Family Centered Care

This special time should be as comfortable and special as possible for you. We are here to help you through labor according to your birth plan and assist your doctor or midwife in the delivery of your baby. We put mothers, babies and their families first and emphasize keeping mothers and their babies together as much as possible, starting with the moment your baby is born. To celebrate each new life here at Sacred Heart Hospital, Brahms’ “Lullaby” is played over the hospital’s loudspeaker system, a tradition that dates back many years.

What you can expect

When you arrive at Touch of Love Maternity, we will begin monitoring you and your baby closely. Our advanced wireless technology allows you to be up and about during labor. So we encourage you to walk the halls, listen to music, use an exercise ball, sit in a whirlpool tub, or engage in any activity that calms, relaxes and comforts you.

Your room

Throughout your labor and delivery, you will be in one of our six spacious and private labor-delivery-recovery rooms. Each room is equipped with a birthing bed that converts into a delivery bed. If a Cesarean birth becomes necessary, we will move you a few doors down the hall to a specially equipped delivery room.

After you give birth, you will be transferred to a comfortable, quiet, private postpartum room for the remainder of your stay. Your baby may room with you if you wish or in the nursery.

Caring for you and baby

We offer mother-baby care which means the same nurse who cares for you will provide care for your baby as well.

While you are with us, we will prepare you to care of your new baby. Every nurse in our maternity department is cross-trained in the specialties of labor and delivery, mother-baby care, Level II special care nursing and Cesarean-section recovery. They are here to offer you the best care and answer any questions you have about your care or the care of your newborn. Lactation consultants are also on hand to help with any nursing questions or concerns you may have.

A celebration

This is a joyous occasion for your family and we want to help you celebrate. We enjoy helping you welcome your newborn by providing you and your partner with a special celebratory meal. We also like to give your baby a good start with the gift of a fleece blanket and a digital thermometer.

Our clinical expertise

Although every pregnancy and patient is unique, our total Cesarean-section rate is consistently below national norms. This is a measure that reflects our medical staff and midwives’ careful management of labor and risk factor considerations.

As we mentioned above, every maternity registered nurse is cross-trained for labor and delivery, mother-baby care, Level II special care nursing and Cesarean-section recovery. They all also have advanced training to stabilize a critical infant.

For more than two years, Sacred Heart Hospital has been ranked in the top 1% in the nation for inpatient satisfaction against thousands of other hospitals through the country (according to Press Ganey, the country’s largest hospital database of patients satisfaction survey data). In 2006, we received the Summit Award, Press Ganey’s highest award