Overview
St. Catherine of Siena's Woman/or - Child Care Center
facilitates 1500-1700 births every year. Our philosophy
of family-centered care allows for personalized care for you,
your newborn and your family. Please explore this web site
and see what the Woman/ or - Child Care Center has
to offer you and your family.
Labor and Delivery
Our unit has five birthing rooms (Labor/Delivery/Recovery).
Two operating rooms are also available for Cesarean sections,
if needed. There is also a Recovery Room for mothers recovering
from a Cesarean Section. Antepartum testing and monitoring
is also performed in this unit. Anesthesia services are available
24 hours a day for pain relief during and after childbirth.
Newborn Nursery
We have a recently renovated Nursery with the capacity for
24 infants. Your infant will be cared for by a St. Catherine
of Siena pediatrician. Newborn Hearing Screening, circumcisions
and routine care and observation are performed in the Nursery.
Our experienced nurses will help instruct you and your partner
on caring for and feeding your baby. Hepatitis B vaccination
(as recommended by the New York State Department of Health)
is also offered before discharge. New York State mandated
Newborn Metabolic Screening is also performed before discharge
to help identify rare metabolic diseases. In addition, all
infants are screened for jaundice before discharge.
Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Our new seven-bed unit is designed to provide specialized
care for the newborns of St. Catherine's parents. We care
for babies who are born, premature, at a low birth weight,
or who may have medical problems at birth and require close
monitoring. Our staff includes skilled Registered Nurses and
24-hour Neonatology services.
Lactation Services
St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center is proud to offer lactation
counseling services on a part-time basis. Our lactation nurse
sees every mother before discharge and assists with breastfeeding
and bottlefeeding. This service is free of charge and can
be invaluable if you're trying to establish successful breastfeeding.
In addition, we encourage breastfeeding as soon after delivery
as possible.
Postpartum
After your delivery and recovery, you will be transferred
to our 24-bed postpartum unit. Each semi-private room has
its own bathroom. Shower facilities are available on the unit.
Our experienced nurses will help you recover from your delivery
in order to ensure the best bonding experience possible for
you and your baby.
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Your Delivery
and Stay
What to Do When You Arrive at St. Catherine's
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Please enter the Main Entrance of the hospital and go
to Admitting, which is located to the right of
the Main Lobby. You will be admitted to the hospital and
directed to the Woman/ or - Child Care Center,
located to the across the Main Lobby from Admitting. If
you are too uncomfortable at arrival to go to Admitting,
please go directly to the Woman/or - Child Care
Center and once you are settled your partner/support
person will be sent to Admitting to complete the necessary
paperwork.
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You will be greeted by a Registered Nurse with advanced
training in obstetrics. Once you are admitted to one of
our five birthing rooms, you will be examined and monitored.
Your obstetrician will be notified of your arrival.
Your Delivery
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Our birthing rooms are designed for Labor, Delivery and
Recovery. We also have two Operating Rooms which are available
for Cesarean sections. We have a three-bed Recovery Room
for post-operative patients.
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You are allowed to bring one Labor Coach (or doula)
and one support person/significant other into the birthing
room. They can be with you throughout your labor and delivery.
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If a Cesarean section is needed, you are allowed to have
one support person/significant other in the Operating
Room with you if epidural anesthesia is used. If general
anesthesia is necessary, your support person IS NOT allowed
into the Operating Room.
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St. Catherine's anesthesia service is available 24 hours
a day to provide a safe and comfortable delivery.
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If your baby requires evaluation and support, neonatology
will be present at the delivery to provide such services.
If necessary, the infant will be transferred to the Level
II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (also known as the Special
Care Nursery).
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Please tell your friends and family that our staff are
not permitted to release any information about you or
your infant. Your support person is responsible for relaying
information. Cell phones are permitted in the hospital.
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After your delivery, we encourage private bonding time
with the baby. Breastfeeding is encouraged at this time
if medically feasible for mother and infant.
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Your baby will be taken to the Newborn Nursery within
one hour of birth for a period of evaluation and observation.
The baby will be bathed and observed for approximately
two hours.
Infant Safety Program
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Your infant's safety is very important to us at St. Catherine
of Siena Medical Center. To help us maintain this safe
environment for your family, we invite you to participate
in our Infant Safety Program.
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When your baby is brought to you, your nurse checks your
identification band with that of your infant's. Only the
mother, father or significant other wearing the ID band
matching the infant may transport the infant from the
Nursery to the patient's room.
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Always make sure the staff introduce themselves. All
staff wear ID cards with photographs and names. Be sure
the photo matches the person wearing the ID card. Woman/or
- Child Care Center staff have a unique red heart which
identifies them as members of our staff. If you have any
questions about any person who wants to handle your baby,
contact the Nursing staff immediately before you give
your baby to the individual. The baby must be transported
to the Nursery in the crib.
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Never leave your baby unattended in your room. If you
use the bathroom, please keep your baby in sight at all
times. If you feel sleepy, plan to shower, or plan to
leave the room, please return your baby to the Nursery
or ask the nurse to assist you. You can use your call
bell or phone at your bedside to reach a nurse.
Planning for Your Hospital Stay
Personal articles and clothing should be limited to those
which fit in a single, small piece of luggage.
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What you may need, while in the hospital: This
should include a robe, sleepwear, non-skid footwear, toiletry
articles, and personal care items. DO NOT BRING jewelry,
valuables or money to the hospital.
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Relaxation items: A personal music player, reading
materials or other personal items may help you relax.
Arrange for these to be brought to you in your in-patient
room. TV is available in your room, at an additional
charge.
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Medications: Leave your medications at home, unless
otherwise instructed by your physician. We will supply
all medications during your hospitalization.
