The MaineHealth Franklin Hospital Family Birth Center offers a natural, home-like setting for labor, delivery and pre/post-natal care. Our expert team is committed to providing compassionate, patient-centered care for parents and babies. We want you to have the most rewarding and fulfilling birthing experience possible.
High-quality labor and delivery care, close to home
The birthing experience begins well before birth with home visits by the nurses who will be with you during your labor and delivery. We invite you to take a tour of our family birth center and start your birth plan now so you are ready when the big day comes.
We offer optional "Preparation for Childbirth" classes that teach methods of relaxation and exercise to make your labor as productive and comfortable as possible. A warm-water soaking tub is also available in the birthing center to help ease labor.
Lactation consultants are also available to help you get started with breast feeding, answer any questions you may have, and work through any problems you may encounter. They are happy to meet with you before your delivery to help you weigh the pros and cons of both breast and bottle feeding.
We want your baby to have the best possible start. We offer a free "Growing Healthy Families" program to all first-time parents, supporting them in raising their children from birth to age five.
Vaginal Labor, Delivery and Recovery
Your maternity room is designed to meet all your needs during labor, delivery and recovery. We want you to be informed about your options for pain management while in labor. Choices for pain control can be discussed with both your doctor and nurse. These may include use of a pain scale, relaxation techniques, unrestricted positioning, hot tub, IV pain medication or spinal analgesia. Parents and their baby can sleep over in the same room.
The baby warmer and all emergency equipment for baby and mother are present during delivery. A nurse and your physician or midwife will attend to you and your newborn at the time of delivery. Your baby will be placed in your arms after delivery, unless a medical condition does not allow it.
Caesarean Delivery and Recovery
After delivery in the operating room you will be transferred to the recovery room until you are ready to return to your inpatient room. Usually, both parents will be able to be with their new baby at all times. Your physician will order pain medication to be given as needed. When you feel the need for pain medication, please inform your nurse. Your nurse will check your medication record and help select the appropriate drug based on the pain scale you choose.
Awards & Recognition
Newsweek magazine added MaineHealth Franklin Hospital to its list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals in February 2021. The distinction recognizes facilities that have excelled in providing care to mothers, newborns, and their families. Best Maternity Care Hospitals is part of Newsweek’s Best Health Care series, powered by data from The Leapfrog Group.
Hospitals named as a Best Maternity Care Hospital have fully met The Leapfrog Group’s standards for maternity care on evidence-based, nationally standardized metrics. This includes lower rates of early elective delivery, NTSV C-section, and episiotomy, as well as compliance with process measures including newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section.
Pediatric Unit
Hospitalization of a child can be an emotional time for the family. Our dedicated staff are well trained to care for your child. Parents are encouraged to stay with their child at all times to be involved in their plan of care. The pediatric hospitalist service at MaineHealth Franklin Memorial Hospital provides hospital care for general pediatric conditions and is designed to support office-based family practice physicians when their patients are hospitalized.
Families who use the pediatric hospitalist program are not giving up their regular doctor. While in the hospital, a child is seen by one of the pediatricians at least twice a day and the pediatrician keeps in close contact with the child’s doctor. Upon discharge from the hospital, the child’s primary care physician receives a complete report and will provide any necessary follow-up care. The clinicians who staff the service are all board-certified pediatricians with special skills in hospital-based pediatric care.
Gain the knowledge and confidence you and your partner or support person need to have the birth experience you desire. This class is suitable for all first time parents as well as a refresher course. Come and prepare for your birth in a relaxed, friendly environment.
Class will cover evidence based information including:
- Stages and phases of labor
- How to prepare physically and mentally for your birth
- Natural coping methods such as relaxation, massage, visualization, water therapy and many others
- Cesarean births, and unexpected outcome
- Questions and answers with an obstetric provider and a pediatrician
- Medical pain management options, and making informed choices.
- Plenty of time for questions and discussion
Preregistration is required. Sign up early and plan to start the classes when you are close to 30 weeks. To register for the classes, contact the family birth center at 207-779-2295.
Preparing for and taking care of a new baby is a challenging job. During your pregnancy, our nurses provide visits for all mothers who are planning to give birth at MaineHealth Franklin Hospital.
First Time Mothers:
Your first three visits will be at the Hospital, before you give birth. You will meet one of the home visiting nurses, who will introduce you to the program, give you a tour of the Family Birth Center, talk with you about your body's and your baby's changes in pregnancy, answer questions, and listen to your concerns.
At your second and third visit, you and your nurse will continue to discuss your pregnancy and how your baby is growing. You will learn about nutrition and exercise, a birthing plan, and possible complications. We will explain what to expect in the hospital and demonstrate baby care, including bathing, and discuss breast and bottle feeding.
All Mothers:
Post-partum visits will be in your home after delivery, usually within 1-3 days of your going home. Your nurse will check you and your baby, support you with breastfeeding, discuss birth control, and review self and infant care and any other concerns you may have.
For more information about Nurse Home Visits call 207-779- 2340.
Maine Families Franklin
A free voluntary program of classes, playgroups, newsletters and/or home visits. A family support visitor will partner with you on this exciting and challenging new journey as a family, throughout the first five years of your baby's life.
* Practical tips on taking care of baby and yourself
* Learn more about your baby's healthy development, from birth to five years old
* Enjoy the up-to-date information from the nationally acclaimed parents as teachers curriculum
* Learn how nurturing your baby stimulates baby's brain development
* Have fun with your baby with games and activities to enjoy together
* Put you in touch with community resources for you and your family: child care, housing, job training, medical/dental care, baby furnishings
* Share with others the joys and challenges of parenting
* Join a play group with your baby -- meet other parents and develop your skills for observing your baby's growth and development
* Get linked to a medical home for your family to help you all stay healthy
For more information about Family Support Visitors contact Franklin County Children's Task Force at 207-778-6960.
Our obstetricians and other health care providers offer skilled care to pregnant women and their unborn babies at risk of health problems. Prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies can include more doctor appointments, fetal heart rate monitoring, lab tests, and diabetes education. Our doctors and nurses can provide much of the special care close to home that you and your baby may need. We work together with specialists in high-risk obstetrics to help coordinate your care.
Because we are part of MaineHealth, we can make quick referrals to MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland when needed. MHMMC Portland offers a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staffed by an extensive team of doctors and staff specially trained to care for the sickest newborns. The NICU is a Level III Unit, providing complete care for the most critically ill newborns with special medical needs.
Our family birthing center is committed to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. The cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is unknown, however there are things you can do to help prevent it.
- Have regular prenatal care during your pregnancy
- Avoid first and second hand smoke - babies with a mother who smokes are 3 times as likely to die of SIDS - and babies exposed to second-hand smoke are twice as likely
- Breastfeed when possible
Practice Safe Sleep Habits:
- Keep your baby on their back for both nighttime and naps
- Provide supervised tummy-time to promote neck strengthening
- Remove all bumpers, blankets, toys and stuffed animals from cribs and bassinets
- Use a firm, infant-approved mattress in the crib or bassinet
- Place your baby in a “sleep-sack” rather than wrapped in a blanket
- Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult in a t-shirt - a hot room allows the baby to go into a much deeper sleep, from which they may not wake
- Use a pacifier after breastfeeding has been well-established - 3 to 4 weeks old is usually acceptable
- Regularly check in on your baby in person rather than relying on a remote baby monitor
Call 207-779-2295 for more information on safe sleep for babies.
Visit SafeSleepAcademy.org for more information on practicing safe sleep habits.
Join a childbirth class!
We offer childbirth education classes six times per year to accommodate all due dates. To register, call 207-779-2295.
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