What to Expect at The Birth Place

Once you arrive to The Birth Place, nurses will help you get comfortable in your suite, take your vitals, and begin monitoring your labor progress. Labor can take many hours. Our nurses will be on hand to support you throughout this process, and our one-to-one nurse-to-patient ratio means that you will have one dedicated nurse with you during active labor. To maximize safety for parent and baby, an OB/GYN physician and certified nurse midwife (CNM) are on-site 24/7. That means you won’t need to wait for the provider to travel to the hospital. Instead, the provider who will deliver your baby is already there and your nurse will alert them as you get close to delivering. 

Comfort measures available to you include showering or using a whirlpool tub, and various supportive positions to promote cervical dilation, manage pain, and help you relax. We utilize wireless fetal monitoring, so you will be free to move around during labor. Medical pain management options include pain medication and epidurals. Your provider will work with you to find the best option for you. 

We also give parents who have previously had a cesarean birth (C-section) the opportunity to try for a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Talk to your provider about the benefits and risks of VBAC based on your medical history. 

Should your birth experience include a C-section, there are two operating rooms located within The Birth Place and your support person can remain with you for the birth. Our OB/GYN physicians perform gentle C-sections, which include dim lighting, a quiet environment, and a see-through curtain so parents can see their babies being born. The newborns are also placed on the parents’ chest after birth, enabling immediate skin-to-skin contact. 

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center is one of very few hospitals throughout New England to use the Jada System to rapidly control and treat postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding, allowing for parents to recover more easily and decreasing the need for blood product transfusions. This cutting-edge technology not only makes delivery safer, but also allows parents to spend valuable time bonding with their babies immediately after birth. 

We encourage all expectant parents to consider comfort measures and pain management options and to develop a plan that best meets your needs and desires. Our team wants your birth experience to be positive, so we partner with you to understand your unique needs and wishes while keeping parent and baby safe and healthy.