A pre-registration form is provided for you in your OB package (blue folder) and can be dropped off at Labor and Delivery (ground floor of the Margot Perot building). Pre-registration may also be done online at this link.

You will enter through the Labor and Delivery entrance of the Margot Perot Women’s Hospital and proceed to the admitting desk on the ground (G) floor.

Call us when contractions are 5 minutes apart for 1 hour, if your bag of water breaks (this may be a big gush or a small trickle of fluid which continues to flow), or if you experience any bleeding. You should notify us immediately and then proceed to the hospital. Call if you have a significant decrease in fetal movement as well.

All of our patients are encouraged to attend prenatal childbirth classes. Each patient may have her personal preference between a non-medicated and medicated labor and delivery. We are very supportive of each individual patient’s choice. Twenty-four-hour in-house anesthesia is always available on labor and delivery.

Labor is never induced for routine or minor indications. Medical reasons for labor and induction are numerous and vary. Spontaneous onset of labor is preferred for most patients. This will be discussed with you if the induction of labor becomes necessary in your medical management.

Yes.

Labor and delivery occur in the same “LDR” (Labor/Delivery/Recovery) room with natural vaginal deliveries. Cesarean deliveries are performed in the Labor and Delivery operating rooms.

Patients may have ice chips and popsicles during labor, but go easy because nausea and vomiting are not uncommon in labor.

Epidural anesthesia or spinal anesthesia will be used for most Cesarean cases, so you are awake. In an emergency situation, general anesthesia may be used.

Usually, a Pfannenstiel or “bikini” incision is used for a Cesarean section. Occasionally, a vertical incision may be required.

As long as you and your baby are doing well, your baby will be brought to you immediately after the nurse assesses your newborn.

Appropriate battery-powered, handheld cameras may be used in the delivery room. Video cameras may be used after the delivery is completed and the nurse has concluded his/her evaluation of your baby.

Texas Health Hospital Policy states that no more than 3 support persons are allowed in the delivery room. This can potentially be negotiated with your delivery provider.

The nursery staff will come to the labor and delivery room to perform their initial assessment of the baby, usually after about 45-60 minutes. This time varies depending on the baby’s condition. We strongly support rooming-in for healthy full-term babies.

Yes.

You may breastfeed immediately, provided you and your baby are doing well.

Yes.

As one of the mother’s options, immediate family, including supervised siblings, may visit any time until 8:00 pm.

General visiting hours are from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Friends visiting during regularly posted hours will be allowed to do so at the mother’s discretion. Visitors may hold the infant while in the mother’s presence at her discretion.

If you delivered vaginally without any complications, both you and your baby may leave on the first or second postpartum day. Cesarean section deliveries may leave the hospital on the second, third or fourth postoperative day after surgery depending on the patient and newborn status.

If there is a complication anticipated with the delivery, a neonatologist will be summoned to be present during the delivery. Our level III NICU provides excellent neonatal care and is staffed 24 hours a day by board-certified neonatologists. If no problems are anticipated, the pediatrician will come to the hospital to examine your infant daily. The hospital will notify your pediatrician of choice upon delivery.

We recommend that you follow the same diet guidelines for pregnancy 6 weeks after giving birth to give your body a chance to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight and health condition.