Welcome to the Peter Lougheed Hospital Virtual Maternity Tour

1. Welcome to the Peter Lougheed HospitalVirtual Maternity Tour

2. Time for Baby! • The Peter Lougheed Hospital is located at 3500 – 26 Avenue N.E. • For more parking information, please visit www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/parking • Check in your From Here Through Maternity Book for a list of items to bring to hospital, or www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/health_info/mat_new/LabourandDelivery.htm

3. Entrances • There are two entrances to the hospital. If you park in the visitor lot, the West Entrance is the closest for you. The Main Entrance on the South side of the hospital has some short-term metered parking in front of it. • After 9 p.m., use the intercom at either entrance to have the inner doors opened. • Take the elevators to the third floor for Labour and Delivery.

4. For your comfort and safety… • Breathe easy! Alberta Health Services facilities are smoke-free. This includes the buildings and parking lots. • Cell phone use is not permitted in the maternity area. • Cell phones can be used in designated public areas, in silent or vibrate mode.

5. Labour and Delivery – Third Floor • Follow the overhead signs to Unit 35A, the Birth Centre. • Use the phone on the wall to the right of the Birth Centre door to be admitted to the unit.

6. Welcome to Labour and Delivery! • Check in at the desk. The clerk will get your information and take you to an assessment room. Your doctor will already have sent your records to the hospital.

7. Assessing Your Labour • You will be taken into an assessment (Triage) room, where the nurse will assess you. • Your contractions will be monitored, and the nurse will also take your blood pressure and ask you questions about your pregnancy and your contractions. • After the assessment is completed, your doctor will be notified. If you are in active labour, you will be admitted to the unit. If you are in very early labour and are having no problems, you may be sent home, with instructions about when to return.

8. Admitting • If you are going to be admitted for labour, your partner will be asked to go to the Admitting Department on the Main Floor to complete the paperwork. You will need mom’s Alberta Health Care card and any other insurance cards (for example, Blue Cross).

9. Your Labour and Delivery Room • Your private labour / birthing room has a bed and rocking chair for your use. While walking is a great way to enhance labour, your nurse will show you how to use the bed in different ways so that you are more comfortable. • Each labour room has its own bathroom with shower. • There is a fetal monitor beside the bed, which will be used intermittently throughout your labour. • There is a phone in the labour room so you can let people know when the baby has arrived! • You will stay in this room for the labour, birth and the first few hours after the baby is born.

10. Support During Labour • You are welcome to have two support people with you in labour. They will each be given a hospital wrist band. There isn’t space for other family members and friends to wait in the hospital. • The hospital has several coffee shops and cafeterias where your support people can get something to eat.

11. Cesarean Birth • There are two operating rooms on Unit 35A, should you need a Cesarean Birth.

12. After a Cesarean Birth • After a Cesarean Birth, mom will go to the Recovery Area for one to two hours, before going to the Postpartum Unit. In most cases, the baby will also stay with mom in the Recovery Area.

13. The Mother-Baby Unit • One to two hours after your baby is born, you will move to Unit 33, the postpartum unit. • To ensure the safety and privacy of new moms and babies, visitors must use the phone on the wall to the left of the doors to enter the unit.

14. Your Postpartum Room • Most rooms on this unit are semi-private. There is a bathroom in each room. • The few private rooms are often needed for mothers who are ill or who have special circumstances. • Your two support people may visit at any time, however, there is no overnight stay permitted. The baby’s siblings and grandparents may visit briefly between 11 am and 9 pm. • You will be in hospital between two and three days, depending on the health of you and your baby.

15. Postpartum Theme Rooms • The Peter Lougheed Hospital also has two Theme Rooms on the Postpartum Unit. • These are nicely decorated private rooms with double beds and special menus. • These rooms cannot be reserved, but are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $90.00 per day.

16. Nurseries • There is a small nursery on the postpartum unit. Your baby will be with you in your room most of the time, but this room is available if any procedures are needed. • There is also a Special Care Nursery on this floor, for babies who need extra help.

17. Going Home • According to Alberta law, infants must travel in an approved rear-facing car seat. Purchase this seat before your baby is born, and read both the manufacturer’s instructions and your vehicle owner’s manual for correct installation. • For information on infant car seats, go to: http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/carseats

18. For more information on your hospital stay, please go back to www.birthandbabies.com and click on Hospital Orientation Best Wishes to you, your baby, and your new family!