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Phone service will be provided at an additional
cost.
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INFANT CAR SEAT: It is a Federal and State law that
every child must be placed in a car seat. Your infant
seat must be rear-facing and installed in the back seat
of the car. Your discharge will be delayed if the car
seat is not in your car at the time of discharge.
Visiting Hours
Family bonding is an essential part of your birthing experience
and adequate rest is essential to your postpartum recovery.
Our visiting hours are designed to meet those needs.
Father: |
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10:00AM-10:00PM |
Grandparents and Siblings of Baby: |
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12:00PM-8:00PM |
General:
(limited to two visitors at
a time) |
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12:00PM-2:00PM and
5:30PM-8:30PM |
Parents are responsible for ensuring that older children
are in good health and up-to-date with their immunizations
prior to visiting with their new brother or sister. Siblings
should have NO fever, rashes, colds, diarrhea
or infections. Parents must notify the nurse if any family
member has been exposed to a childhood disease within the
last 7-21 days.
Postpartum Care
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Our experienced nurses will provide the personal care
found at St. Catherine's to assist you in your recovery.
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The staff will help you learn to care for and feed your
baby as well as care for yourself during the postpartum
period.
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Breastfeeding is encouraged early and often after delivery.
Our nurses will help you learn to feed your baby. We also
have a lactation nurse who meets with every mother before
discharge to assist with breastfeeding and feeding issues.
The lactation nurse is also available via phone consultation
after your discharge as an additional resource.
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Breast pumps are available is you are unable to breastfeed
due to medical issues and wish to pump your breastmilk.
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We encourage mothers to spend time with their infants
to promote bonding and develop the family unit. We practice
modified rooming-in which means your baby can
stay in your room with you for most of the day, from early
morning until late evening. At night, most mothers send
the baby to the Nursery and the baby is brought to them
for feeding if desired.
Newborn Nursery
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Our 24-bed Nursery is where your baby will be observed
and assessed after birth by our medical and nursing staff.
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The baby's father may visit the baby while he/she is
being observed in the Nursery. The baby will remain in
the Nursery for about two hours after Delivery. The infant
will receive a bath and once stable, will be dressed and
brought to his/her mother.
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We have a hospital photographer who takes Baby Portraits,
while your baby is in the hospital. This is an optional
service.
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Our Newborn Nursery is equipped to perform the following
procedures and tests on your infant:
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Circumcision (your obstetrician will perform this
procedure in our Nursery)
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Newborn Hearing Screening: New York State requires
that all infants undergo a hearing screening before
discharge
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Newborn Metabolic Screening: New York State requires
a blood test which is performed before discharge to
identify possible rare, metabolic diseases. The results
will be forwarded to your pediatrician.
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Jaundice screening: All infants undergo a blood test
to assess risk for jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia) before
discharge.
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Hepatitis B vaccination: New York State recommends
that all infants receive a birth dose of the Hepatitis
B vaccination, even if the mother is Hepatitis B surface
antigen negative. This vaccination can be given before
discharge.
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Other tests and procedures such as ultrasounds and
laboratory tests are ordered on an as needed basis.
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Level II Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit
Our new seven-bed Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (also
called the Special Care Nursery) provides specialized care
for newborns who need medical monitoring and other services
not readily available in our Newborn Nursery. Babies are admitted
to the NICU for many different reasons. We care for babies
who are born premature, at low birth weight, or who may have
medical problems at birth and require close monitoring. Our
nursing team (registered nurses with advanced training in
caring for sick newborns) recognizes that having a baby in
the NICU is a very stressful situation. Our nurses are committed
to providing individual and personalized care according to
your baby's needs. Parent-child bonding is encouraged once
the infant is stabilized.
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Our Level II NICU staff is a multi-disciplinary team
of health care professionals including:
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Your community-based pediatrician is invited to visit
your baby at any time and will receive regular progress
reports from our Nursery staff.
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The following breastfeeding resources are available to
you in or NICU, should you decide to breastfeed your infant:
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Knowledgeable nursing staff to help answer your questions
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Lactation nurse
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Breastfeeding information packet including guidelines
for breast milk expression and storage.
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Electric breast pumps and a refrigerator designated
for breast milk only.
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Pump rental information for home use.
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Kangaroo chairs to facilitate skin-to-skin contact
and induce relaxation.
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A private room within the Nursery area designated
for the breastfeeding mom, so she can pump or nurse
in private.
Prenatal
and Parent Education
Our current education offerings:
Perinatal Breast Feeding Classes
Meets Every other Tuesday
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Medical Office Building
Lower-Level, Conference Room 4
$30 per person / couple
Breast Feeding Support Group
Mondays
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Siena Village
200 Bishops Road
Smithtown, NY
$10 One Time Donation, Mother / Baby
Free Sibling Class
Meets Every Other Wednesday
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Medical Office Building
Lower-Level, Conference Room 4
Includes Tour of the Maternity Unit
Family & Friends CPR: Infant Only
Meets Every Other Monday
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Medical Office Building
Lower-Level, Conference Rooms 2 & 3
$25 for person / couple
Free Grandparents Class
Meets on the Last Thursday of Each Month
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Medical Office Building
Lower-Level, Conference Room 4
Early Pregnancy Class
Meets the First Sunday of Each Month
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Medical Office Building
Lower-Level, Conference Rooms 2 & 3
$20 for person / couple
(not to take place of Lamaze)
Infant Care Class
Meets the First Sunday of Each Month
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Medical Office Building
Lower-Level, Conference Rooms 2 & 3
$20 for person / couple
Please Call (631) 870-3444
for more Information or to Register for Classes.
Classes are open to the Community.
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