- Babies cared for in the hospital nursery cry more than they do when they are rooming-in with their mothers.
- Research proves that you will get as much sleep with your baby in your room as you will if your baby is away in the nursery.
- Experts agree that, unless a medical reason exists, healthy mothers and babies should not be separated after birth or even during the early days following birth.
- Interrupting, delaying, or limiting the time that a mother and her baby spend together may have a harmful effect on their relationship and bonding.
Delivery/During Your Stay Information
Maternity Admissions
Patients are asked to report to to the ER. When a patient arrives to our unit, we will monitor and assess her condition. As of 7/16, we are currently allowing one support person for maternity cases.
The Women and Children’s Pavilion is located on the third floor of the main hospital in Anniston. When you arrive at RMC, please enter the main entrance of Women’s and Children’s Pavilion.
Upon arrival, you will be admitted and taken to an evaluation room for an initial exam. When your care provider confirms that you are in labor, you will be moved into a LDR (Labor, Delivery and Recovery) room.
What to Expect During and Immediately After Delivery?
Following delivery, you will remain in Labor &Delivery suite for a 2-hour recovery and then moved to our Postpartum rooms. As the first designated baby-friendly hospital in the state of Alabama, we encourage newborn babies (if he/she is stable) to room in with the mother 24 hours a day to allow for bonding and allows the staff to educate mom on infant daily care.
We encourage skin to skin contact on all deliveries (baby naked, not wrapped in a blanket) immediately after birth, as well as later as long as mother & baby are both stable, although the mother may refuse. Fathers and significant others are allowed to do skin to skin contact in the event the mother is unstable. With family-centered cesareans, we also allow skin to skin contact and recently installed clear drapes so that mother can view delivery of baby via cesarean at the mother’s request. Why skin to skin contact? Promoting immediate skin to skin contact following delivery helps with bonding, the baby’s temperature, heart and breathing rates are more stable and more normal, and the baby’s blood sugar is more elevated.
Post-Partum Rooming In
Nap time 1-4pm daily is a special quiet time to allow mothers and infants to rest during the day.
Golden Hour: The golden hour will be in place after birth so that you and your baby can enjoy your first hour together uninterrupted.
Rooming In – Following delivery, it is natural that women will want their babies close to them because of mother and babies share a natural instinct to be close after childbirth. During your stay with us, you and your baby will remain together unless there is a need for supervised medical procedures that can not be performed at your bedside. Rooming-in will help you become familiar with cues from your baby. This will help you be more prepared for your baby’s own needs after discharge.