White Plains Hospital Opens New Labor & Delivery Suites

Continuing its ongoing campus-wide transformation, White Plains Hospital this week announced the opening of six new, sleek, state-of-the-art, private Labor and Delivery suites to allow mothers to labor, deliver their babies, and recover in the same room. Housed on the sixth floor of the Hospital’s new patient tower, the spacious rooms combine cutting-edge technology with added comfort and amenities for mothers and their significant others or birthing partners during the process.

The Hospital now offers six private Labor and Delivery Suites, up from four, each measuring 400 square feet. Each room is large enough to accommodate three different functional areas: an area for the patient’s labor; a dedicated family space including a sofa that converts into a sleeper, and a flat screen television; and a third clinical “zone” around the birthing bed with a baby warmer. The room includes a large private bathroom with full shower.

The Labor and Delivery Suites include many upgrades to improve the patient experience. All suites are equipped with new fetal monitors with telemetry, so patients are free to get out of bed to sit with visitors while data is remotely sent to the nursing station. Each also has its own Panda™ Baby Warmer— the latest generation of baby warmers— and baby scale. All suites are designed for the Internet age, with charging stations, USB ports, and Wi-Fi access.

The design uses textures and colors found in nature, and the suites face Davis Avenue to allow in abundant daylight. Warm woods and a serene color palette make the suites modern and soothing, providing a tranquil space for parents to experience one of life’s most exciting journeys. Seamless floors look like wood, but are easily cleaned and help reduce the risk of infection. The design by Perkins Eastman architects reflects the welcoming style of the Hospital’s recently opened new lobby and new Center for Cancer Care, which opened in February.

“Our patients not only receive the best clinical care, but the best birthing experience possible,” noted Leigh Anne McMahon, R.N., Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at White Plains Hospital. She emphasized that the Hospital supports high-risk obstetrics and fetal monitoring at its onsite Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); so at-risk babies are not separated from their mothers and transferred to another facility.

The new suites are located directly adjacent to the Hospital’s Charles A. Mastronardi Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), to immediately care for any babies born pre-term or who may have other complications. Level III is the most advanced level available for a community hospital.

“We are providing our patients with access to exceptional nurses and physicians, as well as state of the art technology, comfort, and convenience during their hospital stay,” McMahon added. “New parents now have the opportunity to get this high level of service right in their community. It’s the type of high quality care people have come to expect from White Plains Hospital.”

Exceptional care is provided by the Hospital’s mother-baby nurse staff, which is Magnet-accredited, the Gold Standard for nursing care. All postpartum nurses are Certified Lactation Counselors (CLC), and are able to support breastfeeding and mother-child bonding. Many of the Hospital’s Labor & Delivery nurses have one or more additional specialized certifications, such as the Registered Nurse Certification in Inpatient Obstetric Care (RNC-OB) and Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) certifications. All Labor & Delivery nurses at White Plains Hospitals are Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certified, able to provide emergency care if needed.