Elkhart General Center for Women and Children
At the Elkhart General Center for Women and Children, we take pride in delivering the most nurturing maternity experience for you, your family and your baby. Our team of physicians, labor and delivery nurses, midwives and lactation specialists provide you with clinical expertise in a caring, nurturing environment.
We offer services that help you decide just how you want to bring your baby into this world. From choosing a midwife or physician to a variety of labor support options, we have everything for every woman’s unique birthing experience. We also offer childbirth classes to help you prepare for your little one’s arrival.
Everything we do is offered with your best outcome in mind. That’s why we put special emphasis on the first few hours after birth. Health experts agree that skin-to-skin contact immediately after delivery is best for mother and baby.
In addition, Elkhart General has been designated a Baby-Friendly birth facility as part of Baby-Friendly USA. This recognition is part of a global effort to support infant bonding and breastfeeding, offering mothers the information, confidence and skills to give their babies the best start in life. To help new moms get off to a good start with breastfeeding, we offer lactation services.
Private labor delivery postpartum (LDRP) suites
Our 24 private LDRP suites blend the warmth and comfort of a home-like setting with the safety and convenience of a full-service hospital. Here, moms labor, deliver and recover all in the same room.
Each suite is equipped with:
- Rocking chair to help baby sleep or nurse
- Flat-screen TV to watch your favorite show
- Hideaway bed to give your partner or special guest a resting spot
- In-room refrigerators for anytime snacking
- Bose Wave Radio and CD player if you want to listen to music
For a personalized tour of the Maternity Center, please call 574-523-3444.
Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Situated within Elkhart General’s maternity center, our Level 2-B Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), an advanced nursery for babies who are recovering from more serious conditions, gives your baby the latest in critical care should the need arise.
Because having a newborn with medical problems can be very stressful, Elkhart General Center for Women and Children strives to provide a comforting experience for the entire family. While the baby is in NICU, moms are offered a bedroom nearby. This enables the family to spend as much time in the NICU as possible.
Once healthy enough, babies can spend several hours a day in the room with their parents. When they are too sick to leave the NICU, moms are invited in to provide kangaroo care. This practice of placing the babies’ skin directly in contact with their mothers’ skin comforts mothers and babies alike. The smell and feel of the mother is important to the baby’s brain development and growth. Hearing her soothing heartbeat and voice helps their brains grow, and the babies sleep more soundly.
Hugs and Kisses Infant Protection System
In addition to being a secured unit where nurses carefully control access, the Maternity Center is equipped with the Hugs and Kisses Infant Protection System. This system allows staff and family to move freely within the protected zone, but no one can remove an infant from the Maternity Center without the staff being alerted. A detection field is created around key exits. When an unauthorized attempt to use an exit with an infant occurs, alarms sound and doors and elevators are automatically locked.
Another component of this system automatically confirms that the right baby is with the right mother. This feature provides an audible indicator that immediately confirms the match of infant and mother every time the two are brought together.
Extras for mother
You just created a miracle and a celebration is in order! You and your partner or guest can enjoy a delicious meal in the privacy of your room that includes two special entrees of your choice, a side, drink and dessert.