If your hospital has a newborn nursery and your baby is healthy and full term, you may be given the option of rooming out (keeping your baby in the nursery) instead of rooming in (keeping your baby in your hospital room with you all or most of the time). A generation ago, rooming out was much more common, but now it's much rarer to find a hospital that doesn't allow, or sometimes even encourage, babies to room with their mothers during the hospital stay. There are several reasons not to use the rooming-out option if it's offered to you.

Breastfeeding Success

Rooming out can make breastfeeding on demand difficult, since you can't watch the baby for signs of hunger like smacking lips and rooting for a nipple. And since nursing frequently in the first few days is key to breastfeeding success and preventing engorgement, not being near your baby most of the first few days can lead to engorged, sore breasts and nipple pain down the road, which can make nursing much more difficult. Also, if your baby is away from you, there's a much greater chance she'll be given a bottle in the nursery, and this can lead to difficulty with breastfeeding.

Gaining Confidence and Mothering Skills

It is easier to establish yourself, emotionally and practically, as your new baby's mother if you have a chance to get to know her and feel in control of her care. Taking over most of your baby's care while in the hospital lets you learn how to comfort, feed, and care for her while there's still a lot of help nearby. If you keep your baby with you all or most of the time, you'll start to notice her eating, sleeping, diapering, and waking patterns, and begin to distinguish between her different cries, figuring out which ones mean she's hungry, which ones mean she's wet, and so on.

If you aren't sure how to feed, hold, or change your baby, this is a perfect opportunity to learn. Ask a nurse for help if you need to the first couple of times, but assume responsibility for figuring out when your baby needs to be fed or changed, and gradually take over the tasks yourself. That way, you'll establish confidence and authority in yourself as your baby's mother before you leave the hospital.

A Boon for Bonding

Babies are biologically programmed to begin bonding at birth, and when you keep your baby close by you, you can facilitate a connection that will make the early months of her life more enjoyable for both of you. Also, if your baby is away from you in a newborn nursery or at the nurse's station, you may feel anxious about the separation or worry about whether your baby is doing okay.

But if your baby can't be with you right now because she needs to spend some time in the NICU, don't worry that you can never bond with her. As long as you're recovering well, you should be able to make frequent visits to the NICU to see and possibly hold and feed your baby. Remember, bonding isn't something that happens all at once — it's a process that will unfold as you and your baby come to know each other.

Getting Enough Sleep

Don't worry too much that you won't be able to get any rest if you keep your baby with you in your hospital room. Newborn babies sleep a lot, and you will likely have plenty of opportunities for rest if you nap when your baby naps. If you are exhausted and afraid you won't wake up if your baby cries, ask your husband or partner or a close family member or friend to hold her while you take a nap. If you don't have anyone in the hospital with you who can hold the baby, you can have a nurse take her just after she's eaten. That way, you can get a nap in with the knowledge that your baby is, for now, full and content. If you're breastfeeding, make sure the nurse knows to bring the baby back if she starts showing any signs of hunger.