Montreal hospital to introduce ‘quiet time’ in maternity ward
St-Mary’s Hospital would be the first in Canada to dim lights, suspend all visits for 90 minutes a day
In the spring, St. Mary’s Hospital’s will implement “quiet time” in its maternity ward, which means all intercoms will be turned off and all visits suspended for 90 minutes a day. (Archives/Radio-Canada)
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St-Mary’s Hospital in Montreal will become the first hospital in Canada to implement a daily “quiet time” in its maternity ward to give frazzled parents of newborns a bit of a break.
More noise means more stress
Over the last few weeks, Safina Adatia, a graduate student in family medicine at McGill and one of the researchers who’s helping to set up the project, has been measuring decibel levels in the maternity ward.
Adatia says the World Health Organization recommends a level of 30 to 40 decibels for maternity wards — about the same noise level as a quiet street. She says the maternity ward at St-Mary’s regularly exceeds that.
“There’s a lot of stress and anxiety when there’s a lot of noise happening, so having an actual set amount of time will help show mothers that it’s important to set aside an hour or two hours a day tomake your own self-care really important,” Adatia said.
“Reducing stress and anxiety during that time can lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and generally just improve the mood and create more bonding time and attention with the baby.”
Mothers will be encouraged to schedule their feedings outside of the quiet time, so that they can be sure to dedicate that time to taking care of themselves, taking a nap, or having a nice uninterrupted cuddle with the new little one. Adatia says its important for new dads to take time out to rest as well.
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