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After Baby Arrives
We want parents and baby to begin life as a new family as soon as possible after delivery. To help the bonding process and to make sure you have the support you need, we keep you and your baby together in the same room throughout your hospital stay and assign one nurse to care for you both.
The Golden Hour
The first hour of your baby's life is golden. No matter how much you plan for your baby's arrival, nothing can prepare you for the momentous transitions birth brings. The BirthPlace, Westwood helps make these transitions as gentle as possible by giving you, your partner and your newborn a Golden Hour to come together for the first time as a family. If you cannot have bonding time with your baby immediately after birth for medical reasons, you can start your Golden Hour whenever you and your baby are ready.
Skin Contact
Mother's chest is the best place for baby to adjust to life in the outside world. When their skin touches, the brains of both mother and child are flooded with brain chemicals that promote a feeling of well-being. Newborns who have skin-to-skin contact with their mothers cry less, sleep more and are less irritable than babies who are swaddled. Skin contact not only soothes babies and helps regulate their heartbeat and breath, it also helps the mother by reducing her stress and helping her milk come in. Because it is such an important part of the mother-child bonding process, skin contact should continue through the first few weeks of your baby's life.
Monitoring Mother
Your blood pressure will be monitored throughout your delivery and once you have given birth, you may receive a uterine massage to help control blood loss. Once you are stable, you may initiate baby's first breastfeeding. When you are ready, you will be moved to the Maternity Unit, which features private rooms with private showers.
First Breastfeeding
Because a baby's urge to seek the breast is strongest immediately following birth, the Golden Hour is an ideal time for your baby's first breastfeeding. While some women may choose to bottle feed instead, The BirthPlace, Westwood strongly encourages new mothers to try breastfeeding. Studies show that colostrum, the fluid that precedes breast milk, conveys significant protective factors to your baby, even if you choose to bottle feed later.
Neonatologist Visit
Every baby born at The BirthPlace, Westwood is visited by a UCLA neonatologist - a pediatrician with extra training to care for sick babies - even if your baby is perfectly healthy. Because we are a teaching hospital, staff neonatologists may be assisted by medical students or residents. If you also want your pediatrician or family doctor to come by, please make those arrangements with your baby's physician.
Newborn Screens/Vaccines
To make sure your baby is healthy and stays healthy, The Birth Place, Westwood provides all newborns with a state-mandated Newborn Screen and several other recommended tests and vaccines before they leave the hospital. The tests look for rare but life-threatening conditions that may not be apparent at birth. A single heel prick provides blood for two of the tests, while other painless tests check your baby's hearing and oxygen levels. Because newborns are vulnerable to infectious disease, we also offer several vaccines to you and your newborn to protect you both against disease. Parents may refuse any of these tests or vaccines. If they opt not to have their baby undergo the state-mandated Newborn Screen, they must submit a signed waiver to the state of California indicating they are aware of the risks. Learn more »
Important Paperwork
Birth Certificate
Every baby born in California must be registered with a birth certificate under state law. A certified copy of a birth certificate is a legal record of your baby's birth, which is recognized in any court. Souvenir birth certificates provided by hospitals are not certified and may not be used as a legal record. Our nursing staff will provide you with the form. Please be sure to fill it out fully and correctly.
Paternity Declaration
Unmarried fathers who wish for their names to appear on the birth certificate must sign a Declaration of Paternity under California law. The form can be obtained from our Maternity Department and should be signed and submitted while your baby is in the hospital.
Social Security Number
The easiest time to obtain a Social Security number for your baby is when you give information for your child's birth certificate. Getting your baby a Social Security number is voluntary, but highly recommended, especially if you plan to claim your child as a dependent on your income tax return. If you wait to apply at a Social Security office, you may encounter significant delays.
Going Home
Most new parents are anxious to get home as soon as possible, but we want to make sure you and your baby have achieved certain milestones before you leave the hospital. Mother needs to be eating and eliminating, and must be able to walk around with manageable pain before she is cleared to leave. Your baby should be able to eat, urinate and defecate, and needs to be able to maintain his or her body temperature, before heading home. Most women who deliver vaginally are cleared to go home after one or two nights, while women who deliver through Caesarean section usually stay in the hospital two or three nights.
Discharge time is about 11:00 a.m. each day. You will need an infant car seat installed in the back seat of your car to transport your baby home. You may take all the disposable items in your baby's crib except for the linens. A wheelchair will be provided to assist in transporting you to your car.
