The Center for Women and Infants
At Saint Vincent Hospital, our personalized approach to family-centered care is one of the many reasons why over 2,000 families chose to give birth here last year. Family-centered maternity care means working closely with you and your family to make decisions regarding your individualized care. When you add this philosophy to medical and nursing expertise and a partnership with local academic medical centers, you have the ideal blend of skill and compassion.
In 2014, The Center for Women and Infants (CWI) embarked on the journey to seek the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFH) designation. This designation ensures that CWI offers an optimal level of care for infant feedings and mother/baby bonding.
Preparing You for What’s Ahead
We encourage you and your birth partner to participate fully in the care of your baby. The Center for Woman and Infants has a network of resources including childbirth preparation classes, breastfeeding classes, sibling preparation classes, tours of the department, and infant CPR.
Labor and Delivery
At Saint Vincent Hospital’s Center for Women and Infants, we offer 10 warm and comfortable Labor and Delivery rooms, which allow you to deliver and recover in the same room. The environment is welcoming for you and your baby, and the rooms are equipped with the latest technological innovations used in state-of-the-art childbirth centers (including wireless fetal monitoring). During your labor and birth we offer you:
- Natural birth, supporting you with relaxation techniques, position changes, music, birthing ball, and lots of encouragement
- When continuous fetal monitoring is required, our wireless monitors allow you to move freely and even shower to support your choice of a natural birth
- Periodic medicine to promote comfort
- Dedicated obstetrical anesthesia staff available around the clock should you choose an epidural during labor
Family Bonding
Bonding between your new baby and your family is important for everyone’s health and well-being. That’s why we encourage you to keep your baby with you in your room for your entire stay. “Rooming-in,” as the process is known, enhances family bonding by encouraging all members of the family to take an active role in the care of the infant. Whenever your baby is not in your room, he or she will be cared for in the newborn nursery within the Center for Women and Infants.
Mothers and babies belong together
- After you deliver your baby at Saint Vincent Hospital we recommend “rooming-in,” meaning you will keep your baby with you in your private room during your hospital stay.
- Rooming-in is provided as part of our family-centered care to help you learn how to rest and care for your baby.
- Rooming-in allows you more opportunity to be skin to skin with your baby and to gain more confidence in caring for your baby. It also helps with breastfeeding. Babies who room-in breast feed more frequently, gain more weight, and have less jaundice.
- Research has shown that mothers sleep better when babies room with them and babies who room-in cry less, and sleep deeper and longer.
- Keeping your baby in your room does not mean you are on your own. Staff will be rounding on you often and will be taking care of you and your baby.
- We believe in safety first. If you feel the need to rest or are not feeling well, your baby can be cared for in the nursery.
- A support person is welcome to stay with you in the hospital to help you care for your baby. This way, while you’re recovering, you will still have the benefits of rooming in.
