Pregnancy & Birth
The UNC Health Chatham Maternity Care Center (MCC) provides labor and delivery and postpartum care. Offering pregnancy and birth care in a convenient location is an important part of how UNC Health Chatham takes care of our communities and everyone who calls this area home.
We know pregnancy can pose financial and social challenges, so we offer access to social workers, free and convenient parking, and Spanish-language interpreters.
Services
We partner with local clinics for the care you get during your pregnancy, called prenatal care. Your prenatal appointments include checking your baby's heart rate and growth and checking on your overall health. Your prenatal doctor will refer you for an ultrasound when they want to check on your baby's growth and development, usually around the middle of your pregnancy.
When it’s time for you to deliver, you'll come to the MCC at Chatham Hospital. During labor and delivery, we will support you and your family by:
- Checking on your baby's overall health and progress
- Giving you expert nursing care during labor and delivery
- Helping you manage your pain and be more comfortable during labor
- Giving your newborn specialized care and tests
- Giving you parenting support, including help with breastfeeding
Labor & Delivery Care
Typical labor and delivery services include wireless fetal heart rate monitoring and labor support such as birthing balls and walk-in showers. Our team can also perform C-sections when needed.
Pain Relief
Our patients have access to pain relief options, including epidurals, nitrous oxide and IV pain medications, in addition to non-medical pain relief options such as position changes.
Postpartum Care & Breastfeeding & Support
Our doctors and nurses are trained in lactation and offer support and encouragement for breastfeeding. We promote skin-to-skin contact, and we work with new mothers to breastfeed within the first two hours after birth. Most of the babies born in the MCC are breastfeeding when they are discharged.
The MCC is pursuing the Baby-Friendly designation, which encourages best practices for breastfeeding. The Baby-Friendly Health Initiative is a global program of the World Health Organization and UNICEF to support mothers in initiating and continuing breastfeeding.
Newborn Care
Newborns in the MCC receive hearing and jaundice screenings. If necessary, they can receive phototherapy treatment for jaundice. We also take security seriously and have protective practices in place.
“Bringing my little boy into this world with the help of the MCC staff exceeded my expectations for a smooth, peaceful and celebratory experience.”
-Lesley, Maternity Care Center Patient
Your Care Team
You’ll see several healthcare professionals throughout your pregnancy. Our nurses, physicians, midwives, anesthesia providers and ultrasound technicians work together to provide care, treatment and support for you and your family.
In the MCC, a physician or midwife is available at all times to care for patients during labor and delivery and postpartum stays.
Taking care of yourself is as important in the fourth trimester as it is during your pregnancy. Before you return home, we can schedule your follow-up postpartum care at the clinic where you got prenatal care.
Nurses
During labor and delivery and after you give birth, our nurses provide highly skilled and personalized care. They can answer your questions and help you understand what you’re experiencing, whether it’s time to push or time to breastfeed for the first time.
Physicians
The doctors who deliver babies and provide postpartum care in the MCC are family practitioners and OB-GYNs. They are capable of performing C-sections, if needed. Family practitioners are able to care for newborn babies in addition to postpartum mothers.
Midwifery Support
Midwives are known for individualized care. You are unique, so the support we provide will be tailored to your needs. Your care will include everything from offering pain management options to helping you bond with your baby during your hospital stay.
Anesthesia Providers
Our team includes anesthesia providers for mothers who want to utilize pain relief options during labor and delivery. These providers are available 24 hours a day.
Doula Support
At UNC Health Chatham, your birth and postpartum teams can include your doula. If you’re interested in connecting with a doula, talk to the care team at your prenatal clinic.
Prenatal Clinics
We partner with local clinics that provide prenatal appointments in several convenient locations. If needed, prenatal consultations with OB-GYNs are available at UNC Specialty Care at Chatham, in addition to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.
Maternity Care Center Virtual Tour
Commonly Asked Questions
What if my pregnancy becomes high-risk?
If advanced care becomes necessary during your pregnancy, we coordinate your care with high-risk pregnancy specialists (called maternal-fetal medicine doctors) and, if needed, newborn specialists (called neonatologists). This care varies depending on your unique needs but may include consultations, in-person appointments and transfers to another hospital. Whenever possible, we try to offer services closer to home, such as an ultrasound in the MCC that can be shared with a specialist at UNC Hospitals.
What does being a Baby-Friendly hospital mean?
We are pursuing a Baby-Friendly designation. Being Baby-Friendly means that a hospital is committed to encouraging mother-and-baby bonding through breastfeeding. This includes promoting skin-to-skin contact, rooming-in while in the hospital for postpartum and newborn care and breastfeeding education and support so that families can successfully breastfeed when they return home.
Resources
Learn more about pregnancy and birth topics, from prenatal labs to breastfeeding, at MomBaby.org. This website lists resources gathered by doctors, researchers and social workers at the Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health at the UNC School of Medicine.
