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Pre-registering is a great first step to begin your journey with Sentara. This allows you to share important information with providers, including your birth preferences. Once you’ve pre-registered, you can sign in to Sentara MyChart any time of day to:

• Message your provider
• View test results
• View visit summaries
• And more

Pre-register today

Note: Even if you’ve pre-registered online, you must print and fill out this pre-admission form before you arrive at the hospital. (Spanish form available here.)

Our Women’s Health Center features:

• Private labor and delivery rooms designed for the comfort and safety of mom and baby
• State-of-the-art infant security system for the safety of your newborn
• Wireless fetal monitors so we can monitor your baby's heart rate while you walk
• Highly skilled physicians and nurses who are dedicated to providing quality maternity care
• Personalized guidance during and after your pregnancy from our Women’s Health Nurse Navigators
• 14-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), providing specialized care in partnership with Children's National Health System neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners
• 24/7 obstetric anesthesia and neonatal in-house coverage, including a seamless transfer process for our patients who need a higher level of care
• Pain management options, now including nitrous oxide
• We encourage skin-to-skin contact for the first hour of life or more to help calm the newborn, aid in regulating body temperature, facilitate breastfeeding and promote bonding
• Comprehensive breastfeeding education and support from our clinical staff and board-certified lactation consultants
• A comprehensive Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) program
• Free online childbirth prep classes available on-demand to take at your convenience
• An outdoor courtyard within the Women's Health Center where families and siblings may visit
• Celebratory gourmet meal for mom and guest, plus other snacks and amenities

Our free guides give you an overview of how to care for yourself and your baby after delivery.

English

• Trimester Breakdown Guide

Spanish

• Mamá y bebé básicos
• Entendiendo el embarazo : una guía completa

In some cases, your newest little family member may greet the world early, undergo a difficult delivery or be born with an illness. Fortunately, our level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is equipped to provide these precious little ones with the advanced care they need.

Your baby is our priority in the NICU, but we also understand the importance of your physical and emotional health to your baby’s recovery. We know that the sight and sounds of a NICU can be overwhelming. Remember, we’re with you every step of the way.

Our NICU is directed by board-certified neonatologists with neonatal nurse practitioners from the . This collaboration offers our families access to nationally-ranked neonatal care experts closer to home.

Our multidisciplinary, neonatal care team also includes nurses specializing in neonatal care, as well as respiratory, physical and speech therapists to provide your baby the love and medical care they need.

Visit Sentara Pregnancy and Birth to learn what to pack and what to expect during your stay.

Pregnancy and Birth: Common Questions

For hospital-specific details, see the information below.

• We recommend leaving your clothing, toiletries, etc. in the car until you’re transferred to postpartum. This will keep your delivery room clear and help you keep track of your belongings. Your significant other, a family member or friend can get these items for you later.
• For a birth certificate copy, bring a check or money order for $12 payable to the “State Health Department”
• Breast pumps are available at the hospital if you do not have your personal pump
• A small cooler can be brought in for personal food items; there is no refrigerator available
• We provide sanitary supplies for you and diapers and wipes for your baby to last throughout your stay. (We do not provide cloth diapers.)

Where to go

Please enter our campus at Potomac Center Boulevard and use the main entrance. We offer valet parking from 7 AM - 6:30 PM, or you can park in any of the visitor’s lots. There are special parking spots for expectant mothers close to the main entrance. Maternity and neonatology services are located on the first floor.

If you arrive after 9 PM, are in severe pain or experiencing ANY kind of medical emergency, please use the emergency department entrance.

Parking and valet are free.

We recognize that having a baby is a very important event in your life. We want you to be able to share your joy with family and friends. We strongly encourage a support person to remain with the mother at all times to provide comfort and assistance. A recliner chair or sofa is available in every room for your support person. Ask your nurse for assistance if needed.

Keep in mind that your stay with us is relatively short, and you will want time to rest and recover from the birth experience. You will also need time to bond with your new baby and spend time learning to feed and care for your infant. You may wish to ask that only your closest family and friends visit you in the hospital and that co-workers and other visitors wait until you are home to visit.

Visitation rules are as follows:

• Labor & delivery: you may have three visitors
• Postpartum: you may have unlimited visitors
• In the NICU: up to 3 visitors are welcome at the bedside
• Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by a supervising adult, other than the patient, at all times and may not stay overnight.
• Overnight visitors must wear pajamas (or equivalent) during sleeping hours and be dressed during the daytime hours, including a shirt, pants and shoes. Night nurses will be making rounds in the rooms during the night.
• Overnight visitors should remain in the room from 10 p.m. - 7 a.m. to protect other patients' privacy.
• Only one celebratory gourmet meal is provided for your significant other during your hospital stay. For all other meals, visitors can purchase food in the Garden Café or the Outtakes coffee kiosk.
• Nourishment centers are available in Labor & Delivery and Postpartum units for visitors

Please be sure to check our hospital visitor guidelines in case the rules above have been updated.

In addition to breastfeeding and postpartum support, we have a specially-trained physical therapist to help our new moms learn how to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. If you experience a 3rd or 4th-degree laceration or episiotomy, our therapist will meet with you for an informational session on pelvic floor muscle exercises during your stay - no additional cost.

Outpatient therapy is also available at the Sentara Therapy Center - Reid’s Prospect.