Labor & Delivery
Our capable, caring obstetrics team gives you confidence in delivering close to home. One of our hospital’s many pride points is the role we have in welcoming new babies to Southeast Arkansas families. Our beautiful facility is large enough to offer all the amenities your growing family needs, and small enough to make sure you receive individualized attention.
Facility
The facilities are second to none. Our Labor & Delivery unit and the Olivia Faith Beebe Nursery opened in June of 2018. Tours of both areas are available to prospective patients, and are part of the Childbirth Class curriculum. Our large delivery rooms have private baths with showers. They are equipped with the incubators, scales, and other vital equipment needed for single, twin, and triplet births, allowing Drew babies to “room in,” or remain with the mother as much as possible. Our nursery has a secure entry, public viewing window, and state-of-the-art resources for our youngest patients. A nearby waiting area allows plenty of space for excited loved ones to gather. We do request guests limit to no more than a few at a time to maintain a calm and quiet atmosphere. Our staff recommends observing the “Miracle Hour,” a period of private parental bonding and recovery immediately after birth. This experience is proven to promote healing for mom and baby and helps to establish healthy feeding. After initial recovery, mothers and babies will continue to be monitored on the adjacent post-partum floor.
Staff
Prenatal care is available through the OB/GYN physicians in our Women’s Services clinic. In addition to our staff physicians Dr. Kelly Shrum, Dr. Constance Chapman and Dr. Julia Nicholson of Monticello Medical Clinic also delivers at our hospital. In addition to the attending physician and nursing staff, a respiratory therapist is present at every birth in order to safely assess airways. Our nursing staff are highly experienced in maternal and infant health and are ready to help you transition to new parenthood. Many nurses in Labor & Delivery have decades of experience. We have a full-time internationally board certified lactation consultant, Rebecca Traugott, RN, who can assist with breastfeeding for inpatient and outpatient consults. Even moms who deliver elsewhere may use our lactation consultant services after delivery. Our nursery staff undergo regular education and professional development to stay abreast of best practices in newborn health care. With a pediatrician on our medical staff and experienced NICU nurses, most newborns are able to remain at our hospital without requiring specialized treatment elsewhere.
Award-Winning Care
We are committed to ensuring safe sleep for all infant patients, which led to Cribs for Kids naming us a Gold Safe Sleep hospital, among the first in Arkansas. In addition to implementing sleep-focused training for our staff and offering education to new parents, we take special care to keep infants in our hospital safe while they sleep. All patients 12 months and younger sleep in HALO Sleepsacks, a type of secure, wearable swaddle. Parents are encouraged to continue using HALO Sleepsacks or other wearable blankets after discharge to reduce the risk of SIDS.
March of Dimes recognized Drew Memorial for eliminating early elective deliveries, which means we put the health of the mother and baby first and want all babies to reach full term when possible. We are currently pursuing a Level 2 nursery designation so we may minimize any occasions that infants need to be transferred to facilities with higher acuity levels.