When you arrive

Check in
When you arrive at Yale-New Haven Hospital, you should go to the Children's Hospital (also referred to as the West Pavilion) entrance on Howard Avenue. From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, an attendant will provide valet parking (directions). If you arrive on the weekends or after 8 p.m., you may park in any designated space in the Children's Hospital driveway. Ask the Admitting Office to give you a parking pass for your dashboard.

Once inside, you'll stop for a few moments at the Admitting Office located off the Children's Hospital lobby. We'll check your admission information and place a plastic identification bracelet on your wrist. A staff member will then bring you to a Labor and Delivery suite. If you are experiencing advanced labor, though, you'll be taken directly to Labor and Delivery.

Labor and birth
Once in your birthing room, your nurse, doctor or midwife will discuss labor's progress. You may be examined internally to see how wide the cervix has dilated. Your nurse will explain how the baby is monitored and help you with breathing techniques and positions.

Your nurse will check your blood pressure, pulse, breathing, the baby's heart rate, contractions and the progress of labor. Once the cervix has dilated to 10 cm., the second stage of labor begins.

If you are practicing natural childbirth, your nurse and childbirth coach will help with your relaxation techniques. You can walk, rock, sit, shower, lie on your side - do whatever is most comfortable!

Yale-New Haven innovations to help you through labor
Several innovative techniques developed or supported by Yale-New Haven Labor and Delivery nurses have made labor speedier and more comfortable than just a few years ago. During labor, women now enjoy aromatic back massages and hot showers for a therapeutic water massage. Labor pains can be greatly eased by walking, then resting between contractions in a glider chair in your private birthing room. A unique innovation is the enormous birthing ball on which a woman sits and rolls, gently massaging the pelvic area. This helps decrease pain and properly position the baby.

Last revised: Feb. 8, 2008 (dh)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.