Mother Baby Care Unit

So what's next?  After delivery, mom & baby remain in Labor & Delivery for approximately 2 hours.  This time is important for bonding, initiating feeding, and welcoming this new member of the family.  We encourage you to spend this precious time with your infant and celebrate your delivery.  If that celebration includes your family and/or friends, we welcome them when you feel the time is right.


As nurses, we assess bleeding and vital signs of both mom & baby frequently during this initial recovery time.  A nurse from our Newborn Nursery will visit during this time to discuss your preferences for baby's care during your stay and complete a thorough assessment of your newborn.  She will gather all of those important statistics - How much does your baby weigh? How long is your baby? How big is your baby's head?  Although we attempt to minimize interruption during this time, you will see us often as we assist you in this phase of your stay.

Once both mom & baby are stable, you will be transferred to our Mother Baby Care Unit.

This is a locked unit, and is located on the 8th floor.  The exits are all alarmed and there is someone sitting at the front desk at all times.  She is there to welcome you to the unit when you arrive and open doors for you should you need to leave.  We take your safety and security very seriously and this unit is intentionally located far away from exits as possible.

One of the best parts of this transition is the view you will enjoy day or night as you care for your new baby.....

 Every room has a spectacular view regardless of the position.  Your view may be over the BSU stadium and toward the airport, over the city and Capital building, the foothills and a baseball diamond, or the morning sunrise and TableRock.  I encourage you to open the blinds and enjoy.  It is one of my very favorite parts of the Mother Baby Care Unit!

We recognize that babies arrive 24 hours a day, and when the big moment arrives, there are often visitors who have waited an entire pregnancy to get to meet this new little one.  Visiting hours on our Mother Baby Care Unit are strongly encouraged to be between 10am and 8:30pm.  This allows quiet time for our new moms to sleep when excited visitors are not frequently making noise in hallways.

Our Mother Baby Unit has been undergoing a re-model lately.... 

and the updated rooms are beautiful! 

You will find that the rooms are not as large as the labor rooms since this is not a place we anticipate large numbers of staff or equipment being needed to attend to your care. At the same time, the rooms are sized to get you to your baby and the bathroom quickly and easily.


Every room has its own private bathroom.

Hospital stays on our Mother Baby Unit are typically 24-48 hours after a vaginal delivery and 48-72 hours after a cesarean section. The amount of time you remain with us is coordinated between your provider, and the provider you choose to care for your baby.

During your stay, our staff is always available to assist you with breastfeeding, bonding and learning the initial parenting skills you will need once you arrive home.

All of our Mother Baby nurses are breastfeeding experts.  They are available to help you with tips and tricks for success!  We also have Certified Lactation Consultants available to assist you throughout your stay as well as after you are discharged home. We are a breastfeeding friendly hospital and our goal is to provide all the education and support necessary for you to be successful!

All of our rooms have a place for your support person to sleep.   Fold out chairs are in every room and a cot can be requested. We encourage your family to spend time together getting to know this new addition.  Younger siblings are welcome as well.  If you choose to have them stay over night with you, a responsible adult needs to be with them at all times so that we can care for you and your new baby.


We are excited to offer double beds in some rooms as well.  Double beds are most often used for women who have minimal complications and intervention.  It is more complicated to assess heavy bleeding or surgical incisions when there is more than one person in the bed. Your safety is once again at the top of our priority list.

Getting out of bed will help your body recover faster.  If you go for a walk in the hallways we ask that you always place your baby in the bassinet provided; never carry your baby in your arms in the hallways.

Inside the drawer of the bassinet, you will find items to help you care for your baby while you stay with us.

 Our Mother Baby Care Unit offers a full Newborn Nursery.  Some new moms choose to utilize this service while others do not.  Whether it is just long enough for a quick shower or a longer stay while you take a deep nap, the Newborn Nursery is always staffed with nurses and aides to provide a safe and secure place for your baby.

 Only those with proper identification are allowed into the Newborn Nursery.  All other visitors can watch activities through the large windows. 

