Sentara RMH Medical Center - Maternity Services

To help make your labor and delivery admission process as smooth as possible, please pre-register during your third trimester using our pre-registration process.

If you have any questions, call 540-689-3300.

Classes

We offer a variety of classes to help you and your partner prepare for your baby's birth, including childbirth and infant CPR.

Car seats

To learn how to properly install your baby's car seat, you can schedule an appointment by calling 540-810-0527.

Outpatient Neonatal Consults

Outpatient neonatal consultations are now available for patients delivering at Sentara RMH Medical Center. If your obstetrician recognizes that your pregnancy may be complicated or that your baby may have medical concerns after delivery, these consults connect families with our neonatologist. The neonatal consultation offers family counseling, allowing families to ask questions ahead of time. Most consults will take place in the nursery and will include a review of your reason for consult, a tour of the nursery, and an introduction to frequently used equipment ready to care for their baby’s potential advanced medical needs. A consult letter/view of family discussion will be sent to the provider after consultation.

Questions to ask at your first prenatal appointment

Your obstetrician or midwife will give you guidelines for your arrival at the hospital. Or you may call 540-689-3380 to speak with a labor and delivery nurse.

When you arrive, please go directly to the Family Birthplace on the third floor and ring the doorbell. For your and your baby's safety, the unit is always locked.

If you arrive between:

• 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., enter through the main hospital entrance (parking lot A)
• 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., enter through the Emergency Department (parking lot E)

If you are experiencing severe pain or a medical emergency, please go to the Emergency Department.

An Extra Layer of Comfort and Safety

At Sentara RMH Medical Center, we've partnered with Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG), the industry's largest dedicated OB/GYN hospitalist provider, to ensure board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist (OB/GYN) physicians and certified nurse midwives are available around-the-clock to help women who are pregnant, in labor, have just given birth, or are in need of urgent gynecologic care.

What is an OB Hospitalist?

An OB Hospitalist is a board-certified OB/GYN physician or certified nurse midwife (CNM) who only works at the hospital. They are an extended part of your maternity care team, which includes your OB/GYN providers, and the nurses and staff of Sentara RMH Family Birthplace.

Throughout your pregnancy, you will work closely with your OB/GYN team on your prenatal care, and to develop your birthing plan and goals. In the event that your OB/GYN physician or midwife is not available when you arrive at the hospital, the OB Hospitalist team at Sentara RMH is always on-site and can examine you, evaluate the progress of your labor, review test results and fetal heart rate tracings. They will address any evolving issues and provide you and your baby with a safe delivery.

Due to their primary focus of hospital-based treatment, hospitalists are experts at providing emergency care and are on-site if an emergency occurs. Our hospitalists will be in communication with your physician or CNM and will have access to your medical records.

With an on-site OB/GYN provider and certified nurse midwife who specialize in delivering care to pregnant patients, there is always a provider ready to provide immediate, comprehensive care - delivering an extra layer of comfort and safety to you.

We recognize the benefits of immediate skin-to-skin contact and encourage it whenever possible in the birthing and operating rooms. About two hours after birth, our staff will move you and your baby to a private room in the Mother/Baby wing for postpartum recovery.

These rooms are located in the Family Birthplace, so you stay close to the nursery and under the watchful eye of the maternity nurses. Every room includes Wi-Fi and a sleep sofa for your partner or other visitors.

We also follow numerous security protocols to make sure your baby is safe, including temporarily keeping their photo on file.

Pain management

We want to ensure that your labor, delivery and stay are as comfortable as possible. During your labor, we offer a variety of tools, including:

• Birthing balls
• Nitrous oxide
• Peanut pillows
• Birthing stools
• Whirlpool tubs

You're welcome to bring your own music and aromatherapy (no real candles, please) to help you relax.

Please tell your nurse about any pain you're experiencing so that we can give you the best care possible.

Mother-baby rooming in

During your stay, the same nurse cares for both you and your baby. Your baby can stay in the room with you, as this provides the greatest opportunity to learn about newborn care. Nurses are available to answer your questions and help you learn to feed and care for your baby.

Breastfeeding support

Lactation consultants are available to new mothers every day. They also provide one-on-one outpatient consults to assist you and your baby with successful breastfeeding once you've gone home. Rental breast pumps are also available. If you have questions, need assistance with breastfeeding, or wish to schedule an appointment with a lactation consultant, call 540-689-3320. 

Hear from our very own nurses about their own personal breastfeeding journeys.

Intermediate Care Nursery

Sentara RMH Hospital has an intermediate care nursery for newborns who need advanced medical attention and may exhibit health problems such as prematurity, jaundice, trouble eating or staying warm. Babies in this unit weigh around 1500 grams (3.3 pounds) or more and may have health challenges that are best monitored by special teams. Our nursery brings together skilled experts and the latest technology to help your baby.

Our intermediate care nursery allows us to keep more families together after the birth of their baby instead of a baby needing to leave the hospital for a higher level of care. Board-certified neonatologists direct our intermediate care nurseries, and board-certified pediatricians and registered nurses staff them around the clock. Together, they provide your baby with the expert medical care and love he or she needs. Other support staff, such as pharmacists and lab technicians also assist with your baby's care.

Sentara caregivers understand it can be overwhelming when parents are introduced to new equipment to care for babies. Our focus is on helping you feel more at ease while interacting with your baby. Bonding with your baby in our intermediate care nursery is important and can positively affect your baby's health - and your confidence as a new parent. During your baby's stay, we encourage parents to visit often. We also gently remind you that our team is here to support you during this challenging time. We encourage you to care for your own health and needs. When the time comes, our discharge team offers additional guidance and support for transitioning to caring for your baby at home.

We encourage you to check out by 1 p.m. on the day you're discharged. At this time, you will receive important information about:

• Caring for your baby and yourself
• Bonding with your baby
• Safety best practices
• Community resources for new parents