Maternity Services
Welcome to NCH Maternity Services
The only comprehensive birthing center in Collier County with 3,600 births annually, the BirthPlace at NCH is committed to providing the most memorable experience for you and your entire family.
The multidisciplinary team of experienced healthcare professionals focus on the comfort and safety of you and your baby. Your team of professionals may include an obstetrician, perinatologist, pediatrician, neonatologist, anesthesiologist, nursing and other ancillary services.
We are committed to providing the best quality in healthcare, always involving you and your family in shared decisions and choices throughout your birthing experience.
NCH Healthcare System is proud to provide award-winning labor and delivery services
OB emergency care
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Registration Forms
To make your check-in process faster and more convenient, we recommend completing your registration forms before your appointment or hospital stay.
OB Hospitalist Group and Obstetric Emergency Department (OBED) at NCH North Naples Hospital
As of December 2021, NCH has partnered with the largest OB hospitalist provider in the nation, OB Hospitalist Group, to have an experienced team of Obstetric (OB) clinicians on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer collaborative, non-competitive support to the local OBs.
The team will also provide 24/7 emergency OB services through the new Obstetric Emergency Department (Obstetric ED) at NCH North Naples Hospital to ensure that every patient, regardless of physician association or time of day, is seen by an OB immediately should there be an emergency.
Outpatient Services
If you are referred by your OB physician to NCH for services not available in their office, such as a nonstress test, biophysical profiles, iron infusion, RhoGAM and betamethasone, an order will be required.
These services are by appointment only, please discuss with your obstetrician’s office staff to schedule it. NCH has an OB emergency department, if you arrive at our facility without an appointment, we are required by Federal EMTALA regulations to treat you as an emergency room patient.
To avoid this, please have an appointment and order from your OB physician.
Family-Centered Care
Featured Services Include:
- Extensive childbirth education programs which cover a full array of classes for expectant parents, grandparents, siblings, C-section classes, infant care and infant CPR
- Five triage rooms for labor checks, pre-admission visits, admissions, outpatient visits
- Spacious private labor suites with state-of-the-art fetal monitoring
- 24 hours on-site anesthesia/epidural service to manage labor comfort and to be available for emergencies
- Surgical suites located within the BirthPlace for C-sections, with adjacent recovery area
- Progressive care rooms for moms with complications during any point of her pregnancy or afterward
- Extensive commitment to uninterrupted skin to skin for the full “golden hour” after both vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections to benefit both mom and baby
- Maternal fetal medicine
- 18 bed Level II NICU with state of the art technology staffed with 24 hour on site neonatologists for babies with complications
- Family centered care that encourages 24 hour rooming in for mom with her baby in the privacy of spacious rooms, where dad can also be comfortable in a sleeper chair, with wireless Internet connection and guest meals available
- Family kitchen areas provide refrigerators and microwaves
- Princess suites are even larger and include amenities and their own refrigerator and microwave (surcharge upon request for room)
- Board certified lactation consultants and lactation certified nursing staff to encourage and support exclusive breast feeding and provide support while in the hospital
- Dedicated social worker
- On-site newborn hearing screening
- Birth registrar
- On-site newborn photography service
The Golden Hour: Your Baby’s First Moments
Congratulations on your expectancy! We want to assist you every step of the way, from the moment your loved one enters the world. That is why at NCH Birthplace we do support the Golden Hour. The initial hour following birth is key in a newborn transitioning to postnatal life and bonding with their caregiver. This uninterrupted time includes 3 key components:
- Maternal-neonatal skin-to-skin
- Delayed cord clamping
- Breastfeeding support
Maternal-Neonatal Skin-to-Skin
If medically appropriate and desired by the mother1, newborns are immediately placed on mother’s chest for skin-to-skin time following delivery. Newborns can be initially assessed by the bedside RN during this time, including gentle drying. The benefits of skin-to-skin time for baby are decreased incidence of low temperatures, increased time of a quiet and alert state for baby as well as an increase in the hormone, oxytocin, that aids in milk let-down for mother. The release in this hormone is also vital in helping to decrease the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage.
Delayed Cord Clamping
The World Health Organization (WHO) supports waiting 1-3 minutes after delivery before clamping the cord that attaches baby to the placenta. At NCH, delayed cord clamping is commonly 30-60 seconds2. Some of the benefits include an increase birth weight and an increase iron stores by 6 months of life. For our babies born prematurely (less than 37 weeks completed gestational age), delayed cord clamping has been shown to decrease the incidence of needing a blood transfusion and has been shown to hemodynamically stabilize the brain and gut.
Breastfeeding
Nourishment is key for a growing baby. The skin-to-skin time and delayed cord clamping help set these newborns for success in their first attempts at feeding. For mothers who choose to breastfeed, the initial hour is crucial in increasing the chance of babies continuing to latch by 3 months. It supports mom-baby attachment, maternal relaxation, and has been shown to decrease anxiety by 72 hours postpartum.
1 babies born less than 37 weeks completed gestational age, with difficulty breathing or certain other medical conditions may not be eligible to participate in Golden Hour as they may need to be evaluated to receive treatment after birth.
2 The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) is a nationally recognized program that guides clinicians on how to evaluate newborns following delivery. Delayed cord clamping is recommended for 30-60 seconds.
NCH is Committed to Help Babies Sleep Safely
There are about 3,400 sleep-related deaths among US babies each year. NCH supports the recommendations issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to reduce the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths, including SIDS. Please take the following steps to help your baby sleep safely and reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths, including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Place your baby on his or her back for all sleep times—naps and at night.
- Use a firm, flat (not at an angle or inclined) sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet.
- Keep your baby’s sleep area (for example, a crib or bassinet) in the same room where you sleep, ideally until your baby is at least 6-months old.
- Keep soft bedding such as blankets, pillows, bumper pads, and soft toys out of your baby’s sleep area.
- Do not cover your baby’s head or allow your baby to get too hot. Signs your baby may be getting too hot include sweating or his or her chest feels hot.
- Keep your baby away from smokers and places where people smoke.
- Breastfeed as much and for as long as you can.
Need a Pack ‘n Play?
- If you need a Pack N Play (safe sleep environment), please visit Pack & Plays (safehealthychildren.org).
To learn more about safe sleep practices and local resources please visit the NCH Safe and Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County’s Safe Infant Sleep page at Safe Sleep Resources (safehealthychildren.org).
NCH All About Family
NCH is committed to promoting good health among women and their families by providing them with the care and resources that empower them to improve their health and wellness through every stage of life.
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