Once you are both ready, you will be moved with your baby to the Mother/Baby Unit. A team of nurses cares for both of you during the remainder of your hospital stay. The rooms on the Mother/Baby Unit are private, as family centered care is our goal. Queen-size beds are available in some rooms, and other rooms have a single bed plus a Murphy bed or sofa bed. This provides an opportunity for mother, baby, and dad or partner to stay together. Each of the postpartum rooms has a private bath, shower, telephone, television and VCR/DVD player.
While you and your baby are with us, we encourage your family to stay with you as much as possible and to become involved in baby's care. Children who are sick or running a fever are asked not to visit, so that your new baby can stay healthy.
Please be aware of your need for rest and limit visits accordingly. In the interest of your recovery, we suggest that you ask people not to call late in the evening. If you wish to have privacy while nursing, suggest that your visitors go to the cafeteria. You may ask your nurse to place a sign on your door if you are sleeping or don't want to be disturbed by visitors. There may be occasions when it is necessary for your nurse to interrupt your phone calls or visitors to care for you or your baby, and we will attempt to keep these interruptions brief.
Your baby will stay in your room during your hospital stay. Your baby will be taken to the nursery briefly at night to be weighed and have a hearing screening test. With 24-hour rooming-in, the night light will be kept on so a staff member can check on your baby regularly. This will be done as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing you and your baby. Research has shown that babies who spend the night in their mothers' hospital rooms sleep better, awaken less, and cry for shorter periods of time. The same research shows that mothers who have 24-hour rooming-in get the same amount of sleep as the mothers whose babies spend the night in the nursery.
When babies are born between 35 and 37 weeks' gestation they require special care with feeding and temperature control. The nurses, lactation specialists and physicians will help you learn their unique needs.
Your newborn's picture will be taken, and you will be offered an opportunity to purchase a variety of portrait packages, including portrait birth announcements and online birth announcements. In addition, you will have the opportunity to develop a web page for your baby's photo. Only friends or family members designated by you can view the photos on your web page.
