Introduction
In modern nursing, mother-infant separation is a common practice that may be characterized by a number of positive and negative outcomes. However, many researchers support the idea of skin-to-skin contact at birth compared to professional wrapping and cleaning in order to stabilize a mother and a child, create appropriate psychological and physiological conditions, and promote positive outcomes for a breastfeeding process (Moore, Bergman, Anderson, & Medley, 2016; Srivastava, Gupta, Bhatnagar, & Dutta, 2014).
Family-centered care has to be improved in all hospitals, and the identification of tangible and intangible resources is one of the steps that have to be taken for the promotion of a strong supportive environment (Craig et al., 2015). In fact, feasibility is an important part of the work with the help of which it is possible to understand what solutions can be made and what factors have to be identified to implement change and promote health care improvements.
Tangible and intangible resources
In this paper, the issue under discussion is the worth of skin-to-skin contact after labor and the promotion of change. Such tangible sources as access to special family lounge rooms and child delivery rooms, professional wrapping material, properly equipped sleeping rooms for a mother and a child, libraries or a personal computer for online surf, and the sources for making notes are required. The task of a researcher in this project is to make observations, support the results with credible academic sources, and develop clear conclusions and explanations. Intangible resources for this project may include the time that is required for observations and research, direct cooperation with hospitals, and permission of future mothers to participate in their labors.
Expected outcomes and ROI
The improved outcomes that may occur and indicate a successful return on investment (ROI) of the chosen sources are the improvement of breastfeeding and lactation rates, the reduction of postpartum depression among mothers, and short-term stabilization of a mother and a child after labors. It is expected to cooperate with nurses, doctors, and mothers about the conditions under which their breastfeeding processes occur and compare the results of the mothers who choose a skin-to-skin contact practice and who choose a professional wrapping and cleaning practice.
Plan communication
The communication of a plan for change with such decision-makers as the choice of skin-to-skin contact or the attention to professional wrapping is a significant step in this research project. It is necessary to identify the goals of the work that has to be done and make sure that all possible stakeholders, including mothers, doctors, and nurses, are properly informed about the project and are able to pose their questions and get clarifications according to their demands. This change project has to be a voluntary kind of work. Therefore, in case a person wants to withdraw from research, they are free to take this step any time.
Finally, the aim of this change is not only to observe the possible improvements and investigate the shortages of skin-to-skin contact after labor. It is expected to educate the participants and discuss the benefits of skin-to-skin contact practices in comparison to professional wrapping and cleaning in regards to a breastfeeding process. Not all mothers are aware of the positive aspects of skin-to-skin contact when their labors begin. They can make fast decisions without even taking all their options into consideration. Therefore, such approaches and educational opportunities as presentations, questionnaires, and booklets have to be used in order to communicate the chosen plan for change.
References
Craig, J.W., Glick, C., Phillips, R., Hall, S.L., Smith, J., & Browne, J. (2015). Recommendations for involving the family in developmental care of the NICU baby. Journal of Perinatology, 35(1), 5-8.
Moore, E.R., Bergman, N., Anderson, G.C., & Medley, N. (2016). Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016(11). Web.
Srivastava, S., Gupta, A., Bhatnagar, A., & Dutta, S. (2014). Effect of very early skin-to-skin contact on success at breastfeeding and preventing early hypothermia in neonates. Indian Journal of Public Health, 58(1), 22-26.