Mount Auburn Healthcare Connection

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The BirthPlace is Mount Auburn Hospital’s mother and baby health unit. Robin Mondello, R.N., nurse manager of maternal child health at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, says, “Our goal at the BirthPlace is to work together to meet the specialized needs of our mothers and babies.”

The BirthPlace includes a labor and delivery area with six birthing rooms and two operating rooms, and a post-partum recovery area with 20 beds. All labor rooms are private with their own bathrooms and showers. Two of these rooms even have jacuzzis. Following a birth, mother and baby are transferred to a room in the maternity suite where they stay until they leave the hospital. Most mothers and babies stay together in the mother’s room, depending on the mother’s preference.

Birthing services at Mount Auburn also include two nurseries, one a regular newborn nursery and the other a Level 2 nursery for premature and sick infants. The staff includes both obstetricians and midwives, along with other highly trained nurses and medical professionals. Obstetricians, midwives, anesthesiologists and pediatricians are available 24 hours a day.

Ms. Mondello describes the birthing rooms as featuring “a warm, homey kind of atmosphere.” Highly advanced technical equipment is immediately available for patient care but is discreetly camouflaged so the patient’s pleasant surroundings aren’t disrupted.

In 2004, Mount Auburn’s caesarean section rate was 24 percent, which is lower than the national rate. Ms. Mondello emphasizes that they are strongly committed to keeping this rate as low as safely possible; however, there are situations where a caesarean is warranted. Vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) is supported when it appears to be safe for both women and their babies. Patients who experience vaginal deliveries typically stay in the hospital about 48 hours while those who have had C-sections stay about 96 hours.

Many women choose to use some type of anesthesia to alleviate the discomfort of labor or delivery. The choice and timing is based on the patient’s needs and preferences, the advice of the attending obstetrician or midwife, and the recommendations of the anesthesiologist.

Patient care is very personalized at the BirthPlace. “We encourage patients to participate in planning their care along with our physicians, midwives and nurses,” says Ms. Mondello. “We are willing to work with patients on a variety of personal preferences related to their care before, during and after delivery, as long as these requests adhere to our standards of care.”

Careful attention is focused on patients with special needs, such as language, cultural, or social needs. Frequently, prearrangements are made to make sure any specific needs are met when delivery occurs.

Ms. Mondello emphasizes that all the practitioners at the BirthPlace work together very closely and are in continual communication about their patients. The BirthPlace is staffed by medical teams that are trained by a risk management foundation so that patient responsibility rests with the entire team and not just with one individual practitioner. This approach helps prevent errors and ensures that the whole continuum of patient needs is being met. One nurse or physician may recognize a need that may not be recognized by anyone else on the team. The goal of the entire team is to work together for the best patient care and outcomes.

Ms. Mondello says, “We have a very experienced labor and delivery staff and do an extensive orientation when anyone new joins our staff.” All nurses are trained to handle labor and delivery, as well as post partum care. The Mount Auburn BirthPlace team is multidisciplinary and provides a range of services. For instance, breastfeeding is encouraged at Mount Auburn Hospital and breastfeeding classes are offered both before and after delivery. The nurses at the BirthPlace include certified lactation consultants who have extensive experience assisting mothers with breastfeeding. After a mother is discharged, lactation consultants are available by phone 24 hours a day or lactation support can be arranged in the patient’s home. The BirthPlace staff also works closely with the Visiting Nurse Association so that, when necessary, patients receive homecare services from experienced maternal and child health nurses.

In giving advice to women who are planning a pregnancy, Ms. Mondello advises women to develop a close relationship with their practitioner (who may be their gynecologist, obstetrician or midwife). They should visit the facilities where their deliveries and post-partum care will take place. She also encourages prospective mothers to take advantage of childbirth education services, in addition to several infant care programs. She advises parents to choose a pediatrician early in the pregnancy so that there is someone to review any tests conducted during the pregnancy and to take care of the baby immediately after birth. Most pediatricians today expect to visit with new parents before delivery so that such issues as their coverage, methods of communicating, and hospital privileges can be understood ahead of time.

Ms Mondello says, “At the BirthPlace, we have all the services, staff, experience, and expertise necessary to meet whatever needs our patients may have. We are completely dedicated to providing the best patient care possible.”

To sign up for the Mount Auburn Hospital prepared childbirth series of classes, please call us at 617-499-5094.