Published May 2002

Birthing suites keep families together

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

The birth of a child is a big event for a family — not just expectant parents. Grandparents, aunts and uncles want to coo at the newest addition while providing emotional support for the parents. And siblings want to play a part in welcoming junior, too.

That’s why Providence Everett Medical Center’s Pavilion for Women and Children offers 40 single-patient birthing suites where families can experience the entire birth process — from labor and birth through recovery and postpartum care.

That’s a change from what Providence had offered at its Colby Campus maternity center, where a mother would deliver her baby in one room and then be moved to a postpartum room — often having to share the space with another patient.

“Part of the concept is to try to make it very easy for the patient to have the privacy she needs in the hospital,” said Dr. Cliff Rogers, Medical Director of Family Services. “And part of the concept is instead of the baby going to the nursery, the majority of patients will have the baby rooming in with the mother, and nursery personnel will come to the mother and baby instead of taking the baby away.”

Not only do the newborn and mother get a better chance to bond, but the rooms also include a sleeping sofa for the birth partner. Having that partner sleep in wasn’t always easy to do at the Colby Campus, Rogers said, especially when you had two moms and two babies in the same room.

Each Pavilion birthing suite also includes a guest chair, table and reading lamp; a large bathtub and pulsating showerhead in a private bathroom; a warming bassinet stocked with newborn supplies; a television, VCR and compact disc player; and Internet access.

These amenities, combined with a staff trained to provide family-centered care, will create a comfortable atmosphere for the patient and her loved ones, said Dolores Newell, Manager of Obstetric Services.

“They encourage families to come visit and be involved — so you really can keep the family in it together,” she said.

The notion of keeping “the family in it together” has attracted the attention of expectant parents around the county, said Gail Larson, Chief Executive. Since Providence began airing radio and television commercials earlier this year, the Family Maternity Center has been inundated with inquiries.

“People are calling every day,” she said.

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