Please visit our Web Nursery.

The Women and Infants Center is the heart of St. Joseph's Hospital. Babies are brought into the world in a safe, nurturing environment, moms-to-be and new mothers receive the concern and respect they deserve and families are encouraged to participate in caring for the new baby. Also, women of all ages and stages of life are offered a place for physical and emotional healing.

All labor, delivery and recovery rooms are private and complete with birthing beds, private bathrooms and showers. Prenatal services include pre-conception counseling, high-risk screening, amniocentesis and prenatal diagnosis for genetic disorders. Also available to the mother and baby during labor are state-of-the-art ultrasound evaluation and continuous monitoring. The Women and Infants Center has a 24-hour consultation service with perinatologists in St. Louis.

The hospital's Level II (Special Care) Nursery monitors moderate-risk newborns who do not require intensive care. Infants with low birth weight, mild to moderate respiratory distress at birth or who are transfers back from a Level III (tertiary care) facility are cared for in this unit. This nursery is directed by board-certified pediatricians with special training in resuscitation and care of high-risk infants.

Should the need arise, Level II nursery staff are trained to stabilize an infant who needs to be transferred to a tertiary care hospital. Neonatologists and air transport teams from Children's and Cardinal Glennon hospitals are a telephone call away; the Women and Infants Center is 15 minutes away from these tertiary care hospitals via helicopter.

A variety of classes are offered:

Baby Care - to help parents with the tasks surrounding the birth of their baby Breastfeeding - to help parents who are considering or have decided to breastfeed Prepared Childbirth (three-week and one-day formats) - to decrease anxiety and fears associated with labor and delivery. Through discussion and demonstration, parents learn about relaxation techniques, comfort measures, variations of normal labor and delivery, risks and benefits of medication and Caesarean birth.  Childbirth Refresher - to meet the needs of couples who have previously completed the three-week or one-day format Sibling - to prepare children for the changes that will occur with the arrival of the baby. Included is a tour of the Women and Infants Center; children will see how to bathe a baby.

For more information on any of these classes, a current schedule or to register, contact the Women and Infants Center at 618.526-5423, or email Deb Wuebbels.

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