Obstetrics and Newborn Services
Thank you for choosing Thomas Hospitals WVU Medicine to care for you and your family during this special event! We are excited to care for you during this joyous, yet intimate experience. Our goal is to provide exceptional, individualized and respectful care to every patient.
On our Obstetrics Unit, we have 8 private antepartum rooms, 6 private labor, delivery & recovery suites with a comfortable place for your support person to rest, 2 obstetrics operating rooms, and 10 private postpartum rooms with private baths for your new family to enjoy after delivery. We also feature a well-baby nursery for infants undergoing normal newborn testing and procedures, as well as a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with specially trained staff, for infants needing a higher level of care, including infants with prematurity and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
Our labor & delivery staff are trained to assist you achieve the birth experience that you desire and we are pleased to offer both non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic methods of pain relief, including the availability of epidurals 24 hours a day. Once you deliver your bundle of joy, we encourage you and your partner to maintain skin-to-skin contact, also known as Kangaroo Care, with your newborn for a minimum of 1 hour to encourage bonding, maintain baby’s temperature, help stabilize baby’s glucose, and develop healthy breastfeeding behaviors. Kangaroo Care can even be done in the operating room and recovery room in most cases.
At Thomas Hospitals, we practice rooming-in so that your baby is by your side. New parents are provided with education regarding safe sleep practices, Kangaroo Care, breastfeeding support and more by experienced nurses to prepare you for life at home. Neonatologists, pediatricians, and/or neonatal nurse practitioners will see your baby while in the hospital and help to formulate plans for follow-up care after discharge.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to your personal provider for any questions or concerns during your pregnancy or the postpartum period; or feel free to call the Obstetrics Unit directly at 304-766-3971 and ask to speak to the charge nurse.
Links to outside sources for education and information:
Pregnancy & Childbirth
https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/index.html
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/pregnancy
https://www.lamaze.org/ (Childbirth Education)
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/assisted-vaginal-delivery
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/cesarean-birth
https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/birth/vaginal-birth-after-cesarean
Breastfeeding
https://www.llli.org/ (La Leche League)
https://www.medela.us/
Postpartum Care
https://www.postpartum.net/practical-solutions-for-postpartum-self-care/
https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html
https://www.health4mom.org/learn-post-birth-warning-signs/
Safe Sleep
https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/safe-sleep/
https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/safesleep/index.html
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/A-Parents-Guide-to-Safe-Sleep.aspx