We offer a rocking corner in the Newborn Nursery.  Come and join our staff here.  Try the swings and visit with us as you rock and feed your baby.  We can provide privacy screens should you choose.

We are here to welcome and support you as you start on this new journey! 

~ Welcome to Parenthood ~

"It's Complicated"

When pregnancy does not go as expected we are here to support you!

Just down the hall from our Labor and Delivery Unit,  Antepartum becomes a home away from home for some. 

Antepartum is defined as the period prior to childbirth; before delivery.  This unit provides specialized care for pregnant women and their babies.

High-risk or complicated pregnancies occur in only 6-8% of pregnancies nationwide. 

Complications during pregnancy can include health concerns which may affect the mother's health, the baby's health, or both.  

These complications can be serious and require specialized monitoring and care to ensure the best possible outcomes.    

It is during these times of prolonged hospital admission that we welcome you to our Antepartum Care Unit.  Here we develop lasting friendships with women and their families as we spend a day, a week, or sometimes the rest of the pregnancy with you.

  Those who work on Antepartum take great pride in providing care to promote healthy pregnancies.

We work closely with your primary care provider and coordinate consultations with various specialists as needed.  

We celebrate with you the victory of remaining pregnant another week.  We hope for good news with each test, and we offer education and involvement in the planning of your care each and every day.

On Antepartum, our rooms are designed to provide a comfortable "home-like" environment.  Each room has a private bathroom, flat screen TV with DVD player, support person bed, as well as a mini fridge.

  A large jacuzzi room offers a place for relaxation......

Just past the nurse's station, a large family waiting area offers laptops for internet access, games, DVDs, books, crafts, and childbirth educational information.  

Our patients have had their families and friends join them to celebrate many baby showers in this room!

Those who come to stay on Antepartum find craft classes, massages, pet therapy and other integrative health therapies useful and educational.  

Complications during pregnancy are never what we hope for.  However, if they do arise we are thankful to have such a great place to stay, and a wonderful team of nurses who provide such valued friendship and exceptional care.

Ready for the Most Important Job of Your Life?

We are here to help!  Whether you just found out that you are expecting or you are almost ready to deliver, St Luke's Open House is a great place to start!

In the main Emergency Room Parking Lot, and then just south of the Main Hospital Entrance....



You will find the Children's Specialty Center:





The Open House is in the 2nd Floor Lobby, so come up the elevators & join us!!!

 Once a month we all gather to welcome you to our Open House!    

We are here to visit with you, answer questions, and help you feel comfortable with your care while you stay with us and continuing after you are discharged home.

This is a life long commitment and we are here to help!

 Meet, interview, and visit with OB-GYN Doctors & Nurse Midwives who practice at our hospital.

You can visit with Genetic Counselors from our Maternal Fetal Medicine Team.

 

Meet Neonatologists from our NICU, and Pediatricians to help you make the best decision for the care of your baby!

Lactation Certified Nurses are available to answer questions about breastfeeding.

 Come learn about the classes offered by Birth & Parenting - 

You have a Question?  We have a class for that!!

Meet with one of our financial planners!

And learn about car seat safety.  Come and talk to our expert!

Eat a snack.....

the veggies & dip are great and the fruit & cheese are nice too

but the fudge brownies with chocolate chips are my personal favorite!!

TOURS

Organized tours are coordinated with our Open House, and are offered three additional times each month.  They meet in the main lobby of the hospital at 5:30pm and 6:30pm.  The dates and time for this informative tour can be found on the St Luke's website.

http://www.stlukesonline.org/classes_and_events/boise_and_meridian/pregnancy/tour.php

Come and see our facility and meet the nurses who work here and will be part of the team providing care for your family while you stay with us on your big day! 

You will learn about what to expect, you will see where to check in. 

You will visit our Labor & Delivery Unit where delivery happens, Mother-Baby Unit where you will bond with your little one, and view the Newborn Nursery which is available to you if you choose.  

We will discuss what you might consider packing and what we already provide, how to order food, how long you can anticipate your stay to be.  

