Postpartum Care

From certified lactation consultants to pelvic floor therapy, we offer the support and resources you need to navigate the postpartum period more easily.

From the moment your baby enters the world to the day you leave the hospital, our postpartum care centers are committed to providing the support you need to begin recovering.

Your Postpartum Stay

The Golden Hour

At Palm Beach Health Network, we practice evidence-based care. When medically possible, we encourage mothers to spend the Golden Hour with their newborns.

The Golden Hour is the period in a baby's first hour of life in which important events take place. Mothers and babies who spend the Golden Hour together may experience better neonatal thermoregulation, decreased stress levels in both mother and child, and improved bonding. Additionally, increased rates and duration of breastfeeding have been linked to the implementation of this time in mothers and babies.

During the Golden Hour, you may participate in skin-to-skin contact and your nurse will be available to answer any questions you may have.

Rooming In

While some of our hospitals offer nursery services, all our postpartum units encourage families to practice "rooming in" with the baby from day one. This encourages additional bonding with your new arrival and allows you to more easily get to know your newborn's needs with 24/7 access to assistance from our expert nursing staff.

Newborn Security

Whether your newborn is rooming in with you or staying in the NICU, we practice a high level of security when it comes to your child. All newborns are given a patient identification band to match their parents' and IDs will be confirmed before every care session while in the hospital.

Additional security measures:

When your baby is born, a sensor is attached to his/her ankle or umbilical cord. This device sets off an alarm if your baby is moved near any of the exits, stairs or elevators in our area.

The Labor & Delivery and the Postpartum areas are always on “lockdown” mode. To enter these areas, visitors must identify themselves and the door must be unlocked by the staff inside.

Check for an official hospital ID badge. Release your infant only to staff members wearing the appropriate name tags. During your hospital tour, you will be told how to identify these badges. Otherwise, the baby should not leave your room.

Babies are transported in bassinets/cribs. No infants are to be carried in the hallways by staff, parents or visitors.

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Newborn Senses

Babies are born with all of the senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Some of the senses are not fully developed at birth. The newborn's senses are as follows:

Sight

Over the first few months, babies may have uncoordinated eye movements and may even appear cross-eyed. Stages of eye development:
  • Babies are born with the ability to focus only at close range — about 8 to 10 inches or the distance between a mother's face to the baby in her arms.
  • Babies are able to follow or track an object in the first few weeks of life.
  • Newborns can detect light and dark but cannot see all colors. This is why many baby books and infant toys have distinct black and white patterns.
  • Focus improves over the first 2 to 3 years of life to a normal 20/20 vision.

Hearing

During pregnancy, many mothers find that the baby may kick or jump in response to loud noises and quiet with soft, soothing music. Hearing is fully developed in newborns.
  • Babies with normal hearing should startle in response to loud sounds.
  • These babies will also pay quiet attention to the mother's voice, and briefly stop moving when sound at a conversational level is begun.
  • Newborns seem to prefer a higher-pitched voice (the mother's) to a low sounding voice (males).
  • They also have the ability to tune out loud noises after hearing them several times.
  • Newborns are screened for hearing while still in the hospital.

Smell

Studies have found that newborns have a strong sense of smell. Newborns prefer the smell of their own mother, especially to her breast milk.

Taste

Babies prefer sweet tastes over sour or bitter tastes. Babies also show a strong preference for breast milk and breastfeeding, especially if they are breastfed and then offered formula or a bottle.

Touch

Babies are comforted by touch. Here are a few ways to help your baby feel secure:
  • Place a hand on the baby's abdomen, or cuddle him or her close.
  • Swaddling (wrapping snugly in a blanket) is another technique used to help babies feel secure.
  • Some mothers find their babies are comforted when "worn" in a sling or carrier.
  • Holding a baby for feedings is also important.
  • Breastfeeding ensures that a baby spends several hours in mother's arms. Although bottle feeding of breast milk may also be done.