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

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 Garage: We recommend that you park in the 12th Avenue Parking Garage. From the garage’s third floor level, you will have easy bridge access to Doan Hall, where you will take the elevator to the sixth floor.
  • After Hours Arrival: If arriving between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., please go to the Emergency Department. One of our staff will help you get to the Maternity Center. You may also use the intercom at any hospital entrance after-hours when entrances are locked. 
  • Delivering on an Ohio State Football Game Day: If traveling to the Emergency Department or Labor and Delivery during an Ohio State football home game, please contact Ohio State’s Police Department at 614-292-2121 and notify them of your pending arrival. You will be asked to provide your travel route, vehicle description and/or license plate number with an estimated time of arrival so as to alert traffic officers so they can help you through game day traffic.

What to Bring

What to Bring

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

Visitor Policy

For the safety and comfort of our patients:
  • Visitors should check in at the Labor and Delivery front desk.
  • Children less than 12 years of age are not permitted within Labor and Delivery unless a child of the patient.
  • Only three visitors are permitted bedside until delivery (this includes the patient’s support person).
  • Only one visitor is permitted with the patient in the recovery room and triage area.
  • Visitors are invited to wait in the maternity lobby, as hallways within Labor and Delivery need to be kept clear.

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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