Pregnancy and Birth
SGMC Health has a full-service maternity center with an exceptional staff trained to take care of you and your baby before, during, and after delivery. At The Birthplace we believe that your child’s birth is an event to be cherished for a lifetime. For the past twenty-five years, we have had the privilege of welcoming 2,400+ babies each year. Every family is unique and so is every birth. The Birthplace provides a safe and nurturing birth experience for each family based on their individual needs.
If you are considering having an epidural, you must attend an Epidural Education class. If you are in labor, an epidural will not be placed if an Epidural Education class has not been completed.
The class covers benefits, risks, and complications of labor epidurals.
Caring for a new baby, especially for first-time mothers, can be overwhelming. Not only is your body going through physical changes, but also you will experience emotional changes. Preparation and education is key to having a successful, happy pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period.
SGMC Health provides educational classes for expectant parents and caregivers. Classes are provided as a community service for the expectant parents in the area who plan to deliver their baby at SGMC. Program presenters are SGMC Health Birthplace professional staff.
Children are not permitted in classes. Dads are encouraged to attend all classes whenever possible. Dads do not have to register separately.
Designed for mothers interested in breastfeeding.
Caring for a new baby, especially for first-time mothers, can be overwhelming. Not only is your body going through physical changes, but also you will experience emotional changes. Preparation and education are key to having a successful, happy pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period.
SGMC Health provides educational classes for expectant parents and caregivers. Classes are provided as a community service for the expectant parents in the area who plan to deliver their baby at SGMC Health. Program presenters are SGMC Health Birthplace professional staff.
A registered nurse will discuss the facts and myths of making milk for your baby. Topics include the benefits of breastfeeding, positioning and latch tips, choosing a pump, and going back to work.
Children are not permitted in classes. Dads are encouraged to attend all classes whenever possible. Dads do not have to register separately.
Designed to prepare expectant parents for the birth of their baby.
Topics include: Breathing and relaxation techniques, What to expect during the labor and delivery process, The stages of labor, How to take care of yourself after delivery, Benefits, risks and complications of labor epidurals.
Caring for a new baby, especially for first-time mothers, can be overwhelming. Not only is your body going through physical changes, but also you will experience emotional changes. Preparation and education is key to having a successful, happy pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period.
SGMC Health provides educational classes for expectant parents and caregivers. Classes are provided as a community service for the expectant parents in the area who plan to deliver their baby at SGMC Health. Program presenters are SGMC Health Birthplace professional staff.
Children are not permitted in classes. Dads are encouraged to attend all classes whenever possible. Dads do not have to register separately.
When you first find out that you are pregnant, you should schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN. If you don’t have one, use our ‘Find a Provider‘ tool and select the ‘Obstetrics and Gynecology’ category to select from one of our many providers.
While at the hospital, your care team includes:
- 24-hour Obstetrician coverage
- 24-hour Anesthesiology coverage
- 24-hour Neonatology coverage
- Lactation consultant
- Nursing team
- Certified Car Seat Safety Technician
Before your baby is born, you will want to select a pediatrician to begin caring for your baby once he or she arrived. Utilize our ‘Find a Provider‘ tool and select the ‘Pediatrics’ category to select from one of our many providers.
OB hospitalists are board-certified OB/GYNs who remain in the hospital 24/7. They provide coverage in the labor and delivery department, and also offer a dedicated OB Emergency Department where expecting mothers can receive an examination at any time, day or night, by an obstetrician should they be concerned about their progress. OB hospitalists evaluate patients, respond to emergencies in the hospital, provide support to community OB/GYNs and care for patients whose obstetrician may not be readily available.
OB hospitalist programs enhance the care and safety for pregnant patients, but do not replace the care of their regular obstetrician. When an emergency intervention is needed or an unexpected delivery occurs, they are already in the hospital to ensure quality, timely care.
OB hospitalists aren’t just for deliveries. Aside from emergencies, our providers are here to help with any issues that may arise. This could be anything from elevated blood pressure to more serious issues. Fortunately, serious issues don’t occur often, but if they do OB hospitalists are there to add an additional layer of safety and confidence for women.
Pregnant women in need of emergency care will continue to use the main ED entrance at SGMC and be escorted to the OB Emergency Department adjacent to the Labor and Delivery Unit.
According to OB Hospitalist Group, there are 31 percent fewer perinatal safety events at hospitals that have an OB hospitalist. A 2013 study even showed that having OB hospitalists led to a 27 percent reduction in cesarean deliveries.
Advanced wireless technology for monitoring provides mothers the freedom to safely move around during the labor process. The maternal/fetal wireless patch technology is a single patch system placed on the expectant mother’s abdomen.
This cord-free, belt-free solution monitors maternal and fetal heart rate and uterine activity while offering patients more freedom of movement during the birth experience. Without cords connecting the patient to a fetal monitor, laboring mothers are free to get up as needed. The wireless patch technology may also be worn in the shower and bath.
The monitor allows patients the opportunity to choose how they want to labor, offering more freedom to move around the hospital, their room, and various positioning.
