At Potomac Hospital we know that having a baby is an event. Similar to planning a wedding, the birth experience should be what you want, where you want it, and how you want it. Each family has its own needs and everyone has his or her own vision of their birth experience.
Today, Potomac Hospital's Women's and Children's Services Department is composed of Obstetrics Services (Labor and Delivery, Post Partum), Neonatology Services (Nursery, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and Pediatric Services. The department was designed with parents and babies in mind, combining the comforts of a homelike environment with quality medical care.
Here are a few highlights of our Women's and Children's Services Department:
- The reassurance of an intensive care nursery - staffed 24 hours a day with neonatal specialists ready to help just in case your baby needs special care.
- The comfort of our newly renovated Labor, Delivery, Recovery rooms where you will receive personal responsive attention from our experienced nursing staff and 24-hour in-house anesthesia.
- Perinatal assessment suite, four private rooms available for patient observation, triage, fetal wellness assessment, hydration and Rogan administration.
- State-of-the-art medical equipment including a new security system.
- Expanded newborn nursery and intensive care nursery, plus the addition of a "transitional" nursery, which is for babies who no longer need intensive care but aren't quite ready to go home.
- Private courtyard with fountain for Post Partum patients.
- Private discharge lobby and exit for new moms and babies.
- The pleasure of liberal visiting hours for dads, big brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
- The convenience of being close to home.
- Labor pain management options
- Unit-based breastfeeding support in English and Spanish and breastfeeding classes.
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Having a baby at Potomac?
Potomac's Family Ties program offers classes to help your family get started on the right track - from childbirth preparation to pediatric CPR to parenting classes.
Information for New Families will help you plan for your delivery.
2001 Women's & Children's Services Expansion
Labor Pain Management Options
Aromatherapy is an ancient Chinese treatment that uses the fragrance of naturally derived oils to promote good health and vitality. When combined with a massage it can offer a remedy for a wide range of physical and mental ailments. The effects of touch and smell can induce a deep state of relaxation that can alter patient's perception of pain.
Touch - Massage: Studies suggest that soothing touch or massage, as desired, can help women cope with labor, reduce anxiety, ease pain, and increase comfort. The unit staff is trained in reflexology and prenatal massage.
Breathing and Relaxation Techniques: Breathing techniques and other comfort measures are currently taught in our childbirth education classes. These exercises serve partly as distraction and partly as a way to get calm.
Music Therapy: Music serves as a distraction, gives patients a sense of control, causes the body to release endorphins to counteract pain and relaxes a person by slowing her breathing and heartbeat. Sedative music can alleviate anxiety and stress levels resulting in less use of pain medication and shorter recovery periods.
Birthing Balls are also available; sitting on the ball encourages pelvic relaxation.
Doulas: A doula is a professional assistant who gives emotional support to women in labor.
All these services are available upon request. Talk to your provider for more information regarding these pain management options.
