In hospitals, the practice of allowing the mother and newborn (and sometimes the father as well) to stay in the same room, instead of placing the baby in a nursery; sometimes the baby remains in the room only during daytime hours, to give the mother more time to recover from the birth. This allows breastfeeding to take place at any time and is valuable for the early bonding of parent and child. Parents making choices about delivery may want to examine hospital options and rules in this area.
An organization of the maternity and newborn services of a hospital which permits the newborn to share the room with the mother.
The practice of placing an infant in the same hospital room as the mother, beginning immediately after birth.