Remodeled baby unit set to join world

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amber Carter
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Maternal Child Flight is scheduled to open its newly remodeled labor and delivery unit June 26 at Travis Air Force Base, California's David Grant USAF Medical Center.

The Maternal Child Flight provides inpatient obstetrical services for childbearing women and their newborns. The labor and delivery unit is a specialty care unit providing comprehensive obstetrical services for routine and high-risk pregnant patients by obstetricians, family physicians, residents and midwives.

After approximately six months of construction, the extensive clinic modernization project involved space design and layout improvements, department lobby renovations and equipment upgrades for improved patient care.

The remodeled rooms include new birthing beds, infant care center, wireless fetal monitors and warmers. These improvements will allow families to remain in the same room throughout their stay.

"Our rooms will now be designated as labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms," said Maj. Jeanette Brogan, 60th Inpatient Squadron perinatal clinical nurse specialist. "The space was designed with our patients in mind."

In addition to structural improvements, the labor and delivery unit has also implemented new programs to enhance patient care.

"We recently began providing skin to skin bonding for all non-emergency deliveries in our operating room," Brogan said. "This allows the infant to be placed directly skin to skin on the mother's chest shortly after birth. The two hours of physical contact is soothing for the infant, helps them stay warm and increases the initial bonding time between mom and baby."

Another new program, beginning July 1, is quiet hours. Quiet hours will take place every day from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

"During this time, visiting hours will be limited and patients will be undisturbed by staff unless the patient requests assistance," Brogan said. "This will allow our new families a chance for some privacy, rest and an opportunity to learn more about their baby."

In conjunction with the Women's Health Clinic, the Maternal Child Flight offers several classes, such as childbirth classes and breastfeeding classes, to assist new parents.

For more information, call 423-3619.