Hospital Residence for Mothers of Premature Babies or Babies with Different Pathologies
Residence for Mothers
The Residence is situated in the hospital near Neonatology.
Mothers may stay there after they have been discharged but their babies must remain in hospital for different reasons - they have unrestricted access to see them.
The spirit of this Residence is to offer a more humane attention to these mothers by offering them support and understanding. This allows them to look after their babies knowing that the daily contact helps them to recover sooner. We are directly in charge of the Residence, which makes it evident that without the presence of our Organization it would not be able to function.
These Residences operate in the Hospital for Mothers and Children in San Isidro and in town in the Sardá Maternity Hospital, and in the Rivadavia, Argerich and Fernandez Hospitals.
All mothers of new-born babies use these Residences. They need to be places where they feel accompanied at a time when they feel very vulnerable.
Benefits of the Residence:
- They offer a chance of establishing a solid relationship between mothers and their babies, which is very necessary when the mothers face traumatic experiences such as having their babies remain in hospital.
- Stress in mothers and babies are reduced.
- Strengthens the self-esteem of the mothers affected by the premature births or by their babies` illnesses.
- Promotes integration of the mothers with nurses, doctors, and health agents, offering supervised care for their babies.
- Favours breastfeeding by allowing mothers to be present all the time and have access to systems of human milk extraction in order to feed their babies.
- Stimulates self-regulation of temperature in the new born baby.
- Provides preventive interventions in the way of Health Education, psychological assistance for parents in crisis and reproductive health.
- Reduces the absence rates in consulting room appointments.
- Promotes good hygiene habits
A multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, nurses, doctors and volunteers work together in the Residence .
Complementary Services provided by our group of Volunteers
- Coordination with the inter-disciplinary team.
- Provides mothers with money for travelling.
- Organizes workshops given by professionals and volunteers, such as: knitting, sewing, washing and cleaning vegetables, personal hygiene, good relationship…
- Offers cots and strollers.
- Gives guidance and provides information service.
- Hands out clothes and diapers.
- Celebrate Mother´s Day, Child´s Day and Christmas with the hospital community.
- Follows up the clinical history of premature babies in the consulting rooms.
- Hands out free medicines to outpatients with prescriptions.
- Provides mothers with daily meals, sheets, towels, products for their personal hygiene, clothes and diapers.
The Pan American Health Organization has commended our work, and designated it as a suitable model for Latin America.