Birthing Services

Your Stay

Room Amenities

Our private birthing suites were specially designed for you and your family’s needs.

Rooms feature an easily adjustable labor bed, full bathroom with whirlpool tub, sleeper chair or couch, TV and birthing ball. Wireless is also available if you plan to use your cellphone or another electronic device. Please ask your nurse for the wi-fi access code.

During your stay, dads or birth partners are welcome to sleep in your suite on a sleeper chair or couch.

While comfort items including a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, Kleenex, soap and lotion are provided, you may find the following items helpful during your stay:

For Mom:

• Nursing/support bra
• Comfortable, loose-fitting clothes
• Phone
• Comb, hairbrush, hair ties
• Contacts, contact solution
• Toiletries*Optional items include toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, slippers for walking hallways, breast pump, nursing pillow, tablet or iPad and camera.
• Optional items include toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, slippers for walking hallways, breast pump, nursing pillow, tablet or iPad and camera.

For Dad or Birth Partner:

• Clothes
• Toiletries
• Phone
• Tablet or iPad (wireless)
• Book to read
• Money for vending machines

For Baby:

• Going home outfit (weather appropriate)
• Blanket or cover for car seat
• Car seat with base installed in vehicle (required)
• Swaddle/receiving blankets*Optional items include sleepers, hats, mittens and socks.
• Optional items include sleepers, hats, mittens and socks.

You will receive a complementary gift bag that includes a plush robe, Halo® Sleepsack®, breastfeeding cover-up and additional breastfeeding supplies.

Meals

The Sleepy Eye Medical Center dietary department offers complementary in-room meals to you and your birthing partner during your stay. In most cases, meals are served at 7:40 a.m., 11:40 a.m. and 5 p.m. You may choose your preferred food items from our select menu.

Vending machines are also available in the break room located across the hall from the Clinic Reception Desk.

Visitors

Siblings, grandparents, family and friends are welcome to visit the baby in your room. Visitors should sign in at the nurses station when they arrive. Anyone with a cold, fever, flu or other illness should not visit. Unannounced visitor restrictions may be put into place due to certain circumstances or local health alerts.

Labor and Delivery

Several weeks before your due date, consider packing a bag of items that you plan to bring with you to the hospital. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible during your stay with us and understand that a favorite pair of slippers or robe can make you feel more at home.

If you arrive at the hospital during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), please enter through the main entrance and register at the clinic reception desk. Outside of regular hours, you can enter through the main entrance or ER entrance but will need to dial the nurses station in order to gain access into the building. Proceed to the nurses station to register. A courtesy call to let us know you are on your way is appreciated.

Once you’re registered, you will be partnered with a nurse who will take you to your room, ask you a series of detailed questions, and assess your vital signs and progress. Your nurse and provider will work with you to coordinate a care plan that best meets the needs of you and your baby. In the time leading up to your baby’s delivery, your care team will answer any questions you may have, review your birth plan (if you have one), discuss your options and support you in any way possible.

Pain Relief Options

We offer a variety of pain relief methods including breathing techniques, medications, epidurals and intrathecals. You can discuss these options with your provider or nurse at any time before or during labor.

Cesarean Sections

Sometimes C-sections are planned and other times they’re not. Whatever birth experience awaits you, our goal is a safe delivery for both mom and baby.

A C-section is a surgical procedure during which the baby is delivered through an incision in the mother’s uterus and low abdomen. A mother may anticipate a scheduled C-section if she has already had one during a previous delivery, or if her doctor determines that it would be the safest route for delivery of the baby because of complications during the pregnancy. An emergency C-section may occur if the delivery team determines that a vaginal delivery will not be safe for a laboring mother and/or her baby.

When might a C-section be needed?

• There is a problem with the placenta or umbilical cord
• Your labor is not progressing
• The baby (or babies) are in an abnormal position
• The baby is not getting enough oxygen
• The mother has a specific health condition
• You have had a previous C-section

In most cases, anesthesia is provided by a regional block (spinal), which makes only the lower part of your body numb. This allows mom to be awake for the delivery. In some emergency cases, general anesthesia is necessary. With general anesthesia, mom is unable to hear, see or talk.

Recovery from a C-section will usually be more difficult than with a vaginal delivery. You will need time to rest and recover. Asking for help during the first few weeks at home with your new baby can be helpful.

C-sections are performed by Dr. Adam Armbruster, Dr. Karlyn Armbruster and Dr. Venkata Murthy.

Mom & Baby Care

Once your baby has arrived, our goal is to support you on your journey as a new mom and family. We offer you a variety of tools as you prepare for your transition home.

Screening Tests

Our staff will complete several screening tests for your baby shortly after birth, including the following:

• Blood test
• Critical Congenital Heart Defects screening
• Hearing screening

All babies are screened, even if they look healthy, because some medical conditions cannot be seen by just looking at a baby. Detecting these conditions at or soon after birth is important for healthy development and growth.

Complementary Lactation Visit

During your hospital stay, you will be offered a one-on-one consult with our certified lactation counselor. She will provide you and your baby support and resources as well as answer any questions or concerns you might have. Additional counseling is available on an as-need basis.

To learn more about our lactation services, contact our International Board Certified Lactation Counselor, Chiloe Kotte, RN, at 507-794-3691 ext. 3282 or by email, ckottke@semedicalcenter.org.

Birth Certificates

When your child is born at Sleepy Eye Medical Center, you will receive a commemorative birth certificate celebrating your child’s birth. Legal birth certificates can be obtained at the Brown County Court House in New Ulm, MN.

Preparing to Go Home

From providing baby bath demonstrations to showing little siblings how be gentle with their baby brother or sister, our staff will help your family adjust to life with a newborn.

Classes and Support Groups

Prenatal Classes

Our prenatal classes help you prepare for the physical and psychological changes associated with pregnancy, birth and parenthood.  We offer a class in the spring, summer and late fall/winter.

Topics that we go over include:

Upcoming Classes

We offer classes in the spring, summer and late summer/fall. For more information and to register, please contact Jessica Portner, RN, at jportner@semedicalcenter.org. Classes are free of charge to Sleepy Eye Medical Center patients.

Breastfeeding Support Group

At Sleepy Eye Medical Center, we encourage breastfeeding but respect your choice when it comes to feeding your baby.

To provide ongoing support for breastfeeding moms in the weeks and months following birth, Sleepy Eye Medical Center offers a Breastfeeding Support Group. Pregnant moms are also welcome and encouraged to attend. The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the Lower Level at Sleepy Eye Medical Center.

Some concerns addressed during support group gatherings include milk supply, teething, breastfeeding and returning to work, pumping and more. Meetings are facilitated by our International Board Certified Lactation Consultant but driven by the conversations initiated by moms.

To learn more about our lactation services, contact Chiloe Kotte, RN, IBCLC, at 507-794-8478 or ckottke@semedicalcenter.org.

Tours

We are happy to offer tours of our hospital and birthing suites to expecting families. To schedule a tour, complete the form below and we will contact you. We look forward to meeting you!