St. Joseph's doing a major upgrade to attract more moms
SYRACUSE --
Katie Wettering was just five hours old, when we visited at the Mother-Baby Unit at St. Joseph's Hospital. But Rachel and Brian, who came to Syracuse from Fulton to deliver, were already bonding with their newborn, and their new surroundings were helping.
St. Joseph's has just re-done its fifth floor maternity floor. The hallways have low-level lighting and what looks like wood flooring (it's actually cleanable linoleum). All 20 rooms are now single occupancy, and come with built in hair dryers and private baths. They're called single occupancy, but actually they include cribs for the newborns, which are no longer kept in a communal nursery.
"The first few hours are the most important," says Gael Gilbert, director of Maternal-Child Services at St. Joseph's, who says the privacy encourages bonding and breast feeding, too.
Fathers are not left out. Unit manager Lynne Ponto points to the loveseats that convert into a bed in each room. Fathers are also encouraged to spend the night, to better bond with the newborn. "It's very comforting to me, I'm glad he's going to be here," says Rachel.
Brian, who says being a new father is 'starting to sink in, says he's happy to be there for both his wife and the new baby. He's also appreciative of the lounge on the floor, with a kitchenette that's stocked 24/7 with fresh coffee, sandwiches, fruit and drinks... something to ease the after-effects of the long night while Rachel was in labor.
The upgrade is more than for comfort's sake. There's competition for the baby business here in Central New York. Here's a look at where the babies are born each year:
But it's not just the baby business: Gilbert knows that women tend to make their families' healthcare decisions, and if they can have a happy experience, they're likely to refer family members, and come back themselves, for future care. So good maternity care may also be the key to long term bonding with a hospital.
St. Joseph's holds an open house for its new Mother-Baby Unit on Sunday, noon - 4:00 pm. Free parking and free food are included.
