The Birthing Room

St. Luke’s Medical Center, recognized as one of the most mother-baby friendly hospitals in the country, has just added a facility to help pregnant women deliver their babies in the most natural setting.

Called the "Birthing Room," the facility was designed to promote the safety and well-being of mothers-to-be and their newborns and at the same time, provide comfort not just to the patient but to her entire family as well.

Based on the Lamaze concept, birthing or child delivery is an important family event that should involve not only the patient and her husband, says Dr. Pilar Lagman-Dy, chairwoman of SLMC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"That’s why the design of the place was done in consultation with the medical specialists (obstetricians, pediatricians, anesthesiologists), the nursing division, the engineering and finance departments and research was done on the practices of modern Western hospitals on how to set up a birthing room," Lagman-Dy adds.

The concept of a birthing room is not new, having been in place in many US hospitals as early as the 1980s.

One distinct advantage of the birthing room is that the patient will stay on just one hospital bed throughout her labor and delivery and postpartum recovery.

In ordinary circumstances, a patient in labor has to be in a labor room, then transferred to the delivery room, the recovery room and finally to her private room.

To create a warm, comfortable and homey atmosphere, the birthing room is designed with wood paneling, complete with a plasma TV, DVD player, stereo, computer with Internet access, a refrigerator, closets for baby clothes and a bassinet. There is an adjacent sitting room for visiting friends and relatives.

One gets the feeling of being at home. If one prefers to have a certain scent (e.g.. lavender, jasmine, etc.) during her delivery, it can be done as long as it is specified in the checklist given to the hospital staff in advance.

The most important piece of furniture in the room is the special bed which can be easily converted into a birthing bed at the time of delivery. Hidden behind the panels at the back of the bed are medical equipment to ensure that the mother and her baby will be safe throughout the entire process of labor and delivery: cardiac monitor, electronic fetal monitor, oxygen lines, etc.

In case an emergency occurs, e.g.. fetal distress, the birthing room is conveniently located within the DR-OR complex to enable fast transfer of the patient.

Women who prefer to check in at the Birthing Room have the option to deliver under anesthesia (epidural or general intravenous anesthesia). However, as much as possible, natural delivery is encouraged.

"We hope that the new Birthing Room will help address the needs of couples who want to share with their families the happy event," says Lagman-Dy.

For more information, call 727-5542 or 723-1212.

(Dr. Pilar Lagman-Dy graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. She is the president of the Philippine Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and is an associate professor of St. Luke’s College of Medicine William H. Quasha Memorial.)