UH Samaritan Birthing and Women’s Unit Provides Personalized, Quality Care and Education
Committed to providing personalized women’s care, the specialized caregivers at the Birthing and Women’s Unit at UH Samaritan Medical Center work according to a family-centered mother and baby care philosophy, while also offering quality post-operative care for gynecological surgery patients. We tailor care and education based on each patient’s individual needs.
Make an Appointment
Make an appointment with a medical professional at UHSamaritan Medical Center. Call 419-289-0491 or 1-800-257-9917.
Committed to making you feel at home, our staff incorporates modern technology and security in comfortable and pleasant surroundings. We stay abreast of current trends and techniques to assist you during your birthing experience. As childbirth is such a significant event for a family, we recognize the importance of involving family and friends during this experience. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that your stay on our unit is a positive one.
Meet Our Team
With the support of our unit’s skilled nursing staff, a team of five providers with years of combined experience leads our comprehensive women’s health services, caring for both obstetrical patients and gynecological surgery patients:
Childbirth Education
For an optimal birthing experience, we offer Childbirth Education Programs. Whether you are a rookie or a seasoned veteran, we encourage you to take advantage of these classes, where our certified childbirth educators cover such topics as:
- Signs and stages of labor
- Relaxation and breathing techniques
- Pain management and epidural anesthesia
- Postpartum and newborn care
- Breastfeeding
We offer classes that meet once a week over a four-week session. We also offer a condensed one-day, seven-hour class that meets on Saturdays.
Find a class that fits your schedule.
Learn More About UH Samaritan Birthing and Women’s Unit
Have questions about what to bring with you for delivery of your baby? See our checklist to plan and pack for your trip to the hospital.
Watch a video tour of the Birthing and Women’s Unit.
Breastfeeding
For mothers who choose to breastfeed their newborns, we offer a number of inpatient and outpatient services. UH Samaritan Medical Center is recognized as a Baby Friendly Hospital for our emphasis on breastfeeding services and mother/baby bonding.
Inpatient Services
During your stay at UH Samaritan Medical Center’s Birthing and Women’s unit, we will provide you with lactation assistance tailored to your needs. All of our nurses have undergone an extensive amount of lactation training. RNs on the unit are qualified to provide general breastfeeding assessment and guidance to help support early lactation. If needed, you will also have access to a member of our specialized lactation team, which comprises an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Certified Lactation Counselors/Specialists.
During your stay, we offer and encourage you to make use of the following services to optimize your breastfeeding experience:
Rooming In
- Decreases infant stress: infants sleep better and cry less when near their mother
- Decreases maternal stress: studies show mothers get better quality sleep when near their newborn
- Facilitates breastfeeding
- Improves bonding
- Prepares mothers and families to care for their newborns at home
Immediate Skin-to-Skin Contact
At UH Samaritan, we encourage skin-to-skin time as much as possible throughout your stay, especially during the infant’s first hour after birth. Immediately after birth, the infant will be placed skin-to-skin with the mother for the first 60 to 90 minutes of life and until after the first feeding. Skin-to-skin time following birth has many benefits for both the mother and newborn. It helps stabilize the infant’s vital signs, regulates the infant’s temperature, promotes maternal/infant bonding, stabilizes the infant’s blood sugar, facilitates breastfeeding, and increases early milk production.
Early Lactation Support
Please call 419-207-2438 for more information on our inpatient and outpatient lactation services.
Prenatal Breastfeeding Classes
Prenatal breastfeeding education classes help new mothers get off to a strong start with breastfeeding. These classes are included in our childbirth education series.
For more information or to register, please call 419-207-2438.
Online resources are also available for all your breastfeeding questions.
Outpatient Services
After you are discharged from the hospital, UH Samaritan Lactation Services are still available to you to assist in your breastfeeding needs. If you are experiencing difficulty when breastfeeding, please do not hesitate to call us at 419-207-2438.
Follow up Phone Call
Following your discharge from the hospital, a lactation team member will contact you to check that your breastfeeding is going well and to answer any questions you may have.
Outpatient Lactation Consultations
University Hospitals Lactation Services provides assistance to mothers and babies in Northeast Ohio who need a little extra help with breastfeeding. Outpatient lactation consultations are available for any mothers who experience problems with breastfeeding.
Lactation Support Group
Mothers will have the opportunity to meet and talk with other breastfeeding moms. This allows them to share their breastfeeding experiences. The Group is led by our IBCLC.
Presently, this group meets virtually. Please call 419-207-2438 to register or obtain more information.
Pacifier usage during breastfeeding can:
- Mask infant hunger cues
- Lessen opportunities for infants to suckle at the breast, which can decrease maternal milk supply
- Cause nipple confusion
There are certain circumstances where the use of a pacifier may be appropriate or necessary before breastfeeding is well-established, such as for oral suck training or for use during certain procedures. Those circumstances will be discussed with patients on an individual basis.
We understand that some parents may opt to use pacifiers outside of those circumstances. We respect your decision, and if you would like to bring a pacifier to the hospital for infant use, you may. For more information on pacifier usage and other helpful breastfeeding advice, see our online guide for getting started breastfeeding.
Phone Numbers
To contact us call:
419-207-2438 or
1-800-257-9917, ext. 2438.
General Visiting Hours
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
The baby’s father or the mother’s designated significant other may visit at any time. Two people are welcome in the room at the time of delivery.
Quiet Time occurs twice daily:
2 – 4 p.m.
10 p.m. – 6 a.m.
Location
The Birthing and Women’s Unit
Fourth Floor of UH Samaritan Medical Center
1025 Center St.
Ashland, OH 44805