Babies Get the Best Start at Our Birth Center
Maternity Services
When you’re expecting, the last thing you want for your labor and delivery is the unexpected. Choosing a birth center to delivery your baby should be a decision that provides peace of mind. Penn Highlands is known throughout the central Pennsylvania region as a maternity hospital you can trust because we take the arrival of your newest family member very seriously. Our maternity unit offers labor and delivery options to make you as comfortable as possible. Plus, our expert staff and neonatal intensive care unit make our smallest patients our biggest priority.
Maternal and Child Center at Penn Highlands
Penn Highlands’ Maternal and Child Center was created to serve the many communities within our region as one team to provide quality care for expectant and new mothers and their babies. Our caring team has the knowledge and specialized training to support moms (and dads) to be. With a Maternity Unit and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Penn Highlands DuBois, women in central Pennsylvania can rest assured that their newborns will have the healthiest possible start. Another Penn Highlands difference is our Perinatal Consultants who care for women with high-risk pregnancies. Plus, our obstetricians and gynecological services help ensure that every pregnancy gets off to the best possible start.
Lactation Consultant
Obstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Gynecology - Huntingdon
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Obstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Obstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - PunxsutawneyA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Women's Care
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - PunxsutawneyA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeObstetrics / Gynecology
Penn Highlands Life's Journey OB/GYN - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
View Providers PracticeWhy Choose Penn Highlands to Give Birth?
The Maternal and Child Center of Penn Highlands Healthcare was created to serve the many communities within the Penn Highlands region as one team for quality care for expectant and new mothers, and their babies. Our caring team has the knowledge and specialized training to support moms (and dads) to be.
The center is comprised of the Maternity Unit of Penn Highlands DuBois, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Penn Highlands Perinatal Consultants office for high-risk pregnancies. Obstetricians and gynecological services can also be considered a part of this mom-and-baby-centric family of care.
The Maternal and Child Center at Penn Highlands DuBois provides expectant mothers a Maternity Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Penn Highlands Perinatal Consultants for high-risk pregnancies and obstetricians and gynecological services.
Maternal Health Specialists
When you trust Penn Highlands Health to help welcome your baby into the world, you and your newborn will be cared for by capable, compassionate maternal health experts including:
- Physicians: Obstetricians or obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYN) provide care to women throughout pregnancy and usually oversee delivery, or can provide consultation when a woman chooses to deliver under the care of a midwife. As part of Penn Highlands Family Medicine Residency Program, you may also have a resident (a physician who has completed medical school and is training in a specific specialty) provide care during your pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
- Nurse practitioners and physician assistants: The Penn Highlands birth center team includes nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) who specialize in obstetrics. They can check your progress during labor and assist in delivering your baby.
- Midwives: Some women who choose to deliver their baby at one of Penn Highlands maternity hospitals, may opt to receive care from one of our certified nurse midwives, who assist with all stages of pregnancy from prenatal care through labor, and delivery.
- Anesthesiologists: Moms-to-be who want to have an epidural or other pain-relief medication during labor, or those who have a cesarean section, will be monitored by one of our specialists in anesthesiology.
- Perinatologists: Also known as maternal-fetal medicine specialists, perinatologists are obstetricians who focus on pregnancy complications that could affect the health of the mother or baby. If you have a complicated, high-risk pregnancy, they will provide care in collaboration with your obstetrician or midwife.
- Labor and delivery nurses: All women giving birth in our birth centers will have ongoing care provided by specially trained nurses, who have experience with labor, delivery, and postpartum care.
- Lactation consultants: After your baby is born, one of our certified lactation consultants will visit you to provide information and guidance about breastfeeding your newborn. If your baby is having trouble latching on or if you have any questions about breastfeeding, they can provide answers and reassurance.
Labor and Delivery
When it’s time to give birth, most moms-to-be would like the comforts of home combined with the expertise and high-tech equipment needed if anything unexpected comes up. The maternity unit at Penn Highlands DuBois has private rooms with soft, calming lighting and warm decor. But don’t be fooled by how it looks. Each room also includes the most up-to-date equipment and there’s a specially trained team using evidence-based practices ready to provide expert obstetrical and neonatal care should you need it.
To add to your comfort, you can stay in one room from the time you’re admitted through labor and delivery until discharged. If you do require cesarean delivery, you’ll go to one of our specially equipped operating rooms nearby for your baby’s birth, then return to a postpartum room until it’s time to go home.
