Galesburg Cottage Hospital Has Welcomed Its Own Special Delivery: A Newly Refurbished Birthing Center

Expectant moms who deliver at the hospital now have a bright environment similar to an upscale hotel room—with hardwood floors, brand-new furniture and beautiful artwork featuring local families and babies. And that’s only the beginning when it comes to the benefits at Cottage Hospital.

Bringing peace of mind

Patient comfort is paramount at Cottage Hospital, which is one of few facilities offering labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) suites, says Melissa Stewart, R.N., obstetrics nurse manager. For moms, that means checking in, delivering and being discharged from the same room—no being shuffled from place to place. The rooms also feature private bathrooms with a shower or tub (or both), which can be used for laboring; a CD player; a TV; and a mini-fridge. For moms delivering via Caesarean section, an operating room and attached recovery room is available right in the birthing center.

Cottage Hospital was also the first hospital in the county to offer epidurals 24/7. "There’s a great focus on pain management at Cottage," says Amy Mefford, M.S., a certified nurse midwife who’s been with the hospital for 17 years. Patients who opt for an epidural will receive this quickly and efficiently.

A new addition to the center is the central monitoring system, which keeps an eye on moms-to-be and their babies. "The central monitoring system shows the nurses’ station what the baby’s heart rate is at all times, without a nurse having to be in the room," Stewart says.

The monitoring units worn by mothers are also waterproof, allowing women to labor in the tub if they wish, Mefford adds.

The system also offers convenience for hospital staff. "I can even monitor patients from my computer at home or from my office," says Tara Baum, M.D., an Ob/Gyn at Cottage Hospital.

For parents’ peace of mind, the birthing center is a secure unit, with locked doors that can only be opened by a nursing staff member.

Experience in your corner

When you choose Cottage Hospital’s birthing center, you get years of experience. "Our staff offers vast expertise in obstetrics and gynecology," says James Cecil, D.O. an Ob/Gyn at the hospital. In fact, the hospital’s physicians have more than 75 years of combined experience delivering babies in this community, and they, along with Mefford, helped deliver 61 babies in December 2010 alone.

Stewart says that most of the hospital’s obstetrics nurses have been with the hospital for more than 10 years, with some approaching 40 years of service. "We have a great teamwork approach," she says. "Most of the nurses have been here so long that we’re very comfortable with each other." Many of them also have children, and they’re especially empathetic during the labor process, she adds.

The nurses have undergone a one- to two-year orientation and are cross-trained on labor and delivery, postpartum, nursery and surgical delivery, so they’re able to handle any situation. They’re also certified in neonatal resuscitation and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Rounding out the staff is a certified breastfeeding consultant, who helps new moms with the art of breastfeeding.

"I appreciate the great care given to my patients by the staff at Cottage," Dr. Baum says. "And I know my patients appreciate the care, too."

Be prepared

Galesburg Cottage Hospital offers many classes, from coping with labor and baby care, to infant CPR and infant massage. For more information, call (309) 345-4211.

Epidurals:
The Cottage Birthing Center is the only Knox county hospital to offer epidurals during labor. Epidurals provide great pain relief and allow the Mother and her family to enjoy the birthing process, without all the discomfort. Epidurals at Cottage are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Most women experience significant pain during labor and birth, and most American women want and expect to receive some form of pharmacologic pain relief. Epidurals are the most effective method.

An epidural obliterates most all of the labor pain for some women, without the negative effects on the newborn that IV or IM narcotics provide. More than 90% of women receive significant pain relief; most become free of all or almost all of their pain. This allows the woman to maintain a sense of self-control, avoid panic, and think and converse as usual. Many women relax and enjoy labor after their pain disappears.

< P>The Birthing Center:
The Cottage Birthing Center is located on the fifth floor of Cottage Hospital. The Cottage Birthing Center provides 6 spacious, homelike Labor Delivery Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) suites to accommodate the birthing experience.

The Birthing Center is a secured unit with locked doors located on both ends of the hallway. The doors are continuously locked to ensure the safety of our newborns. Mom's-to-be will be cared for in private rooms, equipped with fetal monitoring systems which have the capacity to change into telemetry monitors to allowing the birthing mother to walk around or to even soak in a tub or take a shower. Each suite has its own private bathroom with a tub and/or shower, a cd player, television, and mini-fridge.

L ► LABOR Mom's-to-be will be cared for in private rooms, equipped with state of the art fetal monitoring systems. The fetal monitors have the capacity to change into telemetry monitors to allow the woman to walk around or soak in the tubs or showers. Each suite has its own private bathroom with a tub and/or shower, a CD player, television, and mini-fridge.

D ► DELIVERY Delivery of the new baby occurs in the same room. Infant warming beds are added to the room for thermoregulation of the infant following delivery.

R ► RECOVERY Immediately following the delivery, the mother and infant are stabilized for 1-2 hours. During this time, the family can begin to bond with their newborn.

P ► POSTPARTUM The mother will stay in this room until discharge. Infants can room-in or be taken care of in the nursery so the mother can rest. The rooms are equipped with fold-out beds for Dad or another support person.

The Birthing Center also features an operative suite and recovery room for C-Section deliveries and operative vaginal deliveries.

Four large private rooms are available for post-surgical deliveries. These rooms are equipped with a private bathroom and shower.

24 hour nursery: The Level 2 nursery is staffed with a registered nurse at all times. Newborns can room-in or be taken care of in the nursery to allow for Mom's rest.

Cottage has a Certified Breastfeeding Consultant on staff to assist with breastfeeding. One-on-one instruction provided on positioning and proper latching techniques, to help promote a successful feeding regimen.

On-demand Menu: This new feature at Cottage lets the patient choose from more popular food choices.

Cross trained nurses: All nurses on the Obstetric Unit are trained in labor and delivery, postpartum, nursery, and surgical deliveries (c-section and recovery). The nurses are also ACLS and NRP certified

Childbirth Classes: Offered monthly and are free of charge.

Infant Massage class: Offered to help strengthen the bond between the parents and infant.

For more information on the Cottage Birthing Center, our epidural program, to sign up for one of our classes or to take a tour of our center, call 309-345-4211.