The new Ann Schnormeier Center for Birthing Care at Knox Community Hospital opened in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was arriving.
As the pandemic still lingers, the hospital continues to limit visitors to the birthing center.
“We have to limit visitors, but actually the patients are enjoying that one-on-one time with just their significant other and their newborn,” Megan G. Smith, director of the Birthing Center, told the Mount Vernon News.
But for the larger Knox County community, the pandemic may have somewhat eclipsed the news of a new, state-of-the-art birthing center.
The birthing center offers eight LDRP suites, two postpartum suites and two triage rooms.
“In our birthing suites, we offer labor, delivery and recovery all in the same room,” said Smith, who is also a registered nurse. “We have all new equipment. Everything is top of the line and made with families in mind to make them feel comfortable and provide a warm, positive, family-friendly atmosphere.”
The birthing center performs C-sections but also allows for mothers to try natural labor even after having a previous C-section. In 2020, the birthing center’s primary C-section rate was well below the national average at only 18%.
While patients are in labor, the hospital offers a wireless monitoring system.
“You can walk around while in labor with this newer technology,” Smith said.
The center offers childbirth and lactation classes as well as one-on-one appointments with lactation consultants.
“We practice rooming in,” Smith said. “That’s where we try to keep families together for the majority of their stay; we would only take baby out of Mom’s room if they were having a procedure or testing. We try to decrease that separation as much as possible.”
The birthing center offers skin-to-skin, also known as "kangaroo care," Smith said.
“We put infants directly on Mom’s chest, ideally in the first five minutes after a vaginal delivery and 30 minutes for a C-section,” she said. “That helps promote bonding, helps stabilize the infant’s blood sugar and helps increase milk production.”
Mothers can choose natural childbirth with no medication, if desired.
“We also offer nitrous oxide, which is a gas you inhale for pain control,” Smith said.
Intravenous medications and epidurals to block the pain are also options, she said.
The birthing center is now allowing two visitors per day, and it also allows doulas, if you have one, to improve the birth experience and offer support to mothers. “A doula is a trained professional who provides ongoing physical and emotional support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to improve the experience for all involved,” Smith said.
The hospital encourages breastfeeding for the many health benefits it offers the newborn as well as the mother.
August is World Breastfeeding Awareness Month. This month, the Ann Schnormeier Center for Birthing Care will be giving out gift bags to those who deliver and breastfeed, to celebrate.
