital Care of Newborn Infants, first published as a collaboration between the American Academy of Pediatrics and The Children’s Bureau, prescribed that:
“A viewing window should be provided between each nursery and the nurses’ station, and one between each nursery and the corridor so that relatives may see the infants without coming in contact with them.”
Relatives could pop by with flowers, sneak a peek at baby, and mom could roll over and catch some sleep.
In the early 2000s, we started to realize the potential harms of early mother baby seperation.
Close and frequent contact is vital for establishing a milk supply. It is also an important way to increase the release of oxytocin which aids in uterine cramping and reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
As hospitals aimed to increase breastfeeding, rooming in became a popular options, and then it became the only option for healthy babies.
So the next time someone pressures to visit in the hospital, ask if they've given birth in the last 20 years. If the answer is no, let them know you'll be with baby and topless near 24/7. If you're not both comfortable with that scenario, perhaps the visits should wait.
We LOVE the movement back to biological norms, we do realize the stress this creates for new parents in the hospital. You're not home, woken every few hours for vitals, and you're left to care for this new baby. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the new cultural norm of no nursery, you're not alone. Some families find support with in-hospital postpartum doula care.
👇🏽 What do you think of the new norm?
