If you ever visit the McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital on Collins Road, you may hear, over the intercom from time to time, a lullaby play. That lullaby means that a baby was just born in the labor and delivery unit, called the Birthplace. It’s a busy floor with lots of love, laughter and cries (from both babies and adults), where mothers are celebrated. Every day is Mother’s Day on this floor.
Delivering an average of 100 babies a month and over 1,250 babies each year, the Birthplace offers many features for moms, their partners, and babies — all with safety and comfort in mind.
“The rooms were designed to be larger and more versatile so mom and baby can comfortably stay in the same room for their entire stay from laboring, delivering, and in post-partum recovery,” said Melissa Baird, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, manager of patient care services at Birthplace at McLaren Greater Lansing. “Continuity is also very important to us, so we try to keep the same care team in place for our patients between labor and post-partum as much as possible.”
With safety in mind for both mom and baby, surgical suites are also located within the Birthplace, so patients are only a few feet away if an emergency C-section is needed. The Birthplace also offers 24-hour pediatric coverage, including care by neonatal nurse practitioners through a relationship with Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, part of Corewell Health™.
In 2023, McLaren Greater Lansing launched labor support classes for patients to give them a firsthand perspective of the birthing process at McLaren. The classes include a tour of the facility and information about positioning and comfort techniques, delivery and the postpartum care they’ll receive directly from the nurses who will be caring for them.
Among the many services offered at the Birthplace to support moms and their newborns are inpatient and outpatient lactation services with nurse practitioner and certified lactation consultant Tammy Ashley, RN, MSN.
But it’s not just the features and upgrades of the Birthplace that makes delivering a baby at McLaren special — it’s the team of nurses, providers, and support staff that collaboratively work together to safely help families welcome their bundles of joys into the world.
“I absolutely love coming to work every day,” said Dana Campbell, an OB technician who works in the Birthplace unit. “We work so well together, and that’s reflected in the care we provide for our patients.”
You can often find this unit making matching shirts for special occasions and celebrating one another.
“Because of the culture of this department, it was my first choice when I was looking at where I wanted to do my residency,” said Melissa Yannetti, DO, third-year OB-GYN resident. “It’s a really rewarding atmosphere and we really focus on patient-centered care.”
Brittly Jackson, a registered nurse on the unit, added that the team on the unit is very family-oriented, which creates a welcoming atmosphere for patients and their family.
“Our most important goal is to make sure every mother feels special, that we are able to carry out her birth plan as safely as possible, and that she feels heard,” said Jackson.
The nurses on the unit are all trained to provide labor position support techniques so they can help move moms into more comfortable positions and help labor progress.
While there are many happy moments on this unit, there can be difficult moments, too, and the staff are here to support family during those times as well.
“We rally together to provide the family with the support they need during hard times,” said Jackson. “We have special care services in-house for the family members, and we make sure they have the time with their baby. We have a comfort cot, and we also have a memory box that we provide, along with photos.”
The month of May recognizes not only Mother’s Day but also Women’s Health Month. Women are often the backbone of their households, caring for the needs of others. This month is a great opportunity for them to take a moment to think about their own health and to schedule routine health screenings and exams, including visiting their OB-GYN or getting an annual mammogram. For a full list of McLaren Greater Lansing women's health services, click here.
For more information about The Birthplace at McLaren Greater Lansing, click here.
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