Labor and delivery at Lancaster General Health

Nurse smiles and admires the baby with the new mother

Support for you and your baby at Women & Babies Hospital

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s Women & Babies Hospital welcomes over 4,000 babies yearly, more than any other hospital in Lancaster County. Our extensive labor and delivery experience makes us prepared to handle every type of birth. Whether you’re a first-time parent, welcoming multiples, or need specialized care for a high-risk pregnancy, we help you have a safe, healthy delivery.

Women & Babies Hospital was the first hospital in Pennsylvania to earn the Baby-Friendly® Hospital designation. The designation means our hospital meets high standards for infant feeding, giving you the support and information you need to successfully start and continue breastfeeding if you choose to do so. Our certified lactation consultants visit you after delivery, offer guidance, and answer your questions.

Our obstetrics and maternity care team takes a personalized approach to care, helping you feel confident and cared for before, during, and after delivery. You and your family will feel at home during your stay. We offer private suites, an outdoor playground and craft room for visiting siblings, and overnight amenities for your support partner.

What to expect during your stay at Women & Babies Hospital

We want you to have the delivery experience you hope for. During your pregnancy, we encourage you to make a birth plan detailing your labor and delivery wishes. Our attentive staff follow your plan as closely as possible, keeping the health and safety of you and your baby as our top priority.

The highest-level care for your newborn

Our Level IIIB NICU is the first and most advanced NICU in Lancaster County. In partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), we provide advanced care to babies born prematurely or needing extra support. Our team of neonatologists (newborn specialists) and advanced practice providers have the experience, training, and special equipment to care for babies born as early as 23 weeks.

Premature infants sometimes have trouble feeding. We’re the first hospital in the area to offer the FDA-approved NTrainer device, which helps premature infants develop the sucking and swallowing skills they need to bottle or breastfeed. The NTrainer helps parents feed their baby sooner, reduces the time babies have a feeding tube, and often leads to shorter NICU stays.

We understand your baby’s NICU stay can be stressful. We try to make your time as comfortable as possible. We offer private breastfeeding and pumping areas, family sitting rooms, overnight accommodations, and visiting hours for friends and family.

Your child’s safety and health are important. Our staff enforces infection control protocols, visitor policies, and security regulations. The NICU team informs you of these expectations and answers any questions you may have.

Classes and tours for expecting families at Lancaster General Health

Whether you’re still deciding where to give birth or plan to deliver at Women & Babies Hospital, we encourage you to take an in-person tour. Our childbirth educator leads you around the hospital, shows you our rooms, and answers your questions. A support partner is welcome to come with you on the tour.

We also offer online and in-person childbirth and parenting classes to prepare you for birth and newborn care. We even offer classes specific to dads, siblings, and grandparents to help them transition into their new roles.

Explore childbirth and parenting classes at Lancaster General Health.

Perinatal palliative care

Learning your baby has a life-limiting condition is heart-wrenching. Our perinatal palliative care team helps you fill every second of your baby’s life with love, honoring your wishes and care preferences. We provide grief counseling, holistic care, and special resources to support families walking through this difficult journey.

Pediatrician nurse checking baby and showing mother how to take care of baby.

At home support with Healthy Beginnings Plus

Healthy Beginnings Plus offers free in-home prenatal support. Eligible patients receive personalized care from a healthcare team from early pregnancy through 8 weeks postpartum, improving outcomes for mom and baby with convenient visits and support.

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Our doctors

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Locations

Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.

Patient stories

The road to recovery begins at home

Penn Medicine’s SNF at Home pilot program offers a seamless transition from the hospital to home with extra support to recover in familiar surroundings.

Bringing the hospital home

With Penn Medicine Advanced Home Health, even patients facing a potentially serious medical issue can receive care safely at home.

Finding triple-negative breast cancer at 33, she chose ‘Team Penn’

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70-year-old bench press competitor tackles rare cancer

While receiving treatment at Penn for a rare cancer, bench press competitor Howard Aaron continued to make fitness an essential part of his life.

A journey from battlefield to beating cancer

Andrew Camponelli was a young Army helicopter pilot in Kuwait when he was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma.

New lungs, a new liver, and a new lease on life

Decades after a childhood diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, Donald traveled across the world to find transplant care he could trust at Penn Medicine.

Epilepsy surgery gives patient a new lease on life

Minimally invasive laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) surgery reduced the epilepsy symptoms a patient had experienced for more than 30 years.

Patient puts national spotlight on cancer clinical trials

As Kate Korson recently shared on Good Morning America, both she and her mother participated in clinical trials at Abramson Cancer Center.

A cancer dietitian, a survivor herself, keeps patients moving

Breast cancer treatments can upend a fitness routine. Cancer dietitian Dorris Piccinin, a survivor herself, is inspiring patients to keep at it.

A grateful patient pays it forward to treat uterine cancers

Dalia Jakas credits her doctor with curing her uterine cancer without harming her quality of life. Now, she’s paying it forward for future patients.

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