See where our operating room is (just in case).  We will show you what your visitors can expect and where they can wait when they are not right in the room with you.  And so many other things that are helpful for you to know when the big day arrives!  

We believe that the more you know and plan ahead, the more in-control you feel as you help to guide decisions about your care and the care of your baby!  We are on your team!

We are here to welcome you because we want your baby's story to 

begin at St Luke's!

All In Due Time.......

Just off the elevator on the 2^nd floor, triage is the first place our patients and their families stop.  Our unit clerk is the first to welcome you to our unit.

Triage is a challenging place to work, and you never know what you may hear or see.   Most of the time it is a place to meet our patients, provide education, encourage healthy choices during pregnancy, and support labor dreams and goals.  Occasionally it does turn into a place of prioritization when patients present having critical needs.

 

I have seen patients who are not sure if they should even be seen: but every time you move you uncontrollably gush large amounts of fluid and have to keep a towel between your legs?  Or patients who would like to answer my questions but every 2-3 minutes you can’t talk and breathe at the same time - you are contracting.  You definitely should be seen.

What would a good pregnancy story be without the occasional false alarm? 

If every patient that came to triage was obviously in labor there would not be a need for triage.  But sometimes you just are not sure what is going on – did your baby just shift positions and hit your bladder?  Or are these consistent and uncomfortable cramps really labor or just miserably annoying?  We don’t know until we see you either.  That’s what we do – that’s what we are here for.

In order to assess your situation we welcome you and a guest into one of our triage rooms.  These are not large, spacious rooms because we don’t anticipate extended stays here in triage. 

But we do want to figure out what is going on and know that both mom and baby are doing well.  

We will place a fetal heart monitor on to give us information to help us understand if baby is tolerating the situation as well or better than you are.

We will also place a monitor to visualize contractions.  This monitor only tells us how far apart the contractions are and how long they are lasting – it does not tell us how strong they are – we need you to help us with that information.

Not all contractions will change your cervix – and thus just because you are having some contractions does not automatically mean you need to be admitted.  Just like you would not run a marathon without training first, your uterus muscle also needs to “warm up” or practice a little before the big event. 

What can you do at home?  Here are some insider hints I would suggest:

Drink WATER.  Hydration may slow your contractions, but if it does they were probably not going to change your cervix any time soon.  A hydrated uterus contracts more effectively and efficiently.   Since it is football season I like to use the example that these athletic men occasionally drop to the field and cannot stand or walk on their own when their muscles are dehydrated and cramp.  YOUR UTERUS IS A MUSCLE TOO, and needs to be hydrated or those “cramps” can be extremely painful…..and you will feel like you need help off the field!

Take a Warm Bath.  If you relax in a warm tub and your contractions continue (while drinking a lot of ice water)…..then come and see us for additional assessment!  We have Jacuzzi tubs available in every room because laboring women tend to relax in water.  Learning to relax during labor helps your uterus to work better and that baby to descend easier. 

If you are early in your pregnancy or concerned for any reason, please don’t delay your trip into our triage.

Change position.  If you are uncomfortable, and your muscles are hurting, then move.  Hands and knees is a great way to get that baby off the nerves in your back that can really be quite painful.  It is also a great way to get the baby to find the best position for delivery.   Go for a walk but don’t wear yourself out.  Heat and ice are great at relaxing sore and stretched muscles.

Leaking Fluid?  If your water is broken the risk of infection goes up for you and for baby and admission to the hospital is recommended.  We like to see labor start within a few hours of your water breaking.  If it does not start on its own, then we can discuss with you the risks, benefits, and side effects of all options to decrease the risks associated with prolonged rupture.

Still concerned or uncertain?  Come in or call your doctor.  We all work as a team throughout your pregnancy to keep you and your baby safe.  Pregnancy is not predictable.  Trust me, we know and understand that things change quickly and what can be normal one minute can be very different and even scary the next.  If you are concerned, so are we.  It does not matter if you have been just a little worried for a day or two or you just left the office or the hospital and something just does not seem right, come in, come back!  We only get a snap shot of what is going on in your pregnancy during the moment while you see us – we will always take another look!