Study: Doctors not sharing as much with moms as expected
Information could be life-saving, if consistent message delivered
Babies don’t come with manuals. Parents head home with their new bundle of joy, a bit of advice and some information from the hospital staff on what to do and what to avoid.
However, one study, published in Pediatrics, found that doctors aren’t giving out as much information as we might think.
The study found 20 percent of new moms reported receiving no doctor advice for breastfeeding or sleep position, and more than 50 percent reported receiving no doctor advice on sleep location or pacifier use.
That information is important for new parents to hear, as the correct sleeping position and location help lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should always be put to sleep on their backs, and should sleep in their own crib near their parents – but not in the same bed as their parents.
Doctors sharing that information with their patients can help parents make the right calls before the baby is ever at risk.
So it’s surprising that more parents don’t hear that message from their doctors.
Part of the problem might be confusion over who should share that information. Is it the delivering doctor’s responsibility, the midwife’s, the nurse’s, the hospital staff ’s or the pediatrician’s? When a new baby enters the world, there’s a big team involved in the process.
While we feel the medical staff should offer as much information as possible, we should also note that when it comes down to it, the parents have the ultimate responsibility to do research so they can make educated decisions in regards to their new baby.
When it comes to new babies, new moms often are overwhelmed with new advice. But there’s one resource they should be listening to – and that’s the family doctor. However, the doctor first has to deliver the information to the parents, which could be life-saving.
Parents may not agree with the recommendations or tips, but we would hope that they would hear the message if delivered, and at least consider it. Because ultimately, the goal should be ensuring that new baby has a safe, happy, healthy environment – and that’s something every party should be working to achieve.