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New bassinet improves postpartum care

DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hospitals can now purchase a groundbreaking medical device to transform inpatient postpartum care. The Couplet Care Bassinetâ„¢ is designed to improve childbirth recovery for birthing parents while ensuring newborn safety and connection. Co-created with input from health care professionals, parents, and health equity leaders, the Couplet Care Bassinetâ„¢ sets a new standard for postnatal care in obstetric facilities.

The height-adjustable bassinet, equipped with nightlights and a rotating tub, ensures new mothers can easily see and reach their infants—as they are seated in bed healing from cesarean section or vaginal childbirth. By enabling parents to manage their baby's care without having to call for nursing assistance, the Couplet Care Bassinet™ reduces strain and increases comfort. The convenient features are vital for birthing parents and clinicians to be able to see and access babies as they like and need.

An intentional bassinet design for patient safety, clinical efficiency, and maternal-infant health

The patented Couplet Care Bassinetâ„¢ is a 510(k) exempt Class II medical device. It has undergone stringent testing to ensure it meets or exceeds rigorous safety standards. Traditional hospital bassinets create unnecessary obstacles for caregivers to see, pick up, and set down infants. High bassinet walls and awkward positioning with existing bassinets may contribute to preventable injury such as infant drops, excess calls to nursing staff for infant handling. These barriers undermine skin-to-skin contact, infant feeding, safe sleep, and maternal recovery from childbirth. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher Dr. Kristin Tully founded Couplet Care, Inc to address these critical health needs, having invented the bassinet with UNC colleagues Dr. Alison Stuebe, Dr. Carl Seashore, and Ms. Catherine Sullivan, along with industrial designers Ty Hagler, Patrick Murphy, Prasad Joshi, and Charity Kirk.

Dr. Tully shares, "I'm proud of the tool that we've developed together. The Couplet Care Bassinet uniquely addresses needs that we have seen, heard, and felt directly as mothers. The device safely connects parents and infants during the first days of new family life. The postpartum period is sacred. I hope the bassinet is a catalyst for further strengthening maternal and infant healthcare, which is urgently needed."

An evidence-based solution

The Couplet Care Bassinet offers an evidence-based solution that was developed through a human-centered design process. The ergonomic and maternal-focused design minimizes physical strain on new parents, which is especially important when healing from cesarean section childbirth. The bassinet allows for easy access to the baby while rooming-in. This connection enhances the ability of nurses and health care providers to deliver efficient and equitable care, as birthing parents can have potential harms eliminated and have more autonomy in the care for their infants and themselves. Mothers deserve active support and demonstrations of respect, so they can rest, bond, and be prepared for their transitions home.

The Couplet Care Bassinet has been independently evaluated through research funded by the National Institutes of Health. First, Dr. Amanda Thompson led a trial in 2021 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical Center. The randomized study identified group differences in those allocated to use the Couplet Care Bassinet compared to a standard bassinet. There were fewer calls by mothers to nurses for non-medical needs, babies spent less time out of their postnatal unit rooms, and there were fewer infant wakings of their mothers. The results suggest that the Couplet Care Bassinet improves people's experiences, which has immense implications for health outcomes. Currently, Dr. Cecilia Tomori is leading a NIH-funded randomized controlled trial with Couplet Care Bassinets at Johns Hopkins University.

About Couplet Care, Inc

Couplet Care, Inc, is a spin-out company of the University of North Carolina. Couplet Care was founded by Dr. Tully to follow through on this opportunity to strengthen the structure of postpartum care. Couplet Care is led by experienced CEO Stacie McEntyre, with clinical and commercialization experts. Ms. McEntyre offers, "I am thrilled about the major milestone of the Couplet Care Bassinet being for sale. Our team has worked diligently on regulatory, design, manufacturing, and distribution, to make this product highly accessible and impactful. The access that the bassinet provides is a game changer."

To learn more about how the Couplet Care Bassinetâ„¢ can transform your hospital's postpartum care, visit today.

Media Contact

Stacie McEntyre, Couplet Care, Inc., 1 9194808744, [email protected],  

SOURCE Couplet Care, Inc.