Women and Children’s Pavilion Just For You

From the Summer 2012 StayHealthy publication

The entire fourth floor of the new Porter Regional Hospital is devoted exclusively to the needs of women and children at all stages of life. The family is truly the focus, and Porter has been able to design this new facility to meet the way families live today. Private rooms. Plenty of space. Abundant natural light. The Pavilion is both high tech and intimate at the same time, and it's unlike any other facility in our area- in a fantastic way.

The Women & Children's Pavilion is a place where families are born and nurtured, including dedicated areas for Labor, Delivery and Recovery, Postpartum, a Nursery for the newborns, and an advanced Level II+ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit onsite. Yet services don't end when a family goes home. The Pavilion includes a dedicated Pediatric Unit as well as private rooms to nurture women at all stages of life.

Just as families imagine their newborns, the architects of The Women and Children's Pavilion imagined a place that combines the best of research with the experience of serving families for many decades. A thoughtful floor plan preserves dignity and privacy for patients, rather than sharing pathways and elevators with visitors. The charting is paperless, maintaining a clean and uncluttered feeling. Rooms are arranged so that staff is more accessible, yet less invasive. The Women & Children's Pavilion is a bright new medical facility with the comfort of a gracious home and now its staff is ready to provide quality centered care.

Read on to learn what to expect at Porter's new Women & Children's Pavilion. It includes the following specialized areas:

Birthing Suites

A child's birth day is a momentous day in each family's life, and the Women & Children's Pavilion is there to help, partnering with Mom and her support person (or persons!) to keep everyone comfortable and informed at each phase.

Each spacious birthing suite includes a specially designed birthing bed as well as an attached, private shower for added comfort as labor progresses. All birthing equipment is housed en-suite, so there's no need to move Mom as the moment draws near.

Families will appreciate the abundant natural light, large windows and the soothing comfort of aromatherapy, if they choose. New moms may also become familiar with the suites prior to their delivery as a special area has been devoted to outpatient services where women may come for prenatal testing or evaluation during their pregnancy.

Special C-section suites are also available just steps away. The new Pavilion is also set up to accommodate early skin-to-skin contact for planned cesarean births, giving babies and mothers the best possible start to breastfeeding. Porter Regional Hospital has made this skin-to-skin contact a priority as mothers have asked for it and research reinforces that it enhances the experience- and the health- of both mother and child.

Post Partum

Porter knows that the birthing experience doesn't end with the birth. Post partum rooms are just steps down the hall and are designed to pamper the new mom and her support team. The Pavilion's experienced staff understands that each family is different and they are there to make sure all are comfortable welcoming Baby. Mothers are treated to heated towels, fluffy spa robes and special bath and body products in their own private rooms with individual temperature controls, Wi-Fi and HDTV. Rooms include a sleeping recliner for your support partner to stay the night, sharing these precious new moments together.

Lifetime Care

Because women need nurturing beyond childbirth, the Pavilion is also dedicated to nurturing women following hysterectomy or other procedures. The new Pavilion includes lovely private rooms specially designed for women, to promote healing in a private and family-friendly setting. Patient rooms feature private bathrooms, natural lighting, soft colors and individual temperature controls for maximum comfort.

The Nursery

Just steps from the delivery and post partum areas, you'll find the sweetest spot at Porter, the Nursery. Moms may choose to have their newborns room with them or in the nursery so they can rest as well. The Nursery staff is specially trained in caring for babies. They're available to answer questions and offer reassuring expertise about nursing and caring for the newest member of the family.

Neonatal Intensive Care

Because even typical pregnancies can result in unanticipated, high-risk births and babies with special needs, Porter offers an advanced neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on-site. Families can rest assured that their baby receives care without the need to separate the infant from parents and family. Porter's unit is an advanced Level II+ unit, which can care for infants of any gestational age, providing the specialized expertise and equipment needed to care for and stabilize high-risk newborns. Porter's neonatal intensive care unit is the only NICU in the area to offer private rooms for each baby. Experience and research shows that high-risk babies do best when there is less stimulus and noise. Our private rooms embrace this setting with a natural environment that encourages parents to partner with the staff in learning to care for their child. Parents may stay overnight and have their own shower facilities and resting areas. The new floor plan allows a NICU nurse to monitor each child from just steps away, yet in a setting that reduces interference with family bonding.

Pediatrics

When children need specialized care during illness or following surgery, it's reassuring that they can stay close to home in the Pavilion's new Pediatrics area. The special unit is designed to promote healing by making children and their families feel secure and at home. There's a playroom for mobile patients and in-room movies for quiet time. The area is locked to outsiders, but inviting to patient families who are welcome to spend the night.