Delivering your baby at the Center for Maternal & Newborn Care at PMPH
Whether you’re a first-time parent or a seasoned one, we help you know what to expect during your time at PMPH. Our childbirth and parenting education classes can help you and your family prepare to welcome a new baby. We offer a wide range of classes, including virtual and in-person birthing courses, infant care education, Daddy Boot Camp™, and sibling classes to help everyone transition into their new role.
During labor, you may be able to sit in our comforting whirlpool tub, use a birthing ball, or receive pain-relieving medication from our experienced anesthesiologists. You may choose to have a certified doula, partner, family member, or friend with you as you labor.
OB/GYN laborists are on-site 24/7 to monitor your labor and respond to emergencies. They review your medical records once you’re admitted to the hospital and communicate with your primary OB/GYN. If your primary OB/GYN has hospital privileges at Princeton Medical Center, they’ll care for you while you’re at the hospital in collaboration with the OB/GYN laborist.
Our experienced team can also help deliver your baby through a cesarean birth (C-section). Whether the C-section is scheduled or unplanned, you can expect exceptional care for you and your baby. One support partner may come into the operating room with you. Most birthing parents are awake during surgery, but our anesthesiologists make sure you’re numb from the chest down so that you don’t feel any pain.
If you and your newborn are well, we immediately place your baby on your chest for skin-to-skin time, called kangaroo care, after delivery. Your baby will lie on you for at least an hour, which helps them regulate their body temperature, heart rate, breathing, and blood sugar levels. This time together also promotes bonding as your baby adjusts to life outside your womb. In addition, kangaroo care can help stimulate your milk production and prompt your newborn to initiate breastfeeding.
We move you to a spacious, private postpartum suite for rest and recovery. You and your baby room in together to support continued bonding and help you get to know your baby. However, nurses in our Well Baby Nursery can care for your infant if you need some time to rest.
You can expect to stay two to four nights in our postpartum suite. Our nurses monitor you and your baby during this time. We give you medications as prescribed by your OB/GYN and make sure you recover well. Our team teaches you how to care for yourself to support your body’s healing. We also go over newborn care, helping you learn their sleeping patterns and how to feed them.
During your stay, you participate in our SAFE sleep program. A maternity nurse reviews newborn safe sleep practices, which includes placing your baby in their crib alone, on their back, on a firm surface, with nothing else in their crib.
Accommodations are available for one support person to stay the night in the suite with you. Other amenities and services include:
- 24/7 on-site security
- Certified lactation consultant visits
- Private bathroom
- Rentable breast pumps and accessories
- TV
- Wi-Fi
- Optional professional newborn photography session
Before discharge, our team screens your newborn for specific health conditions. If you and your baby are doing well, we prepare you for discharge. Your care team provides you with all the information you need to confidently bring your baby home. A nurse or other care team member escorts you to your vehicle, checks your car seat installation, and ensures you’ve securely buckled in your baby.
You can make a one-on-one appointment with one of our certified lactation consultants for continued breastfeeding guidance. Our community wellness educators support your and your baby’s health and well-being through postpartum support groups, exercise classes, car seat safety programs, and infant massage classes.