Mother-baby cohabitation

The CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent’s perinatal and midwife teams are dedicated to the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). BFHI promotes practices that encourage breastfeeding not only in maternity wards, but in other settings frequented by mothers, fathers and families, as advocated by the Institut national en santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Accreditation Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO).  

Mother-baby cohabitation is promoted from the first moments of life, unless the mother or baby have a medical condition that requires special care. This is a time to discover your baby. Cohabitation also allows you to feed your baby on demand. These first few hours are precious.

Care is provided directly in the room where parents learn what they need to know to confidently and safely assume their new responsibilities when they go home.

To facilitate cohabitation, the team recommends the presence of a significant person at the bedside of mother and baby at all times, if the other parent is unable to assume this responsibility.

The team of maternity professionals works closely with the CLSCs in the territory to ensure the continuity and quality of prenatal and postnatal care. Similarly, maternal breastfeeding associations in the community contribute to the care and services provided.

About the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (in French)