OB's / Family Center
Having a child may be the most memorable moment in your life. Whether you are the mother going through the delivery or the proud father bursting with joy and excitement, St. Mary's OB strives to make your moment a wonderful experience. With St. Mary's dedicated staff, spacious LDR rooms, delicious meals and great gifts, you are sure to have a comfortable stay at St. Mary's OB - the Family Center.
In addition to the regular
education and re-certification hours required for nurses, St. Mary's also
requires each OB nurse to complete and receive certification in Neonatal Life
Support and STABLE (how to stabilize a critical infant for transfer). The staff
is well educated in all areas of childcare and wants to share their knowledge
with all families coming to St. Mary's. St. Mary's OB wants to make sure you
feel safe and ready to take your newborn home. They are there to answer any
questions you might have during and after your stay at St. Mary's.
To help answer a few burning questions that all first time mothers are concerned with, St. Mary's OB encourages mothers to watch videos about breastfeeding, infant care, car seat safety and infant CPR. The staff will also show parents how to properly give their child a bath. Many new parents feel that they may hurt their child when giving a bath or putting clothes on their baby or just aren't sure how to even begin giving a bath to their newborn. Giving the first bath in the hospital, allows parents to ask questions and gather tricks or techniques to giving a bath. A bath is a new experience for a newborn, so you never know how they might react. Some newborns patiently let their parents give them a bath, but for the many others, their infant may cry and squirm. If the latter happens, it is nice to have an educated nurse to help you through the first time bath experience.
To answer questions after you are home, a booklet titled "The Family Center" is sent with every mother/infant. This book contains information about postpartum care, newborn care, crying and comforting techniques, bottle-feeding, sucking and pacifiers, breastfeeding, infant development, infant safety, illness, smoking, vaccinations, and important phone numbers. The OB staff keeps the information in this book up to date and available for all parents. St. Mary's knows that having a baby can be overwhelming and you might not think of questions until after you have left the hospital. "The Family Center" book acts as a quick reference for common questions new mothers have about themselves and new infant. However, if the book doesn't answer your question, you can always call the OB department and someone would be happy to help you with your concerns.
St. Mary's offers a program called Bright Beginnings. This program offers an opportunity for new parents and infants to talk to a nurse one on one to answer their questions about the mother as she recovers from childbirth and about their new infant. We provide an assessment of the infant's well-being, which includes weighing, assessing skin color, and providing assistance with feeding problems. This time is scheduled before the infant leaves the hospital and provides a chance to ask those questions overwhelmed, new parents forget to ask before they leave.
Families are welcome at St. Mary's OB department. Husbands or significant others are allowed to stay overnight with the mother. Each LDR room is private and complete with full bath, TV with VCR and a CD player. Each TV in the hospital has cable hook-up, so patients can watch TV at anytime during their stay. The mother can also find a show called "Baby Talk" on the patient channel, which provides education on childcare. The staff can print you a specific TV guide that just gives times and descriptions of "Baby Talk" shows that you would find interesting. The hospital also has a collection of books and movies that patients can choose from if they wish. The OB department has four LDR (Labor, Delivery, Recovery) rooms, and several private rooms with showers and TV with VCR. St. Mary's encourages rooming in, or having your newborn stay within your room throughout the night, when medically safe. We also provide a staffed nursery in case the mother feels they are not getting adequate rest with the infant in the room.
We offer a unique meal service in the OB department. Mothers can choose lunch and dinner from a menu. The menu has a variety of items to choose from such as chicken strips, hamburgers, French fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, chef's salad and more. There is also a snack fridge located on the floor with juice, milk, crackers, cereal, bread and pudding. If you have the munchies during the day or a craving at night, you can help yourself. The staff wants you to feel welcome and at home during your stay
Mothers at the Family Center receive a pre-paid, long distance phone card, compliments of St. Mary's. This makes it more convenient to tell family members and friends about the new addition to the family. Mothers and newborns also receive a diaper bag full of giveaways and information.
The OB's Family Center is located on the third floor of the north building at St. Mary's Healthcare Center. For more information about the OB's Family Center call 224-3320.
Cradle Roll is a free on-line nursery service funded by the St. Mary's Foundation
