Birthing Center

Family Birthing Center at Good Samaritan Hospital

NOTICE

**A safe and effective care environment is our highest priority, and Good Samaritan Hospital's Family Birthing Center, has undertaken the necessary steps to protect our patients, visitors and workforce as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation evolves.  This includes canceling the maternity unit tours for the time being.** 

Please WATCH our virtual unit tour

At Good Samaritan Hospital, we are honored to have the opportunity to share this extraordinary event with you and your family. More than 3,000 babies are born each year at Good Samaritan Hospital. The warmth and expert skills of our staff will guide you through a safe and memorable beginning with your newest family member.

Family Birthing Center at Good Samaritan Hospital

The Family Birthing Center represents Good Samaritan Hospital's commitment to providing our region’s growing families with the best care and most comfortable environment for one of life’s biggest events. Our highly-trained physicians, experienced nurses and caring staff are here to make this the best possible experience for you and your baby. Our skilled Labor and Delivery nurses expertly monitor your progress and guide you through labor, delivery and immediately postpartum. We offer nitrous oxide to our patients if needed for pain relief during labor. Our Mother-Baby nurses compassionately and competently care for you and your baby after birth until you go home. The team is rounded out with registered nurses that are certified in childbirth education, and teach our birth and family education classes, covering topics such as labor and delivery, breastfeeding and infant care. Additionally, internationally board-certified Lactation Consultants provide breastfeeding support and education before, during and after your hospital stay.

The Family Birthing Center features nine labor, delivery and recovery suites (two which have been newly renovated) all with private baths and therapeutic showers with benches. Suites are furnished in soft pastel colors with beautiful oak finishes. For your convenience and comfort, each room is equipped with a television, sleep chair and beautiful scenic views. The Labor and Delivery Unit also has a two-bedded antepartal room and a two-bedded PACU (post anesthesia care unit) for women to recover immediately after having a cesarean section, both of which have been recently renovated. There are 34 private mother/baby rooms, each with a TV, refrigerator and a sleep chair or cot and plenty of room for baby … whenever mother desires.

The unit is home to the region's ONLY dedicated Obstetrics Emergency Department that offers expectant mothers and families high-quality, specialized labor and delivery care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Obstetrics (OB) Emergency Department (ED), or OB-ED, was made possible through the creation of the Good Samaritan Hospital OB Hospitalist Program, a partnership with the OB Hospitalist Group (OBHG). The program’s board-certified OB physicians are on-site, all day, every day to ensure expectant mothers receive expert care at a moment’s notice. The physicians and highly-skilled nurses are available to deliver babies if a patient's own physician is unavailable and will respond to any obstetric emergency.

In addition to two newborn nurseries, the center includes a Level 2 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A security system is in place to ensure your peace of mind.

A spacious waiting room, children’s play area and classroom round out the center.

Pre-admission registration forms are provided to patients to ensure everything is taken care of before arrival for delivery. If you do not receive a pre-admission packet, please contact our maternity consultant at 845.368.5450.

Health Matters 

Are you a new mom or mom-to-be and wondering if you can still breastfeed upon your return to work? Listen to WRCR Radio’s “House Calls” where Paula Smith, RN, Director of Maternity Services, Dina Natelson, RN, Maternity Specialist, and Regina Merrigan, Lactation Consultant, WMCHealth’s Good Samaritan Hospital, provide you with the information you need for a smooth transition.

 

Paula Smith, RN, BSCHS Director of Maternity Services, and Kimberly Connelly, RN, Nurse Manager, Maternity Services, discuss Labor and Delivery, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding and education for new moms on WTBQ Radio’s “Health Matters” talk show.

 

Pre-Admission Registration

Completion of your hospital pre-admission registration forms will enable you to proceed directly to our Family Birthing Center when you arrive for delivery. Prompt return of these materials in advance to your Maternity Consultant will ensure the coordination of your admission.

If the package is not received, please contact your maternity consultant at 845.368.5450.

The Wellness Network Newborn Channel 

The Wellness Network Newborn Channel is offered in both English and Spanish in our maternity patient rooms to help educate new families on ways to keep mother and baby healthy.  The Channels can also be found on a downloadable app to help new mothers at home.

• Basic Baby Care and Safety  
• Taking Baby Home 
• Breastfeeding  
• Baby Basics  
• Healthy Mom 
• Postpartum and Recovery 
• The First Few Days

Anesthesia and Pain Relief Options

The Department of Anesthesia is proud to play a part in the delivery of your baby. An anesthesiologist specially trained for neonatal and maternal emergencies is in the hospital 24 hours a day, for the comfort and safety of both mother and newborn. We recognize that childbirth is an individual process, and that every woman's wishes and needs are different.

During your prenatal visits you should discuss your pain management options with your obstetrician or midwife. A detailed description of these options is included in the Prenatal Education Classes offered at Good Samaritan Hospital.

