Postpartum care in southeast Georgia

Memorial Health’s Family Birth Center offers postpartum care and amenities designed specifically for mom's and baby's safety, comfort and bonding, as well as advanced, specialized newborn care, including the highest levels of neonatal care for premature and critically ill babies. 

Postpartum care rooms

As with our rooms for labor and delivery, our postpartum suites pair thoughtful amenities with the latest technology. You’ll have peace of mind and lots of choices to help make those first few days with your baby extra special, including: 

  • Arrangements for your partner to sleep in room
  • Baby rooming-in
  • Breastfeeding support
  • Enhanced infant security 

When possible, we encourage you and your child to stay in the same room together; this is called rooming-in. Studies show a mother sleeps better and longer after delivery if their child is in the same room. Our care team is available to help teach you soothing techniques, so you and your baby can rest comfortably. 

You and your baby can expect one-on-one, personal care and family-centered support no matter which options you choose. 

Benefits of skin-to-skin contact

We recommend skin-to-skin contact with your baby immediately following birth for a variety of reasons. It can help your baby: 

  • Bond with you
  • Cry less and reduce signs of stress
  • Have a positive first feeding
    • During this time, you will also be encouraged to initiate breastfeeding, if that is your chosen feeding method.
  • Lower their risk for high blood glucose levels
  • Regulate their body temperature
  • Return to a normal heart rate after birth
  • Transition to life outside of the womb 

Additionally, mothers who practice skin-to-skin contact experience:

  • Increased bonding with their baby by experiencing the smell and feel of their newborn
  • Less anxiety
  • More self-confidence in their parenting abilities
  • More uterine contractions, which help the uterus return to its normal size 

Breastfeeding support and assistance

Our board-certified lactation consultants are available to help you begin breastfeeding, answer your questions and support you throughout the breastfeeding process. Our lactation services include: 

  • Access to telephone counseling for commonly asked questions and any breastfeeding concerns
  • Breastfeeding education for expectant mothers and new moms
  • Inpatient breastfeeding assistance at the bedside, educational information and help for moms with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
  • One-on-one office visits with a lactation consultant 

To contact our 24-hour breastfeeding counseling line, please call (912) 350-8164. 

When to call for breastfeeding help

There are a number of reasons a new mother may be concerned about breastfeeding her child. We are here to help new mothers through their breastfeeding journey and advise parents on concerns such as: 

  • If they are not experiencing any breast fullness or heaviness by the fourth day after delivery
  • If their baby is having fewer than three loose, yellow stools per 24 hours by the fourth day of life
  • If their baby is having fewer than four soaked diapers beginning on the fourth day of life
  • If their baby is not eating at least eight times in a 24-hour period
  • If their baby seems hungry and won't latch 

Newborn hearing screening

Newborns at our hospital receive a newborn hearing screening as part of their routine care. We follow the universal infant hearing screening program, which means the screening is simple and painless. Most newborns sleep through the screening, and it lasts about 10 minutes.