Birthing Center
When you arrive at the Birthing Center to begin life with your new baby, you and your support person will come through the Center’s private and secured entrance located in a serene setting surrounded by pine trees. Inside, you will be greeted by professional and friendly staff available 24 hours a day to assist you.
You will be escorted to your private birthing room that is fully equipped with all the amenities to help make you feel more at ease during labor and delivery: comfortable birthing bed, bathroom and shower, rocking chair, television, stereo CD player, and birthing ball.
The Birthing Center also offers a hydrotherapy tub to use for labor support. Some women find this to be very soothing during labor.
Emerson is renowned for its highly qualified and supportive nursing staff and one-on-one patient care. From the moment you are in active labor until you have met your new baby, you will have the same nurse supporting you through her entire shift.
In addition, the entire nursing team works collaboratively and continually with your one-on-one nurse to track your labor progress through Emerson’s centralized computer monitor system located in the nurses’ station.
The Birthing Center also offers a newly renovated family waiting room, where the rest of your family can wait comfortably while you are in labor.
Labor Management
If you choose to receive anesthesia to manage pain, Emerson provides you with a board-certified anesthesiologist available 24-hours a day to administer medication. Epidural anesthesia is most commonly used because it is safe for both mother and baby.
We also offer complementary therapies, such as hypnobirthing, acupuncture, and aromatherapy, to help you manage your labor.
Cesarean Births
Over the last 15 years, the number of cesarean births in the U.S. has increased significantly. The medical team at the Birthing Center is well prepared for cesarean deliveries and routinely performs these procedures.
Expectant mothers may have cesarean births for a variety of reasons. Some have planned cesarean sections because they have high risk pregnancies or other medical conditions. Other women have cesarean births after a natural delivery has failed to progress, or there are health risks for the mother or baby.
For all cesarean deliveries, anesthesia is administered for the mother, and she usually remains conscious during the procedure. In most cases, the obstetrician and anesthesiologist can accommodate wishes for support persons to be present.
After a cesarean birth, as with a vaginal delivery, mothers are encouraged to hold their babies and initiate breastfeeding as soon as they are comfortable. Because a cesarean section is a surgical procedure and the recovery time may be longer than from a natural delivery, women may stay at the Birthing Center for an additional one to two days.
Pediatric Care
Your baby’s weight will be measured and recorded immediately after delivery. A doctor or nurse will also check the baby’s vital signs, activity level, appearance, and general health. The baby will be given antibiotic eye ointment to prevent infection and a vitamin shot to help with blood clotting. Identification bands are placed on the baby’s ankle and wrist, as well as on the wrists of the mother and support person. The bands are checked and matched to each other repeatedly throughout your hospital stay to ensure the highest security possible.
For babies who require additional medical attention, Emerson has the area’s only Special Care Nursery. It is staffed by an on-site pediatrician 24 hours a day, as well as by a neonatologist and expert nurses—all of whom will give you and your baby personalized, one-on-one care. For mothers who are discharged from the Birthing Center before their babies in the Special Care Nursery, Emerson offers meals and rooms to stay overnight as a boarder or for daytime visits.