|
The new UI Maternity Center at UI Hospitals and Clinics
offers parents-to-be all the comforts of home while waiting
for the newest family member to arrive. The updated pre- and
post-partum rooms feature home-like amenities like CDs and
DVD players, plus a few special features including whirlpool
baths and room service.
"All the latest technologies will be unobtrusively
hidden, so it's private and relaxed," says Jennifer Niebyl,
M.D., head of the UI Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology.
The UI Maternity Center includes five labor and delivery
rooms, three high risk rooms, 20 post/antepartum rooms, and
two operating room suites.
Also new are the relocated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,
featuring 55 private rooms, and the Pediatric Intensive Care
Unit, offering 16 private rooms. As part of University of Iowa Children's Hospital, located at UI Hospitals and Clinics, these
units are staffed by highly-trained specialists and feature
the most advanced technologies available for premature
babies, very sick newborns, and children through
adolescents.
"The outcome rate of our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
ranks among the top five percent worldwide," says Angie
Shalla, R.N., nurse manager on the unit. "We're pretty proud
of that."
Back to top
A baby-one of life's miracles
Your life is a jumble of emotions-anticipation, hope,
fear, wonder, love, joy. You have a baby on the way!
Today, women have more options than ever before about
where and how to give birth. Hospitals remain the number one
choice for the majority of mothers.
And why not? Today's labor and delivery areas are a far
cry from the sterile rooms in which most of you were born.
And hospitals, especially academic medical centers like UI
Hospitals and Clinics, offer you peace of mind by having
highly-trained personnel available on the spot should your
labor and delivery be anything other than normal.
Because UI Maternity Center believes that each birth is
unique, it offers options to meet most families'
needs.
Some families prefer to have an obstetrician or a family
medicine physician on hand for the birth. The physicians at
UI Hospitals and Clinics are prepared for everything from
the ordinary to the extraordinary; from a normal pregnancy
to one where there are complications; from having a baby
arrive close to its due date to one who arrives months too
early; from an uncomplicated, normal single birth to the
birth of multiple babies.
Others may choose to have a nurse midwife present. Today,
the training and specialization of nurse midwives move them
into the modern delivery rooms. A certified nurse midwife
can provide a full range of health care services that go
beyond birthing babies.
For many women who are looking for a more individualized
and less routine approach to childbirth, the midwife is an
appealing alternative. If complications arise during labor,
your nurse midwife calls in a physician to help or handle
your care.
For more information about UI
Maternity Center call UI Health Access, 319-384-8442,
ext. 404, or 800-777-8442, ext. 404
Back to top
The right stuff
Your bags are packed and you're ready to go. But did you
pack wisely?
Here are some suggestions for your hospital bag-and what
your baby may need for the first trip home.
Your labor gear:
- A watch with a second hand
- Comfy clothes, socks, slippers
- Favorite cassette DVDs or CDs
- Chapstick
- Massage lotion
- Cell phone/phone cards
- Healthy snacks, lollipops
- A good book, crossword puzzle books
- Your glasses
Your hospital gear:
- Insurance card
- Pre-admit form
- Camera and film
- Underwear
- Going home clothes for you-think roomy, you'll still
have a tummy
- Make up
- Nursing bra (and a book about it)
- Address and phone book
- Soap, toothbrush, toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Shampoo/conditioner
- Hairbrush
- Hair dryer
Don't bring:
- Jewelry and valuables
- Cash, credit cards
- Work-no spread sheets, e-mails, or reports
Your baby will need:
- A car seat
- Clothes to wear home, including undershirt, cap,
socks
- Blanket (cold weather gear if necessary)
- Disposable diapers
Back to top
|
|