There are several options that are available to you:

• Lamaze Childbirth Preparation This relaxation and breathing technique, often called "natural childbirth" is designed to reduce the perception of pain during labor.
• Medications Different types of medications are available and may be ordered by your obstetrician to ease labor pain.
• Epidural anesthesia and combined spinal epidural analgesia These popular anesthesia methods provide continuous pain relief during labor and delivery and are safe and effective. Pain management is individualized to meet each patient's needs. Most women maintain full motor control.

These pain relief techniques can be used alone or in tandem. Mothers may begin with natural childbirth, then decide to have epidural anesthesia as labor progresses.

• Anesthesia for Cesarean Section Should you require a Cesarean Section, an epidural, spinal or general anesthesia is used depending on your medical needs.

Our goal is to make your experience at Good Samaritan Hospital as comfortable and pleasant as possible. We encourage you to meet with a member of the Department of Anesthesia during the third trimester of your pregnancy either as part of your prenatal classes or by visiting the department directly. You may speak with an anesthesiologist in the department without an appointment from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you have any questions about anesthesia care, please contact the Department of Anesthesia at 845.368.5039.

For further information regarding Obstetrical Anesthesia, please feel free to visit the following sites:

Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology
www.soap.org

Educational Resources for Patients and Colleagues 
https://soap.org/education/information-for-mothers/

American Society of Anesthesiology
https://www.asahq.org/whensecondscount/

Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery

Should your child require it, the expert staff of Good Samaritan Hospital's technologically advanced Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery is prepared to provide comprehensive medical services if your baby is born prematurely or has other special needs.

Couplet Care

Good Samaritan Hospital recently transitioned to Couplet Care, a family-centered model of care that reduces the amount of time a mother and her newborn are separated for hospital-related practices.

Couplet Care also refers to a mother and her newborn being treated by the same nurse. This helps nurses provide high-quality, compassionate care to the family since that nurse will have extensive knowledge of you and your newborn’s needs.  A respite nursery is available for use as needed.

Increasing time mothers and newborns spend together while in the hospital also has multiple health benefits such as increased breastfeeding success, newborn glucose regulation, decreased levels of maternal and newborn stress, synchronized sleep patterns and an overall confidence in parenting abilities upon discharge.

Pain Relief

We offer nitrous oxide to our patients if needed for pain relief during labor.

Maternity Consultant

Good Samaritan Hospital's Maternity Consultant is a registered nurse who will help you access any of the hospital’s services that might be needed during your pregnancy, hospital stay and even after you’ve returned home. She’ll assist in the arrangement for prenatal and childbirth classes, help you customize your birth plan and coordinate efforts to meet any special needs you have identified, assuring that your birth experience is just what you and your family expect.

We believe the birth of your baby is a miracle that belongs to you and your family.

Call 845.368.5450 Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays or email the Maternity Consultant. A response will be returned promptly.

Lactation Services

Good Samaritan Hospital provides a breastfeeding support program. Education, support and guidance for the breastfeeding family is facilitated by our board certified lactation consultants.

Program Includes:

• Prenatal breastfeeding classes
• Inpatient support and consultation
• Telephone follow-up
  
• Our lactation consultants embrace all breastfeeding mothers. Please feel free to call us with any questions or concerns at 845.368.8270.
  

Physician Referral Services

We will be pleased to refer you to one of our experienced obstetricians and pediatricians to care for you and your newborn. We can also help you if you prefer the philosophy and methods of a Certified Nurse Midwife.

Please call Good Samaritan Hospital's Physician Referral Service, 1-800 HELP-IN-5 [435-7465] for a referral to the medical professional of your choice.

 

Obstetrics Emergency Department:  Expert Care Available for Pregnant Women in Need of Acute Care, 24 Hours a Day, 365 Days a Year

Good Samaritan Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), is home to the region's ONLY  dedicated Obstetrics Emergency Department that offers expectant mothers and families high-quality, specialized labor and delivery care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is the only OB-ED in Rockland and Orange Counties and in the entire Hudson Valley.

The Obstetrics Emergency Department, known as the OB-ED, offers labor and delivery care as an extension of Good Samaritan Hospital’s primary Emergency Department. It collaborates with the Good Samaritan OB Hospitalist Program, providing pregnant women access to specially-trained physicians and nurses.

The Obstetrics (OB) Emergency Department (ED), or OB-ED, was made possible through the creation of the Good Samaritan Hospital OB Hospitalist Program, a partnership with the OB Hospitalist Group (OBHG). The program’s board-certified OB physicians are on-site, all day, every day to ensure expectant mothers receive expert care at a moment’s notice. The physicians and highly-skilled nurses are available to deliver babies if a patient's own physician is unavailable and will respond to any obstetric emergency. The OB-ED also provides a calm setting that prioritizes a patient-first culture, with dignity and sensitivity embedded in every aspect of care.

The OB-ED also provides a calm setting that prioritizes a patient-first culture, with dignity and sensitivity embedded in every aspect of care.