The Birthplace features a fleet of state-of-the-art birthing beds that bring a new level of comfort and efficiency to the labor experience. The new patient beds are suitable for labor, delivery, recovery and post partum, and include many features that make the process easier for both mothers and their providers.
The Birthplace features 32 live-streaming video cameras to keep parents and family members connected to their newborns. The cameras, located across various departments including Labor and Delivery, Nursery, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Surgery and select Post Partum rooms, are part of a platform known as AngelEye Health.
AngelEye includes advanced camera technology, a Patient Update App that allows clinicians to send text, photos, and an Online Education Resource to ensure a successful transition home.
This is especially beneficial for parents with babies in the NICU. Leaving a newborn at the hospital can be very challenging for working parents and remote families. Virtual care technology can make a big difference in allowing parents 24/7 access to their newborn ensuring more effective collaboration between care teams and families.
Using the camera technology, parents and other family members can log on through a secure network with a personal password so they can see their baby at any time on their phone, computer, or tablet.
SGMC Health is one of only three hospitals in Georgia to offer Angel Eye Health.
Our NICU cares for babies who need medical monitoring or services not available in our regular nursery.
In the event that your baby is in need of extra care or treatment, SGMC Health is equipped with a Level IIB NICU where our neonatologists and pediatric nurses are able to give specialized care for premature and sick infants.
By working with obstetricians to develop a delivery plan, the neonatal staff is able to provide the best possible care for both mother and baby. The NICU is able to provide intensive monitoring and complex medical decision making immediately, in addition to keeping the baby close to home.
Women who have had cesarean deliveries are asked to speak with their obstetrician about the risks and benefits of vaginal birth compared to repeat cesarean.
You may choose to be admitted “Confidentially.” Your privacy will be respected and enforced. Please be aware, in order for your privacy to be maintained, you will not have flowers delivered and our patient information will not send calls to your room. You may still have any visitors you wish contact you directly.
Begin choosing a name for your baby. Some parents like to wait until the baby is born while others choose a name far in advance of the delivery. When you are at the hospital for your delivery you will be asked to provide a full name for your child so that we may complete the necessary paperwork to submit to the state. Parents will receive confirmation of birth before discharge or in the mail. You may pick up an original birth certificate at the Health Department.
BIRTH CERTIFICATE INFORMATION
- If the mother is unmarried the father must be present with a photo ID in order for the baby to have his last name and for his name to be listed on the birth certificate.
- A notary must be present to complete the paternity acknowledgement form. The hospital usually has a notary available Monday – Friday from approximately 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
- If either the mother or father are under the age of 18 then a parent or guardian for each parent under 18 must be present to sign as well.
- If the father is unable to be present while a notary is available the paternity acknowledgement can be completed at the health department at a later date.
- If the mother is married to the father of the baby the father does not have to be present to complete the birth certificate. However, the mother will need to know all of the father’s information.
- If the mother is married and has not changed her last name then a marriage certificate will be required to give baby a different last name than what the mother is registered under.
- If the mother is married or has been married within the last 10 months to someone other than the father, the father’s name will not be able to be listed on the birth certificate at the time of birth.
GA STATE LAW: BIRTH REGISTRATION § 31-10-9
GA state law states that if the mother is married at the time of conception or at the time of delivery they assume the husband to be the father of the baby. The husband’s name does not have to be listed, but no other individual can be listed either. Unfortunately a court order will have to be done and taken to the health department to be sent to Atlanta to make those changes.
Mothers who deliver their babies at SGMC Health have the opportunity to publicly bank their umbilical cord blood, at no cost, in a heroic effort to help patients with life-threatening diseases.
Cord blood, which is normally discarded by most following delivery, can be used to save lives by effectively treating more than 80 diseases. Life-threatening conditions such as leukemia, sickle cell disease, and Hurler syndrome have all seen successful treatment with stem cell transplants.
SGMC Health is partnering with the LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank, a public nonprofit cord blood bank licensed by the FDA. Donated cord blood that meets eligibility criteria will be listed on the Be The Match Registry®, the world’s largest donor registry. These units are then available to transplant centers and patients in need around the world.
Moms at SGMC Health can make an impact on patients all over the nation through the hospital’s new partnership with TelaGen which facilitates placenta donations.
The program gives expectant mothers who are scheduled to deliver their baby via Caesarean section the option of donating their placenta and the attached amniotic membrane (or water bag).
The tissue from the donation is then processed and used to stimulate cell growth in a variety of reconstructive procedures, including the healing of wounds and burns, spinal procedures, and eye procedures, according to TelaGen.
The donation process is purely optional and doesn’t affect the delivery of the baby in any way. The placenta is simply collected and preserved afterward instead of being discarded.
Additionally, it doesn’t cost the new mother anything. In fact, as part of SGMC Health’s agreement with TelaGen, for each placenta donated at the hospital, the company will make a $25 donation to a charity chosen by the delivering physician and another $25 donation to a charity chosen by the Women and Children’s department.
We understand the unique stages of a woman’s life and are committed to providing preventative women’s health care services, disease-fighting treatments, diagnostic testing, and education to all the women in our community.