Each birth is a unique experience. Our birthing teams are here to support you during labor and delivery. Your birthing team may include:
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A doctor or nurse midwife. You may have the same doctor or midwife you saw prenatally. Or, if your provider is not working the day you go into labor, you may see another doctor or midwife who works closely with your provider.
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One or more labor and delivery nurses
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An anesthesiologist, if you have a cesarean section delivery or choose certain types of medical intervention to manage pain
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A neonatologist and pediatric nurse, if your provider thinks your baby may need special medical care after birth.
Comfort measures for labor and delivery
Our goal is to make labor and delivery as comfortable as we can. There are many options for managing your pain during labor including:
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Birthing balls, stools, and other tools to help you change positions often
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Labor tubs and showers to prove the soothing feeling of water and relieve pressure
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Medicines such as narcotics or epidurals
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Support from your nurse, partner, or doula.
After your baby is born, your provider will place your baby right on your undressed chest.
Skin to skin care
Placing the baby right on you is called skin to skin and helps your baby adjust to life outside the womb. During this time, your doctor will deliver your placenta and do any stitches that might be needed. Your nurse will help you start breastfeeding and give you and your partner time to begin bonding with your baby.
Newborn screenings
After your baby is born, your nurse will do some tests on your baby to ensure that he or she is healthy. Those tests can include:
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Newborn blood spot screening: By law, all newborns are tested for several rare but serious medical conditions. Babies with these conditions may look healthy at birth. If not treated, these conditions can cause health problems, such as mental retardation, slow growth, and even death. With treatment, these problems may be prevented.
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Hearing screening: This painless tests looks for signs of hearing problems.
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Cystic fibrosis (CF) screening screens for this genetic disease, which causes lung and breathing problems.
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Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening looks for a heart defect that affects the shape of the heart or how blood flows.