Visitation:

Good Samaritan Hospital is working with New York State and the Department of Health on updated recommendations regarding hospital visitation in alignment with all state guidelines to ensure the safety of our patients, their caregivers and our workforce members.  If there are further changes to our visitation policy, we will post them on our website.

LABOR & DELIVERY

• Two persons may accompany the labor patient – one support person (i.e. Doula, mom, sister, friend, etc.) And the father of the baby. (If no father is present then a second support person may be substituted for the father
• They must be screened upon entering the hospital & banded to be allowed access to the OB ED or L&D unit
• They must wear a mask at all times and any other PPE as dictated by the patient’s COVID-19 status.
• The support person & father of a COVID-19 negative patient may exit the hospital and return to the OB ED or L&D unit after being rescreened upon reentry to the hospital.
• They must remain in the patient’s room. (No walking the hallway to talk on the phone or congregate with other fathers) except to exit the hospital or go to the pantry. They must wear a mask.  There is only 1 person allowed in the pantry at a time. They must return directly to the patient’s room.  They may utilize the patient’s bathroom if needed.  
• The support person & father of a COVID-19-positive patient must remain in the patient’s room and may not visit the pantry or exit the hospital and return to the unit. They may utilize the patient’s bathroom as needed. If the support person or father chooses to exit the hospital they will not be permitted to return to the unit.  

POST-PARTUM (Mother/Baby Unit)

• Our mission is to provide our moms, families and guests with a considerate and compassionate environment.
  Patients may have four visitors at the bedside at a time, including the father/significant other/support person. Children over the age of two are permitted. Visitors are provided with stickers upon entry and may switch out during visiting hours of 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• The visitors must remain in the patient’s room during the visit. The father/significant other/support person must remain in the room at all times except to go to the pantry. They must wear a mask. There is only one person allowed in the pantry at a time. They must return directly to the patient’s room and may not congregate in the hallway, sitting area (T5), pantry, or maternity lobby. They may use the patient’s bathroom as needed.
• 1 Visitor is permitted to stay overnight with the patient. The other visitor will abide by the visiting hours of 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. (If the father is staying overnight then the second visitor must abide by the visiting hours and leave by 8 p.m. and not return before 8 a.m. the next day.  If the father is not staying overnight he must leave by 6 p.m. and not return before 10am the next day.  (The patient’s other support person may then stay overnight if the patient so chooses)
• Patients who are COVID-19-positive may have the father of the baby or significant other stay with the patient in their stead throughout her stay. They will need to remain in the patients room (Not be allowed to come and go) for the duration of the patient’s stay.  This person will not be allowed to interchange with other visitors during the patient’s stay. They may use the patient’s bathroom as needed. They must wear a mask.
• A Covid positive or symptomatic patient may not visit her baby in the NICU until her COVID-19 test results negative and she is asymptomatic.  

NICU

• Parents of babies in the NICU are allowed 24/7 visitation and restricted to two at the bedside.
• All newborn in the NICU may have two consistent visitors at the bedside at a time.
• A COVID-19 positive mommy or a mommy who is symptomatic may not visit her baby in the NICU until her COVID-19 test results negative and she is asymptomatic.  If mom is unable to visit her baby in the NICU she may designate 1 person beside the father of the baby to visit in her stead until she is able to visit.
• Visitors may come and go as needed but must be rescreened each time they leave and reenter the hospital.
• All visitors must wear a mask at all times while in the NICU and adhere to the NICU handwashing/scrubbing protocol prior to entering the unit.
• All visitors must remain at their baby’s bedside only.
• Visitation remains 24 hours.
• The visitors may exit the hospital and return to the OB ED or L&D unit after being rescreened upon reentry to the hospital.
• While on the unit they must remain in the patients’ room. (No walking the hallway to talk on the phone or congregate with other fathers) except to exit the hospital or go to the pantry. They must wear a mask. There is only one person allowed in the pantry at a time. They must return directly to the patient’s room. They may utilize the patient’s bathroom if needed.  

Hospital Location:

 

The Good Samaritan Family Birthing Center is located on the 5th floor of the hospital. 

The hospital address is:

255 Lafayette Avenue
Suffern, NY 

Tours:

**A safe and effective care environment is our highest priority, and Good Samaritan Hospital's Family Birthing Center, has undertaken the necessary steps to protect our patients, visitors and workforce as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation evolves.  This includes canceling the maternity unit tours for the time being.** 

Please WATCH our virtual unit tour

Please contact the maternity consultant at 845.368.5450 for additional information.

**A safe and effective care environment is our highest priority, and Good Samaritan Hospital’s Family Birthing Center, has undertaken the necessary steps to protect our patients, visitors and staff. 

Class topics include:

• Prepared Childbirth
• Breastfeeding
• Newborn Care

Call the Maternity Education Department at 845.368.5450 for additional information.