Postpartum care
Find a doctorThe time after your baby’s birth, called the postpartum period, is special. That’s why we keep mother and baby together from the start.
As part of our family-centered maternity care, after labor and delivery you move to a private mother-baby room to rest and bond with your newborn. Here, a trained postpartum nurse provides expert care for moms and babies in a comfortable, intimate setting. At Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, you can expect excellent care and services throughout your recovery.
Learn more about our Family Birth Center rooms, facilities, amenities and care team and what to expect after your baby is born.
Rooming in with your baby
The more time you spend with your new baby, the faster you’ll develop a special bond. Whenever possible, we encourage couplet care, or rooming-in.
With rooming-in, you and your baby stay together in a private room and get to know each other while learning breastfeeding, bathing, diapering and more. Having a nurse who only cares for moms and babies means you get personalized, focused attention when you need it most.
Private mother and baby room features include:
- Private bathroom with shower
- Adjustable bed for mom
- Crib for baby
- Sleep sofa for birth partner
- Television
- Wi-Fi
- Breast pumps available upon request
- Room for personal items you bring from home
While we encourage families to stay together as much as possible, we have a secure Baby Lounge on the same floor. Our Baby Lounge, or nursery, is available for procedures and pediatrician visits, and is a safe place for your baby to stay if you need rest or a procedure.
Magic Hour
Immediately following your baby’s birth, we provide a Magic Hour reserved for parents to exclusively connect with their newborn. This time is ideally used to promote baby and parent bonding. Visitors are discouraged from visiting during this special hour.
Research shows that early contact between parents and their babies, especially during the first hour of life, promotes a healthy relationship. Our experienced clinical staff will help during this special time together.
In most cases, your baby will be placed on your chest for skin-to-skin contact, which is shown to help soothe newborns as well as regulate their body temperature and stabilize heart rate and breathing. Both parents are encouraged to participate in skin-to-skin contact.
All our nurses are trained to assist in first feedings for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We also have certified lactation consultants onsite to help if needed.
Breastfeeding support
If you choose to breastfeed, we help you succeed. Our nurses are trained in breastfeeding, and a certified lactation consultant will also visit for advice and support.
We offer a wide variety of breastfeeding services and will schedule an outpatient lactation consult after you return home if needed.
Cesarean birth care
Whether a surgical birth is planned or happens unexpectedly, you are in good hands. Following a Cesarean birth, mothers will spend some time in a labor room to be monitored during recovery. Our C-section procedures promote quicker recovery, making sure moms are alert sooner so they can bond with their babies.
After your initial recovery from your C-section – generally about two hours – you’ll go to your private mother-baby room. Your nurse will help you breastfeed and hold your baby comfortably.
Newborn circumcision
If you desire, a doctor will perform circumcision before your baby is discharged. During the procedure, your baby will be given local anesthesia for pain. Your nurse will teach you how to care for the circumcision, which should heal within a week to 10 days.
Visitors after birth
You likely can’t wait to introduce your new addition to siblings, grandparents and other family and friends. For both mother and baby’s health and safety, we ask that you limit visitors to three at a time and honor quiet time during the following times:
- Between 2-4 p.m.
- After 9 p.m.
If you don’t want visitors for any reason, just let your nurse know and they’ll ensure your privacy. Learn more about visiting our birth center.
Safety
Our Family Birth Center ensures safety with a state-of-the-art security system, which includes controlled-access points and security cameras in each of the nursing areas. All staff members wear a photo identification badge, as well as a purple badge with their title clearly displayed. After delivery, a nurse will place armbands on your baby and their parents for identification. Each time your baby is brought to you, the nurse will check these bands to make sure they match. Your baby will also have a special security sensor placed on them that will trigger an alarm if taken too close to a doorway or elevator that leads outside the Family Birth Center.
Private room and personal items
After the Magic Hour, you and your baby will enjoy a private room. Our family-centered maternity care model encourages parents and their infants to stay together in their private room as much as possible.
Mothers are encouraged to bring items to make their hospital stay as comfortable as possible. While our center offers basics such as gowns, slippers and toiletries there are other items new mothers might want to pack. It is recommended to leave all valuables at home.
