St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center
Do you offer private rooms? If so, what is the cost?
Yes, we offer private rooms and there is no extra cost. We currently have five private rooms in our mother/baby unit and all of our birthing rooms are private.
Do you offer prenatal, sibling or other classes?
We have the following classes and support groups: New beginnings maternity tour and prenatal breast-feeding class, offered once a week. The infant care class is offered monthly. Family and friends infant CPR is also offered monthly. Support groups include a lactation support group (once a week), mother’s circle of hope, for women experiencing pregnancy and postpartum depression/anxiety/ OCD, (meets the second Thursday of every month).
What special things do you do for the mother and baby?
Lullaby music plays throughout the lobby when a baby is born. We also offer rest periods at the patient’s request and a la carte meals.
Do you have an on-site neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)?
We are a Level II NICU, providing care for neonates 30 weeks and older. The hospital can accommodate up to seven NICU babies and there is an isolation room, if necessary. We also have a neonatologist in-house available 24/7.
Do you have a labor and delivery room?
We have a labor and delivery suite with five birthing rooms.
Are doulas or midwives allowed?
If a patient would like a doula, she can hire one and have her present for support during labor and delivery. We do not have midwives on staff.
What kind of security measures do you have in place to make sure the baby is safe?
We have a locked unit with surveillance cameras throughout. Visitors use a phone outside our unit to announce themselves prior to entering. Security is also located outside our unit. All well newborns have a security band placed on them in the delivery room. In addition, we have identification bands, which identify the newborn to the mother.
Is there a breast-feeding coach and lactation consultant available on-site? Does the hospital support breast- and/or bottle feeding?
All of our nurses are breast-feeding coaches. We have a an international board-certified lactation consultant. St. Catherine supports and provides continuous education for all our patients who wish to breast-feed or formula feed.
Is videotaping/photographing the birth allowed? A photographer for newborns available?
Photographing and videotaping is allowed once the baby is born and stable. We also have a newborn photographer on site.
What do the rooms look like?
Do you offer anything special for moms during labor (i.e. hydrobath, labor ball, etc.)?
We offer a glider for them to rock in.
Do you offer a hospital tour?
Yes, any time. You just need to call in advance or register for our weekly new beginnings tour.
Does the hospital do cord blood banking?
Though we do not provide the kits, however, the nurses are competent in completing the requirement for cord blood banking collection for patients who bring in their own kits.
Do you offer any parting swag bags with samples?
As a means to include siblings, we provide “I am a big sister/brother” bracelet to all siblings.
Are siblings allowed to visit? Can the spouse sleep in the room?
Siblings are allowed to visit in our mother/baby unit. Yes, spouses can sleep in the room.
What are the visiting hours?
Though we have open visiting hours, we encourage family to call patients ahead of time as we are a family-centered care facility and encourage our moms, dads and babies to rest as much as possible.
What’s the rate of C-sections at the hospital?
50 percent.
What’s the rate of breast-feeding mothers?
To date, our exclusive breast-feeding rate is more than 50 percent.
What is the episiotomy rate?
16.1 percent of vaginal births included episiotomies.
Will my baby be able to sleep in the same room as me? Is there a nursery?
Yes, as part of our family bonding, we encourage all of our patients to room in with their newborns. We also have a nursery if needed.
Average length of a postpartum stay?
Normal vaginal delivery patients stay two days and our non-complicated Caesarean section patients stay three to four days.
Does the hospital offer anything new/cutting edge?
St. Catherine of Siena is the first and only designated baby-friendly birth facility in Suffolk County, an award that demonstrates the hospital’s commitment to supporting breastfeeding and family bonding. We renovated to accommodate more private rooms for our patients. Mothers, as well as fathers, are encouraged to do skin-to-skin with their newborns immediately after birth.