Birthing hospitals in California are taking notice of family-centered maternity care, an approach in which staff encourage family support during labor and delivery.
A 2018 position paper from the International Childbirth Education Association endorsed the concept, emphasizing the importance of allowing parents to care for their newborn as much as possible and making it easier for supportive people, such as relatives or doulas, to be present.
Dr. Dharshi Sivakumar oversees the neonatal intensive care unit at El Camino Health in Mountain View, which recently underwent a redesign that added private rooms so both parents can be there 24/7.
“Parents love it because they can spend time with their babies,” Sivakumar said, “so they actually start taking care of the baby when they were sick and very young, so they will have the confidence to take the baby home.”
The hospital also added a dedicated obstetrics emergency room to speed up admissions. It also has sensory-controlled recovery rooms designed to better support new parents’ mental health and their babies’ neurodevelopment.
The changes come amid financial pressures that have forced many hospitals to eliminate labor and delivery units, creating maternity deserts.
New mom Fallyn Sweet said the “family first” approach helps things go more smoothly.
“The biggest help with the new facility is everything is really well organized, which helps in emergencies,” Sweet said. “So it’s easier to find things, it’s easier to take better care of people.”
Separate research from India, published in the journal Cureus, identified a significant association between family helpers and the level of psychosocial support. That study suggests family support is vital to ensuring positive maternal and fetal outcomes during pregnancy.