Newborn pictures
Floyd works with Dimples Newborn Photography to capture and preserve your newborn's arrival. A photographer will visit each new mom and offer to photograph their newborn. If parents choose to have professional portraits of their baby, the photographer will take individual pictures of their baby as well as photos of their baby with family members. Learn more about Dimples Photography.
Postpartum depression screening
While much of the care you and your baby need following birth is physical, we’re also here to ensure that you’re doing well emotionally and mentally.
If needed, we can refer you to a behavioral health specialist for personalized follow-up care.
Before you go home
You’re excited to get home and start your new life together as a family. Before you go, we’ll help you with some important items, such as:
- Follow-up care: You will schedule a follow-up visit with your OB-GYN about six to eight weeks after your baby’s birth and with your baby’s pediatrician within a few days. You may also schedule a follow-up outpatient visit with a lactation consultant.
- Discharge to home: Once you’re cleared to go, we get you on the way as fast as possible. As you prepare to go home, we will help you ensure your baby is securely fastened in an appropriately sized car seat.
We're here for your family
When you have a baby at Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, the care doesn’t stop after you leave the hospital. We’re here to help your entire family stay healthy. We offer:
- Breastfeeding supplies: Shop for bras, pillows and pumps at our Mommy Boutique
- New mom Facebook group: Join our closed group to hear from our experts on infant care, ask questions and hear from other new moms.
- Pediatric health services: Access primary care, hospital care and rehabilitation for kids, from birth to adolescence.
- Urgent care services: Access after-hours, walk-in care for minor illness and injuries at one of our convenient urgent care locations.
Postpartum care services frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Find answers to common questions asked regarding our postpartum care services.
We encourage and support family bonding by offering couplet care in which mom and baby share a private room (also known as rooming-in). We have a nursery area reserved for procedures such as circumcisions. Some pediatricians check up on babies in the patient’s room and others have your baby come to the nursery for assessment. Please contact your pediatrician for details.
We feature a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), providing the highest level of care for premature infants or those infants with severe or potentially life-threatening conditions.
A birth certificate worksheet is included in your admission folder. Be sure to complete and give this paperwork to your nurse before leaving the hospital. If the mother is legally married to the father of her baby, he will automatically be listed on the birth certificate as the father.
If the mother is not legally married to the father and would like to have the father's name listed on the birth certificate, he must complete a Paternity Acknowledgement form with the Health Information Management department. The father must bring photo identification to sign the Paternity Acknowledgement.
Your baby's birth certificate will be available about 10 weeks after their birth.
Parents will receive their newborn's Social Security card in the mail in approximately 12-16 weeks.
There are three important newborn screenings completed on your infant prior to discharge: the newborn metabolic screening, hearing screen and pulse oximetry screening.
The Newborn Metabolic screening is completed after your baby is 24 hours old. It tests for more than 30 metabolic disorders that could have serious consequences if not identified early. This test involves collecting a small blood sample from your baby's foot. This screening is required by Georgia law and is performed by trained hospital staff and processed by an approved state laboratory. The results of this screening are provided to the doctor you have chosen to provide care for your baby after discharge.
The Newborn Hearing screening is completed by trained hospital staff during your baby's stay. The screening is not uncomfortable for the infant, takes only a short time and allows for early treatment if hearing loss is found. Early treatment can improve your baby's language and brain development. There are many reasons why your baby may not “pass" the first screening. If this happens, our staff will assist in coordinating follow-up testing.
The Newborn Pulse Oximetry test is painless and measures how much oxygen is in your baby's blood. It can help identify babies who may be affected by critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). If CCHD is detected early, infants can often be treated and lead longer, healthier lives.
Your baby will be administered two medications after the Magic Hour: vitamin K and erythromycin eye ointment. Both are required by law.
The vitamin K injection is administered to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding disorder. Providing the necessary amount of vitamin K will help your baby's blood to clot appropriately until their body can process the vitamin on its own.
Erythromycin eye ointment is administered to prevent bacterial infections of the eye that can lead to permanent damage and blindness.
We make every effort to allow bonding, skin-to-skin contact and/or breastfeeding before either medication is administered.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends certain vaccinations for newborns including the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The hepatitis B vaccine is given by injection. Three doses are needed for full protection. With consent, the first dose will be administered during your baby's hospital stay, and the remaining doses will be given by your pediatrician in their office.
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