Labor and Delivery Care

Labor and Delivery Care

At our Maternity Center, you can take heart in knowing that not only will your baby enter the world in a warm, comforting environment, but also will be surrounded by a staff that is highly experienced and able to provide the best care for you and your baby. And while thousands of women choose to have their babies with us each year, it’s the personalized attention and care we provide to every single one of them that makes our maternity experience so memorable – one mom and one Buckeye Baby at a time.

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Why Choose Ohio State?

Our Maternity Center combines comfortable, private rooms for mom and baby with state-of-the-art technology to give you the best of both worlds in one unique facility.

Your maternity experience begins in one of our beautiful and private birthing suites. Warm wood tones, private bathrooms and a quiet, calm space help our new families usher their little ones into the world in the best and most attentive environment possible. Our staff works with you in support of your birthing plan to give you the emotional and physical support you need during your labor and delivery.

In most cases, after your baby is born, you will have plenty of time to hold, feed and just enjoy your new baby right in the birthing room with you. You will find out your baby’s measurements, get to take your first pictures and get to say your baby’s name aloud for the very first time. We encourage skin-to-skin contact and support breast feeding from the moment your baby is born.

We encourage and invite you to join one of our maternity educators for a tour. Call 614-293-5123 to reserve a spot. Tour schedules are listed here.


Your Route to the Hospital

Your Route to the Hospital

Before the big day, plan the route you will take to get to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, as well as an alternate route. Practice the drive during heavy traffic and times with very little traffic. Maps and parking directions can be downloaded here.

Parking: If you’re delivering Monday-Friday, between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., we recommend that you park in the 12th Avenue Parking Garage and enter the hospital through the ground floor entrance opposite the parking garage. (The 12th Avenue bridge entrance is temporarily closed.) Take the Doan Hall elevator to the sixth floor. If you’re delivering Saturday-Sunday, please park in the SAFEAUTO Garage and enter the hospital through the 10th Avenue main hospital entrance. Take the Doan Hall elevator to the sixth floor.

After-Hours Arrival: If arriving between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m., please enter the hospital through the Emergency Department. We will provide you and your support person a mask and help you get to the Maternity Center. Park nearby in the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center garage or the SAFEAUTO Garage.

What to Bring

What to bring with you to the hospital

For Mom:

  • Personal care items such as hair products, lotion and other toiletries
  • Comfortable underwear with soft waistband
  • Nursing bra
  • Comfortable sleepwear and robe
  • Socks or slippers
  • Loose-fitting clothing to wear home
  • Entertainment items such as books, magazines, music (iPod) and DVDs

For Support Person and Baby:

  • Telephone numbers and email addresses of family and friends
  • Contact information for baby’s pediatrician
  • Camera
  • Sleepwear
  • Toiletries
  • Clothing for baby’s first photo
  • Clothes for baby to wear home
  • Infant car seat (car seat must be installed prior to baby’s first ride home)

Labor & Delivery Visitor Policy

Labor & delivery visitor policy

In addition to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center general visitor policy, there are special visitor protocols for labor and delivery:

  • Visitation is permitted at all times
  • One support person and doula may accompany patient in triage rooms / assessment center
  • Three support persons and doula may accompany patient in labor and delivery rooms
  • One support person may accompany the patient in the operating room for a cesarean birth, unless mother’s condition warrants otherwise
  • Support persons may not attend surgical procedures except for cesarean births
  • One support person may accompany the patient in the recovery room
  • Visitors may be asked to wait in the waiting area unless mother's health warrants otherwise
  • Visitors under twelve years of age are allowed in Labor & Delivery if they are siblings of the anticipated or newly born infant. An adult visitor will accompany and supervise sibling visitors.

Skin to Skin Care

Skin to Skin Care

In most cases, immediately following delivery, your baby will be placed belly-down on your chest. Research shows that this process, known as skin-to-skin contact, can have many positive effects on the baby including increasing the mother-baby bond, calming the baby, improving body temperature, stabilizing heartbeat and increasing the likelihood of successful breastfeeding. We strongly encourage our mothers to practice skin-to-skin contact during their stay at the Maternity Center and continue this care once they return home with their babies.

Family-Centered Care

Family-Centered Care

It is important to involve your support person in the baby’s care, which is why we have arranged our birthing suites and postpartum rooms to accommodate your partner throughout your stay. We encourage your support person to be an active participant in baby’s feedings, diaper changing and bathing. Your time in the hospital is a perfect time to practice caring for your baby with a nurse or patient care associate nearby to help.

Patient Experience

The patient experience department is dedicated to making your stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. Our team is available to assist with any non-medical questions or concerns related to your stay. All interactions between patients, or their representatives, and our staff are confidential. If you would like to speak with a patient relations coordinator, please call us:

Patient Experience University Hospital: 614-293-8944 
Patient Experience East Hospital: 614-257-2310 

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