Like many moms, Cindy Simons of Milwaukee, Wis., welcomed the hospital nursery services after the birth of her children. "I utilized the nursery with my fourth son during the first 12 hours after giving birth, because I was so exhausted from labor," she says. "While in the nursery, the nurses brought him to me to breastfeed, but I was able to sleep between feedings." After the first 12 hours, Simons kept her newborn with her, day and night, like she had done with two sons before.

The practice of keeping Baby with Mom in the same room from the moment of birth through the discharge is commonly called rooming in. Simons roomed in – 24 hours a day – with two of her boys, and she says she enjoyed the closeness. According to some experts, though, increased closeness is just the tip of the benefits iceberg when it comes to keeping moms and babies close right after birth – and beyond.

"Immediately following birth, new mothers experience a myriad of feelings," says Jeannette Crenshaw, a registered nurse and researcher at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and a clinical education specialist for The Center for Learning at Texas Health Resources, the parent organization of Presbyterian Hospital. "One of the overwhelming feelings is a need, a yearning to be with their babies. Today, we know this 'yearning for closeness' is a natural instinct, a physical and emotional need shared by Mom and her baby. Well-meaning friends and family may advise a new mother to get more rest by having her baby cared for in the nursery. However, studies show that moms whose babies are cared for in the nursery do not get more sleep. And many mothers sleep more peacefully knowing that their babies are with them."

Crenshaw, the past president of Lamaze International, has more than a passing interest in this topic. As the author of a review article in the The Journal of Perinatal Education: Advancing Normal Birth, she goes "on the record" with the benefits of keeping moms and babies together.

"Keeping moms and babies together during the day and night has many benefits," Crenshaw says. "In the days following birth, mothers' and babies' physical and emotional need for each other continues. The more two people spend together, the sooner they get to know each other. Mothers who are with their babies for longer periods of time, including during the night, have higher scores on tests that measure the strength of a mother's attachment to her baby. While together, mothers quickly learn their babies' needs and how best to care for, soothe and comfort their newborns."

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