Having Your Baby at Baystate Health

COVID-19 Information

We are taking every precaution to ensure your safety, and we also know that birthing partners and visitors are important. See the details of our visitor policy, which changes based on current COVID-19 numbers.

Birthing Services at Baystate Health

At Baystate Health, we offer all the support and services you need to grow your family. Our team of OBGYN nurses, doctors, and midwives is committed to providing personalized, compassionate care at every stage of pregnancy and childbirth.

You and your family can expect high-quality, personalized care throughout your pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Plus, we offer a full range of services and amenities to ensure a safe and comfortable prenatal and birthing experience.

Low Risk Birth Unit

If you are a low risk midwifery patient that desires a low intervention birth with personalized labor support, please ask your provider for details. The low risk unit will provide a birth experience for families who desire a physiologic (natural) birth and focus on support measures proved to achieve this goal.

Learn more about amenities and what to bring to the hospital.

BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY WITH US

Choose a Maternity Hospital

We offer supportive childbirth services at both Wesson Women and Infants' Unit at Baystate Medical Center (BMC) in Springfield and The Birthplace at Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) in Greenfield. Both childbirth center locations offer the latest labor and delivery equipment and high-quality care. And if anything unexpected happens during your labor or delivery, Baystate has the expertise and technology needed to care for you and your baby.

Our two birthing centers offer different birthing options and amenities:

Learn more about The Birthplace
Learn more about Wesson Women and Infants' Unit

Make an Appointment to Begin Prenatal Care

Once you've chosen a hospital for delivery, you will need to make an appointment to start your prenatal care with one of our midwifery or OBGYN practice groups.

If you'll be delivering your baby at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, call Pioneer Women's Health in either Northampton or Greenfield.

If you will be delivering your baby at Baystate Medical Center, contact one of the following practice locations:

Baystate Women’s Health
Wesson Women’s Clinic
Baystate Midwifery & Women’s Health
Maternal Fetal Medicine
Women's Health Associates (a partner practice)
Baystate OB/GYN Group Inc. (BOGG) (a partner practice including physicians and midwives)
Valley Women's Health Group (a partner practice)

At Baystate Women’s Health Clinics, We Offer:

Routine prenatal testing and procedures, including fetal heart monitoring
3D ultrasound when recommended by your provider
Genetic counseling and testing, to help you understand health risks that run in your family
Birth plan counseling

Childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting education and resources
Help with existing health conditions that may affect your pregnancy

Support Throughout Your Journey

We recommend signing up for our parenting email newsletter for additional support. As you prepare for childbirth and caring for your new baby, we send you customized information, news, and resources tailored to your specific stage of pregnancy (and/or for your child’s age up to three years).

What to Bring to the Hospital

Moms to be often wonder what to pack for their birthing stay at the hospital. With visitation rules ever-changing (and more restrictive) during COVID-19, it can be challenging to know what to expect. Please take a look at our updated visiting policy and note that, in addition to your partner, a second person can come in for visiting hours between 12-8 pm.

Here is a quick guide on what to know and what to bring:

What to Pack

Clothes for baby to go home in (1 outfit)
Car seat (leave in car until needed)
Pillows and colored cases (so they don’t get lost) if desired
Toiletries
Things to help you relax in labor (music, massage roller, pictures etc.)
Lounging clothes for mom
Clothes for partner (pack something that you don't mind getting wet and a button down or zip up hoodie for holding baby skin to skin)
Prescription medications
Phone chargers
Lip balm and hard candies
Hair ties/headbands
There is no outside food allowed in right now, but there will be 2 trays ordered for every meal and you can order snacks.

We will Provide:

Disposable undies
A johnnie, which you can wear backwards for a robe (or bring your own)
Non-slip socks
Meals and snacks for you and your birthing partner

Your Birth Experience

We offer inclusive care for all, supporting your birthing preferences—including both high-risk birth and low-risk physiologic labor and birth (which means letting your body to go through the labor process on its own).

Customize your birthing experience with our extensive labor and delivery amenities, including:

Private birthing rooms
Water birth and water labor options (depending on location)
Peanut and labor balls
Anesthesiologists and pediatricians on-site around the clock
Pain management options including hydrotherapy, nitrous oxide, and patient-controlled epidural anesthesia
High-risk birth services provided by the region's only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baystate Medical Center
Board-certified lactation consultants and breastfeeding support
Interpreter services in most languages 24 hours a day

Learn more about the experience in each of our birthing centers:

Choosing a Healthcare Provider for Your Pregnancy and Childbirth

One of the first steps in any pregnancy is finding a healthcare provider who can focus on your well-being and the health of the baby growing inside of you. Most likely you already have a provider but, If not, you have several options:

An obstetrician (OB) – A medical doctor specializing in the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth and recuperation from delivery.

Certified nurse-midwife – A registered nurse with advanced, specialized training and experience in caring for healthy pregnant women and delivering babies.

Family physician – These general practice doctors also care for pregnant women, as well as their newborns.

Maternal Fetal Medicine physician – These obstetricians specialize in the care of pregnant women with another existing medical condition, a prior pregnancy complication or a complication or concern identified in their current pregnancy.