Labor & Delivery

Celebrate your baby’s birth day!

Your baby’s birth day is a special day for you, your baby, and your family. We see our role on this special day not only as medical professionals, but also as nurturers, providing support and guidance through the experience of labor and delivery. We are continuously humbled by being witness to a new life.

Types of Deliveries

Our obstetricians and certified nurse midwives perform deliveries at Baystate Medical Center.

• Vaginal delivery
• Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
• Cesarean section (performed by our obstetricians)

Call Our Office…

Please notify our obstetrical nurse or the on call physician/nurse midwife (after hours or on weekends) immediately for any of the following:

• Rupture of membranes with or without labor.
• Decreased fetal movement after 24 weeks of pregnancy. 
• Leaking or trickling of fluid.
• Question of labor: For the first time mothers: strong uterine contractions that get closer together and stronger, occurring every three to five minutes for two hours. For mothers who have already had a baby: strong uterine contractions that occur every five to six minutes for at least one hour unless otherwise directed. Please let us know if you have had a prior cesarean section and are now in labor.

When paging your provider, please allow twenty minutes for a return call.  Please be sure your phone accepts all incoming calls, including caller ID blocked calls.  If your call has not been returned after 20 minutes, please call back and let the operator know that your call has not been returned. If there is a medical emergency and you cannot reach a practitioner, please go to Wesson Women and Infants' Unit at Baystate Medical Center.  

Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Resources

• Baystate Health offers a number of resources for expecting and new parents including classes, breastfeeding support, maternal services, postpartum support, and virtual tour of  Wesson Women and Infants’ Unit!  

Preparations for your baby’s birth day can be made in the final months of pregnancy so that you will be well-prepared when it is time to head to the hospital.

Suggestions for preparing for labor and delivery

• Disability/FMLA/ MA PFML forms: Please plan ahead for completion of any necessary disability/FMLA/Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) forms. For more information about FMLA guidelines and requirements, please visit the Department of Labor website.  For more information about Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave, please visit the Mass.gov website.  If you have paperwork that requires information from us, you may drop off, fax, or mail paperwork to any of our offices either before or after your delivery. Please be sure to include your name, instructions for returning to you or your employer, and allow at least ten business days to be completed. We cannot accept forms in the hospital.
• Arrange for childcare and pet care if needed
• Discuss with your partner who will be invited into the birthing room (for example, friends, family members, etc.)
• Pack your hospital bag
• Prepare baby’s clothing at home
• Make final preparations in the baby’s room

Things to include in your “birth day” bag:

• Bathrobe
• Pillow (hospital will provide one, but sometimes it is nice to have the comfort of your own pillow!)
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Cosmetics
• One outfit for the baby (in the hospital most likely the baby will be kept swaddled)
• Camera & film
• A couple of cozy pairs of socks
• Hair brush
• If you have long hair, tiebacks
• Nursing bra
• Packable snacks (granola mix, etc.)
• Music/player
• Cash/change for vending machine, etc.
• Mom’s outfit for traveling home
• Baby’s car seat
• Phone numbers for friends and family