Labor and Delivery
A Safe, Welcoming Place for Moms and Babies
We’ve created a warm, family-friendly environment to make you and your loved ones feel comfortable. We combine expert medical care and personalized service to create a memorable experience for you and your family.
Pre-Admission Program
The more you know about what to expect, the better you can prepare for the big day. Our Pre-Admission Program gives you all the information you need.
We help you prepare for the big day so you can feel confident when the special day comes. One to two months before your due date, call to register for your pre-admission visit the to the hospital. During your appointment, we:
- Gather all the information we need for your upcoming admission
- Give you an information guide
- Give you a private tour of our unit
The Pre-Admission Program helps make your stay with us go even smoother.
Mother-Baby Couplet Care: What to Expect
You and your baby stay in one room during your entire stay — no moving from one place to another.
Our spacious LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery) rooms are specially equipped to care for both you and your baby while you’re here — with enough room for your support person to stay with you.
When you arrive, a nurse will examine you and determine how labor is progressing. Fetal monitoring equipment records your contractions and your baby’s heartbeat. All the equipment needed for your delivery and afterward is already in your room.
Once your baby is born, your newborn stays in your room with you. This gives you and your newborn a chance to spend quiet time together and bond. The same nurse cares for both you and your baby. Each day, your nurse will examine your baby and answer your questions. Our lactation specialist is available to provide breastfeeding education and support.
During your stay, you’ll learn how to care for yourself and your baby once you go home. We make sure you feel well-prepared and confident before you go home. You can expect to stay in the hospital between a day and a half to four days, depending on the type of delivery.
Newborn Screenings
Before your baby goes home, we offer a few tests to detect health problems early. Early detection allows us to begin care and support as soon as possible.
Blood tests
All babies receive a newborn screening blood test (a small blood sample is taken from your baby’s heel) and sent to a state lab. This test checks for health disorders, such as hypothyroidism. Although most disorders are rare, they’re usually serious and can affect your baby in the first few days or weeks of life and may affect physical development or cause other problems. Early screening of your baby is important because early treatment can prevent some, if not all, problems associated with a disorder. Your baby's healthcare provider will receive a report of the results, so make sure you give the hospital your provider’s name.
Hearing tests
We also recommend your baby has a newborn hearing screening. It’s important to find hearing loss as soon as possible so we can develop a treatment plan. If hearing loss isn’t discovered right away, it can cause learning difficulties. The hearing test is painless and only takes about 10 minutes — most babies sleep through the test. You’ll get the results before you leave the hospital.
Sometimes your baby may need to repeat the hearing test, such as if they have fluid in their ears, it’s noisy in the room, or they’re moving a lot. Most babies who need another test have normal hearing. If your baby needs retesting, you’ll have an appointment at the Postpartum Clinic within a week of leaving the hospital.
Security
We take a variety of precautions to make sure your baby is safe and secure.
Keeping mothers and babies safe is one of our highest priorities. Our staff is specially trained to ensure you and your baby’s safety. Our infant-monitoring system, security patrols, and safety procedures ensure your baby is protected and safe.
Labor and Delivery is located at 1101 26th Street South, and can be reached at (406) 731-8755.
View a Tour of our Birth Center
