Stony Brook University Hospital

Do you offer private rooms? If so, what is the cost?

All of the labor and postpartum rooms are spacious single patient rooms; each room is equipped with a private bathroom and shower.

Do you offer prenatal, sibling or other classes?

The hospital offers free prenatal classes regarding labor/hospital stay, newborn care and breast-feeding, as well as a sibling class. The SB midwifery practice also has a referral list of childbirth educators on its website.

What special things do you do for the mother and baby?

The nurses often play a “Happy Birthday” tune just after the baby is born in the birthing room. We encourage skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby to support transition, bonding and successful breast-feeding. We provide complete non-separation as our standard of care, which is an evidenced-based practice that continues to support baby’s transition, breast-feeding and the parenting role.

Do you have an on-site neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)?

We have an onsite NICU staffed 24 hours a day, with neonatal intensive care physicians; it also serves as the regional perinatal center for Suffolk County. The NICU are single patient rooms (46 beds) with the ability for a parent to stay overnight; we also have available two transition rooms to support an easier transition from NICU to home for the family. There is a family respite room within the NICU; in addition we have a family waiting area equipped with bathroom facilities, refreshments, television and a children’s play area.

Do you have a labor and delivery room?

We have birthing rooms (labor/delivery rooms) , where mothers labor, birth and recover and are invited to have whomever they want in the room with them for support.

Are doulas or midwives allowed?

We encourage doulas and are in the process of developing a volunteer doula service at Stony Brook that would be available to all patients. We have the largest midwifery practice on Long Island, which has been providing obstetric and gynecologic care to women for more than 20 years, and has attended close to 12,000 births.

What kind of security measures do you have in place to make sure the baby is safe?

Each infant receives a special sensor at birth, which remains on them until discharge. This sensor is connected to a high-tech alarm system, which alerts staff if the infant is brought near any unit exit areas. In addition, each infant receives ID bands, which match the mother’s and are continuously checked throughout the hospital stay. Our non-separation policy also offers another level of security.

Is there a breast-feeding coach and lactation consultant available on-site? Does the hospital support breast- and/or bottle feeding?

A large percentage of our nursing staff and many of our providers are trained breast-feeding counselors and there are lactation consultants on site as well. The hospital is currently in the process of expanding its lactation consultant staff. In addition, there is a free breast-feeding support group, facilitated by midwives and nursing staff, that meets every Monday evening at our East Setauket office location for anyone who births at Stony Brook.

Is videotaping/photographing the birth allowed? A photographer for newborns available?

Photographs can be taken during the birth, but final discretion is left to the provider. Videotaping is under the discretion of the provider. The hospital has a contract with a photographer, who offers newborn photo shoots during the stay.

What do the rooms look like?

Do you offer anything special for moms during labor (i.e. hydrobath, labor ball, etc.)?

During labor, in addition to excellent support from well trained L&D nurses, we offer the use of birthing balls, peanut balls, hydrotherapy via private showers in every labor room, some with body sprays, as well as squatting bars for pushing. Many of our nurses and providers are familiar with spinning babies and rebozo techniques.

Do you offer a hospital tour?

The hospital offers tours of our labor and delivery, and postpartum areas on most weekends, and the midwifery practice hosts an open house and tour on the first Thursday of every month.

Does the hospital do cord blood banking?

Providers who attend births at Stony Brook participate in cord blood collection for stem cell banking, but the hospital itself does not “bank” stem cells from cord blood.

Do you offer any parting swag bags with samples?

Every newborn receives a hat handmade by our volunteer service, as well as a footprint card.

Are siblings allowed to visit? Can the spouse sleep in the room?

Siblings may visit and there are generally no restrictions on age. Fathers or significant others may sleep over and are accommodated by a cot/lounger type bed in each room.

What are the visiting hours?

The visiting policy is open and in general dictated by the mother’s needs.

What’s the rate of C-sections at the hospital?

26 to 30 percent total; primary C-section rate is 14 percent.

What’s the rate of breast-feeding mothers?

40 percent of moms exclusively breast-feed.

What is the episiotomy rate?

Less than 10 percent.

Will my baby be able to sleep in the same room as me? Is there a nursery?

Non-separation (baby in the room with you for the entire stay) is encouraged as it is known to enhance bonding, successful breast-feeding and parenting skills. There is a nursery for infants who need closer observation or whose mothers have medical conditions that prevent them for caring for their infants at times during their stays.

Average length of a postpartum stay?

For vaginal birth average stay is two nights and for C-section birth average stay is three to four nights. Mothers [who deliver vaginally] who desire earlier discharge (24 hours) are often accommodated.

Does the hospital offer anything new/cutting edge?

We offer delayed cord clamping for vaginally delivered patients and for C-sections on a case by case basis. We provide skin to skin contact for C-sections on a case-by-case basis. We are looking to develop a plan for an early labor lounge. We are also actively involved in a nationwide quality improvement campaign to decrease the primary C-section rate, which is being facilitated by an interdisciplinary group of providers including nurses, midwives and physicians. Our NICU provides a cutting edge whole body cooling program for neonates requiring higher level of intensive care.