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 It
took more than nine months to finish this baby, but The Birthing Center
of St. Mary's Hospital of Blue Springs is now complete. The hospital started
a building and renovation project for The Birthing Center about a year
ago, and last month a ribbon cutting ceremony signaled it's completion.
"This feels more like a motel room than a hospital room," says
Amy Meredith of Greenwood, MO. She recently delivered her second baby,
Lydia, in one of the rooms in the new wing of The Birthing Center. "It's
really nice. I really enjoyed the whirlpool tub." There are many
improvements being made in The Birthing Center that moms and babies may
never notice--even though they'll benefit from them. "Oxygen and
suction are readily available if needed, but they're kept behind pictures
in each room," explains Linda Celano, RN, BSN, director of The Birthing
Center. "The lighting is softer, indirect and like you'd find at
home. The new nurse call system uses sensors. Each nurse wears one so
we always know where the nurses are without calling every room. It allows
us to respond more quickly and with less interruptions for the moms."
A new central fetal monitoring system allows doctors and nurses to track
moms in labor from the nursing station or from other rooms. The monitor
shows the heart rates of the baby and the mom and the contraction patterns.
"It's really convenient for physicians who may have more than one
patient in labor at the same time," says Celano. "Soon, physicians
will be able to pull up a monitor strip on a patient from their offices."
The renovation includes a new nursery, which is about three times the
size of the old nursery. There is a snack room for patients and their
families with candy, soda and coffee, a breast-feeding room and a conference
room. "We've really tried to cover everything a family might need,"
says Celano. The delivery rooms even include a sofa that makes into a
bed for dads. "I feel very comfortable here," says Amy Meredith.
"The security system gives us peace of mind, and it's nice that grandparents
and siblings have 24 hour visiting hours."
Call The Birthing Center at 816-655-5574 for more information.
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