The big day will be here before you know it! Many parents-to-be find the last weeks and days leading up to delivery a rollercoaster of emotions -- anticipation mixed with anxiety, impatience mixed with a sense of relief. We understand that you'll be anxious to get to the hospital at the right time. This page includes some helpful guidelines:

What to Bring to the Hospital
When to Come to the Hospital
When You Arrive at the Hospital
During Your Hospital Stay
Going Home

What to Bring to the Hospital

As your delivery date gets closer, you may want to have a suitcase packed and ready to go. For your protection, please leave any valuables or large amounts of money at home. Here are some suggestions to help make your hospital stay more comfortable:

For Mom:

• Loose-fitting nightgown, pajamas, lounging clothes
• Robe and slippers
• Comfortable clothes for going home
• Toiletries
• Your own special pillow

For Baby:

• Infant car seat
• Blanket for going home
• Clothes for going home

When Should I Come to the Hospital?

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital, we have one overriding goal -- to keep you comfortably in charge of your baby's birth, while making sure your labor progresses safely. That's why we've developed these guidelines to help you think about when you should come to the hospital.

In the interests of good medical care and patient comfort, we encourage you to find comforting activities at home during the early stages of labor, as long as you do not have any known complications. This way, you can relax in the privacy of your home and familiar surroundings - perhaps even take a walk, listen to music, take a warm bath, or rest in your own bed.

To assist you in deciding when to go to the hospital and when to stay home, you should call your physician if:

• You are having regular painful contractions

OR

• Your water has broken

OR

• You have heavy bleeding

OR

• You don't feel your baby moving

OR

• You have any other concerns

Your healthcare provider will give you direction and reassurance as to the right time to go to the hospital for an assessment.

When You Arrive at the Hospital

When you arrive at the hospital go directly to the 5th floor. Once you arrive in the maternity department, you will be escorted to one of our birthing rooms and evaluated/examined by your doctor or registered nurse. A nurse will obtain a fetal monitoring tracing of your baby’s heart beat and your contractions.

If you are not in active labor, you and your doctor will decide among these options:

1. Return home until your labor becomes more active.
2. Stay at the hospital for an hour or two to walk around and see if your labor becomes more active (if so, you will be admitted).
3. If you are too uncomfortable to go home, you and your provider may opt for medication to help you relax and get some rest in order to be better prepared for active labor.

Once you're admitted, you will labor and deliver in the birthing rooms. As your labor progresses, you can walk around, take a warm soothing shower, or just relax with your coach or family members. After you deliver and are fully recovered, we will help settle you in one of our comfortable and private postpartum rooms.

During Your Hospital Stay

At PRH, we strive to offer just the right balance between technology and personal touch. After your baby arrives, you deserve time to relax, recover, and bond with your new baby. We encourage rooming-in, keeping your baby with you as much as possible to help facilitate this bonding process, to help you learn to care for your new baby and to help you learn his/her feeding cues. You are welcome to bring your baby to the nursery anytime you want to. Your decisions are yours to make and ours to respect.

Visiting Hours

Our liberal visiting hours, which are left to the discretion of you and the nursing staff, are designed to offer you flexibility and support. During the day we have “Quiet Time” in the maternity department to allow mothers and their babies some extra rest. Visitors are allowed during quiet time.

Children under 12 are welcome to visit with supervision. We ask that their immunizations are up-to-date.

Because newborns are at a higher risk for infections, we ask that you not allow visitors with colds or other infectious conditions.

Meals and Nutrition Services

We're ready to pamper you -- Our At Your Request Room Service Program allows you to order what you want, when you want it. You may select your meal preferences from the menu provided to you in your room. Just dial extension 3663 (FOOD), and a dietary staff member will take your order. Your order will be verified according to your physician prescribed diet order and prepared according to your specifications. Your meal will then be delivered to your bedside within 45 minutes.

Surgery, diagnostic, or other procedures may impact your usual diet. Your physician or midwife may prescribe a special diet for you until you are able to resume your usual, normal diet and activity. Special food programs like our Patient Specials Menu, Kosher foods, vegetarian meals, gluten-free foods, in-between meal snacks, and low-calorie foods are available upon request.

Going Home

Just because you are ready to leave Portsmouth Regional Hospital doesn’t mean that we are ready to say goodbye. We will call you shortly after you return home with your new baby just to follow up, see how you are doing, and if you have any questions or comments.