Our goal is to provide individualized care for you and your family while you are in labor.

 

As your due date nears
You will be instructed by your physician to call them before leaving home for Marymount’s Birth Place, so that he or she can help you determine whether you are ready to come to the hospital. If it is time, remember to bring your suitcase and camera!

 

When you arrive at Marymount
You should use the Emergency entrance (Entrance 4), so that you may register and obtain your patient ID band.

 

During early labor
Your family may visit you, or you may contact loved ones by telephone from your suite. Families may await news from you in our family waiting room, adjacent to the Birth Place. Your nurse will work closely with your physician and will be with you frequently, checking on your progress and assessing your needs. Depending on your condition and comfort, you may be able to walk around during this phase of labor.

 

As labor progresses
Your nurses will assist you with your breathing. Our anesthesiologists are always available, so that you may choose to labor with an epidural anesthesia whenever you and your physician agree that it is appropriate.

If you require a Caesarian delivery, the procedure will be performed in our on-site surgical delivery suite, and your labor nurse will prepare you and stay at your side. A specially-trained nursery nurse will attend your delivery in order to care exclusively for your infant.

 

After your baby’s birth
You and your partner will have an opportunity to share quiet, private moments together with your new son or daughter. This is a very important time for bonding. If you are breast feeding we suggest that you inform your family that you will want to offer your infant that first important feeding at the breast before they visit with you. We understand that it is difficult for them to wait, but there is a special two-hour “window” during which newborns are awake and easier to nurse. Getting them started immediately can determine whether you and your baby have a satisfying or frustrating breast feeding experience.

 

Recovery
As you recover, you will be encouraged to express your choice with regard to breast or bottle feeding and rooming in. Dads are encouraged to participate as well. In fact, our philosophy includes support of the “Fatherhood Initiative,” which places emphasis upon the father’s role and its importance in the family relationship.
 
You and your family will be encouraged to ask questions and resolve concerns about newborn care. We will emphasize “learning by doing,” so that you can learn to care for your infant with your nurse at your side.  And we also offer an assortment of videos that include instruction on many topics, including breastfeeding, newborn care and car seat safety.

 

Because a newborn usually needs a little help in maintaining a stable body temperature, we will place your baby under a nearby warmer, at the same time performing a head-to-toe assessment. We will place identical identification bracelets on your infant’s wrist and ankle, as well as on your own wrist. Dad will receive a bracelet as well, so that he may participate in transporting the infant to and from the nursery. As an extra precaution, we will attach a security device to your baby’s umbilical cord before he or she leaves your birthing room.

 

You will be monitored in your birthing suite for about two hours following delivery. When you are ready, you will be transferred to your postpartum suite. Your newborn will be officially “admitted” to the nursery, where the weight and length will be recorded, and he or she will be bathed and placed in a bassinet.  ID bracelets will be carefully checked to ensure all the information is accurate. As soon as your baby’s temperature is stable, he or she will join you in your postpartum suite.

 

Your hospital stay

Your physician will visit you each day to monitor your recovery and answer questions. In general, your maternity stay will probably be no longer than two days, although recovery following Cesarean delivery is longer, usually three to four days. 

• Room Service Meals - You will find a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner choices on our menu. Coffee is available every morning and we also provide snacks including fresh fruit and yogurt. You will have the freedom to order your meals via telephone, choosing what and when you’d like to eat.
• Television - Free color television service is available in all of the postpartum suites. A library of maternity videotapes is also available - simply ask for the DVD, VCR and the tapes from your nurse.
• Telephone - Free telephone service is provided throughout The Birth Place. Please be sure to keep your family informed on your progress and condition, as the nursing staff is limited in what they can tell family members and friends over the telephone. Friends and relatives may call directly into your LDR Suite (216-587-8998 & ext.), or you can opt to have calls restricted.
• Photographs - A photographer from a service that specializes in newborns will photograph your infant. This is an optional service and payment is made to the photography service. We respect the privacy of our parents and their newborns; therefore we require a name and a password to view photos in the “on-line nursery.” Parents who choose this service may contact their friends and relatives and invite them to view their infant.
• Wireless Access – Marymount offers free wireless access to all patients and visitors. You are welcome to bring your personal laptop to access the internet from almost anywhere within the hospital.
• Emails - Friends and family can send you email messages via our hospital website. They can simply log onto Marymount.org and using the “Email a Patient” link on the homepage, provide your name and type their message. Hospital volunteers will print and deliver the message to your room within 24 hours on weekdays.
• Pastoral Care - You may request the services of a hospital chaplain or area clergy at any time. Please ask your nurse for assistance.