Maternity ward at Mountainside Hospital is renovated

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — Mountainside Hospital has a newbie. It is the newly renovated maternity ward which opened last summer and is now coming into the news because, well, a newly designed maternity ward goes hand-in-hand with the first arrival of the the New Year. According to Jennifer Waters, director of women’s services, the improvements at the hospital have changed the way things have looked for the last 20 years.

“The new ward is neutral in tones,” she said earlier this week during a telephone interview. “It is a very relaxing department and calming. The old, traditional mauves and teals are gone. You see those colors in every maternity ward.”
The furniture has been updated in every room, too.

“There are foldout beds for dads,” she said. “There is also updated wireless and Internet services and free WiFi. The connections are quick.”
She said maternity stays are usually two or three days. The rooms are private or semi-private depending on the number of patients.

“We don’t double up until we have to,” she said. “Most patients are in private rooms.”

The number of beds has not increased; there remains a potential of 18 in 14 rooms.
“There are two waiting rooms,” Waters said. “There is one outside the maternity area and a new waiting room for labor and delivery.” There is also a tub room for labor management.

“Mountainside does not do water deliveries,” she said. “The tub room is new.”
What guided the changes was feedback from the staff and community. What was primarily wanted, for the baby and mother’s first days, was a calm environment.
“It’s very helpful,” Waters said.

The staff has not changed. There remains specialty nursing for labor and delivery; postpartum; newborn nursing care; and a special-care nursery, Waters said, “for babies that need a little extra help.”

The hospital also has an OB/GYN hospitalist care model. According to a press statement, the model is endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A team of in-house, physician-specialists work in coordination with the expectant mother’s designated primary OB/GYN, or midwife, so that all needs are met around the clock.

The first 2017 proof of the pudding, that all this special care ensures, was 5.1 pound Ava Goodlett, who was born to Bloomfield resident Tatiana Charles on Jan. 1. Ava came into the world at 4:44 a.m. She was was under the care of Dr. Aiman Shilad with the support of hospitalist Dr. Carol Russell.

Waters said the effort in the maternity ward is to make it more homelike.
“Most of the women in maternity are young and healthy,” she said. “Creating a home environment is important.”

The refurbished ward opened in August. But what is not new is what happens throughout the hospital when a baby is born.
“Music is played through the entire hospital,” Waters said. “That was here before the remodeling.”

She said Brahms lullaby is played.
“Working in maternity, every time is a special day when you welcome a new, family member,” Waters said. “In the waiting room, you can see them eager. When they hear the lullaby, you can see that they wonder if it’s a new niece or nephew or grandchild. It’s a new experience every time that you don’t get to relive.”

Waters said some doctors deliver babies in a variety of hospitals so it is possible that an expectant mother will chose Mountainside as the place to have their child.