Most women who delivery vaginally, stay in the hospital 48 hours. Those who have a cesarean section, typically go home in about 96 hours. While those are the averages, some women may develop a health issue that requires a longer stay.
We know labor can be long and exhausting, so our team wants to do everything we can to keep you comfortable, ease your pain, and facilitate a trouble-free delivery. To help make that happen, we follow your birth plan as closely and as safely as possible, whether you desire a drug-free labor and delivery, use of an epidural, or use of birthing aids such as a jacuzzi tub or birthing balls, which can help get a baby to the correct position and cut down on back strain. We also offer “peanut” balls, which can help reduce labor pains. Moms who choose to have an epidural, will be cared for by experts from our anesthesia department.
For moms-to-be who want to walk and move during labor, we provide patients with the Monica Novii wireless monitoring system—a small, but accurate fetal heart rate monitor that is beltless and cordless. It also records the maternal heart rate, so our team of obstetrics nurses can monitor both mom and baby in real time.
Expert Care for High-Risk Deliveries
There are many reasons a pregnancy or delivery could be considered high risk. But in the right hands, the odds for a positive healthy outcome are good. Whether you’re having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section), twins, or you need an emergency cesarean, the obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and perinatology experts at Penn Highlands DuBois birth center, along with our specialized nurses and neonatal intensive care teams work together to ensure that you and your baby get quality care.
Specialized Care for Newborns with Special Needs
Some babies need a little extra care after they’re born. For newborns who are premature, critically ill, or just need some specialized TLC, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, at Penn Highlands DuBois can provide the highest level of care.
Our state-of-the art NICU is the only one in our region. It has 16 beds and all the equipment and tools needed to provide the best care to our littlest patients. Nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and social workers—all with specialized training and certifications—staff the unit under the oversight of a board-certified neonatologist who is our medical director.
Some babies may be at risk after they’re born due to drugs or medications their mothers took during pregnancy. Babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) can experience symptoms of withdrawal and require a longer hospital stay. The Neonatal Abstinence Success program at Penn Highlands is aimed at helping mothers get medication-assisted treatment during pregnancy, which can make it easier for babies with NAS to recover and thrive.
FAQs
Expectant moms can create a birth plan to detail everything from the type of pain relief and birthing aids you want to use to the type of music you want to play during labor. You might also want to include who you want present during labor and delivery, who will cut the umbilical cord, and whether you want to breastfeed your newborn. Keep in mind that your health and the heath of your unborn baby are our highest priority. There are circumstances where your OB/GYN may divert from your plan to protect your health and the health of your baby.
What should I bring with me to the hospital?
About a month before your due date, you should pack your hospital bag so you are ready to go. Our birth center will provide all the essentials you need during labor, delivery, and your postpartum time at Penn Highlands, but to make your time more comfortable, consider bringing these items with you:
- Comfy nightgowns and a robe
- Extra pairs of underwear
- Slippers or warm socks
- A nursing bra and breast pads
- An outfit to wear home (remember, you won’t be back to your pre-pregnancy size right away)
- Your favorite personal care items like lotion, deodorant, hair care products, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, etc.
- A special going-home outfit for baby
- Baby blanket, socks, and hat
- A rear-facing car seat
Optional items also include a device to play music or watch movies, snacks for your significant other, a list of contacts to share your good news.
After delivery at Penn Highlands DuBois birth center, we practice skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby by placing your newborn on your chest. This improves your baby’s heart and lung function, stabilizes baby’s body temperature, and regulates your infant’s blood sugars.
We also encourage new families to spend time together during the “golden hour” after delivery, with just mom and a significant other in the room with the newborn to maximize bonding. The maternity units observe quiet time daily from 2-4 p.m. to allow parents to relax and enjoy some special time with their infants.
You will have the option of having your baby room with you for convenient feeding and bonding time. We also have a nursery staffed with specially trained nurses to care for your baby if you need a few hours for rest and recovery.
Once you go home from the hospital, your baby will need to see a pediatrician regularly for check-ups. To get a healthy start, you can choose a pediatrician even before your baby is born. Start by asking friends and family members for referrals or look online for bios, credentials, and reviews of specific pediatricians or family practice physicians who take your insurance. It can be helpful to choose a physician who has an office near you for quick and convenient care when your baby is sick. If your baby ever needs more serious care, you want your pediatrician to be affiliated with a health system like Penn Highlands Healthcare, that can provide expert comprehensive care.