Family Birthing Center: Keeping Moms and Babies Safe During the Pandemic

3/19/2021

PALMER – Preparing for the arrival of a new baby is exciting and a little frightening, even in the best of times. Giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the childbirth experience, adding another layer of anxiety and altering the birth plans of most expectant moms.

While the added stress the pandemic has induced is understandable, experts encourage pregnant women to not neglect prenatal and postnatal care.

“Prenatal care is crucial and getting early, regular prenatal care can help mothers have a healthy pregnancy and a full-term baby,” said Dr. John Houghton, an OB-GYN with Mat-Su Women’s Health Specialists in Palmer. “Fear of COVID-19 should not prevent women from seeking prenatal care.”

Throughout the pandemic, the labor and delivery specialists at Mat-Su Regional’s Family Birthing Center have helped hundreds of moms welcome new life into the world, while encouraging expectant women and new mothers to get pre- and post-natal care.

“We have so many precautions in place – both at our clinic and at the Family Birthing Center – including temperature scans, face coverings for staff and for family support members, screening questions and lots of hand sanitizer,” Houghton said.

In addition, with its stand-alone entrance and private, enclosed space that is physically separated from the main hospital, the Family Birthing Center is its own little world that functions independently. Here, doctors and nurses specialty trained in obstetrics work exclusively with moms and babies, providing care from prenatal to postpartum, including high-risk pregnancy care and advanced labor and delivery.

While the pandemic has impacted all facets of our lives and radically altered our societal group behavior, Houghton said much of the birthing experience has really remained unchanged.

One notable exception is that every expectant mom is tested for COVID. “If it’s for an earlier-than-planned delivery, she is tested when she arrives. If mom has a scheduled delivery or appointment, we usually have her tested two to three days ahead,” he said.

The other notable exception has been limiting visitors to one support person during a mother’s stay at the Family Birthing Center. This was recently increased to allow laboring mothers to have two support persons, as the risk of infection from COVID-19 has diminished with the rollout of the vaccine.

Although the visitor restrictions have been disappointing for some, Houghton said “most women have been very positive about the experience.”

“Lack of siblings and other family members being able to visit hasn’t been ideal for everybody,” he said. However, many women have commented on how much they have enjoyed the special one-on-one time with their newborn and their partner “before they have the chaos of all the family coming in. That’s been one positive we’ve seen from this (pandemic),” Houghton said.

Mary Hernandez, director of Mat-Su Regional’s Family Birthing Center, echoes Houghton’s observation. “I’ve visited with many mothers and that’s been the theme: the pandemic has definitely provided a more intimate birthing experience for the family. Mothers don’t have to feel sad about excluding anybody because they don’t have to make that decision,” she said.

“It removes the anxiety of moms or dads saying ‘It’s time to go, mom needs some rest now,’” Hernandez added. Moms have adapted well to this new level of intimacy. “It gives them more rest and the ability to bond with their baby in this little pocket of peace and quiet,” she said.

“It’s much different than having bleachers of people coming to watch you give birth,” Hernandez said. “We’ve seen moms simply embrace this time of bonding and quiet and say, ‘We’re just going to stay and chill.’”

For expectant moms who may still feel a little uneasy about giving birth during the pandemic, Houghton offers this reassurance: “The safety of pregnant mothers and the safe delivery and care of newborns is at the heart of everything we do,” he said. “That’s our mission.”

To learn more about Dr. Houghton and Mat-Su Women’s Health Specialists or to take a virtual tour of the Family Birthing Center, visit MatSuOBGYN.com.

John Houghton, D.O., is OB-GYN with Mat-Su Women's Health Specialists

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