KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Many hospitals across the country are trying out a rapidly growing and contentious trend in newborn care: They’re getting rid of baby nursery rooms.

The tough-love approach is called “rooming-in.”

St. Mary’s Hospital’s director of women and children services, Robbie Sonnentag, said what’s best is keeping mom and baby in the same room.

But mom’s mental well-being should be considered.

“This is patient-centered care,” Sonnentag said. “The nursing staff are great at asking moms, ‘What do you need? What’s your hope for this stay?’ and we support that.”

For more than a hundred years, St. Mary’s Hospital has featured a baby nursery room, and there are no plans in the near future to remove it.

“Staffing a nursery does take dollars, but our intent is not to cut costs,” Sonnentag said. “Our intent is to practice evidence-based medicine.”

At Meriter Hospital, the nursery room is no more.

Nurse Kim Wentela said rooming-in 100 percent of the time is the national gold standard.

“You’re with your baby all the time,” Wentela said. “You really get to know them versus having a nurse pick up on those cues.”

That result is something these new parents appreciate before going home.

A new father, Darret Denman, said: “If you’re only here for two days, why would you send him off to a nursery when you are basically trying to cram for a test? (laughs) and the test is real life.”

Meriter Hospital said it still uses a small non-traditional nursery area in situations where partners aren’t by the bedside or mothers have complications.