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Mercy Birthplace - St. Louis
You wait months for your baby’s arrival. Mercy helps you make the most of your special moment. Our labor and birth suites feature warm, tasteful furnishings, a soothing décor and special comforts to help create a home-like birth experience. For your peace of mind and baby’s safety, your suite is just steps from St. Louis County’s most advanced Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
A Place Worthy of This Moment
Our spacious labor and birth suites offer:
- Whirlpool tubs in 17 suites, and multi-jet showers in all rooms to provide comfort and relaxation during labor
- A generous fold-out couch for your birth partner
- Wireless, waterproof fetal monitors that allow moms to walk, shower and even bathe during labor while still monitoring their contractions and their baby’s heart rate
- Birth balls and balance bars to enhance mom’s labor progress
- An ergonomic recliner and footrest
- Flat-screen TVs with an auxiliary jack for MP3 players and other electronic devices
- Free Wi-Fi and plenty of work space for birth partners
- Nearby waiting areas, designed with families in mind
Low-Intervention Suites
For parents-to-be who’d like a spontaneous, unmedicated birth, we offer two updated, low-intervention suites. Similar to the Mercy Birthing Center environment, these dedicated rooms feature a queen size bed with hotel-inspired linens, and extra room to move about during labor. Patients considering this program are encouraged to attend Natural Birth Preparation childbirth classes.
Mother-Baby Bonding Rooms
After delivery, your new family will move to a recently renovated room where you can recover and get to know your baby.
We’ll be there, too, to answer questions and offer tips on newborn care, like how to bathe or swaddle your baby. Certified lactation consultants are available to help you and your little one establish a good foundation for breastfeeding. Most moms choose to have their baby in their room throughout their visit. That way, your baby is always close by.
Your recovery room is designed for comfort with:
- Wi-Fi to connect you to family and friends
- Cable TV with the Newborn Channel and DVD player
- Light snacks, room service and kitchen for Mom and Dad
Explore care & development classes for your newborn or toddler.
Hello Baby! Newborn Care Basics - Join us on a Saturday or Sunday for a fun and interactive class to prepare expectant parents for the first few months of caring for their baby.
Move It Baby! Prenatal Yoga - Six-weeks - Prenatal yoga can help you prepare for labor and promote your baby's health. Studies have suggested that prenatal yoga can improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase the strength, flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth. Our yoga class will include focused breathing, gentle stretching, postures, relaxation and a cool down.
Mercy St. Louis provides a variety of class offerings for expecting parents, including preparation for labor and birth.
Natural Birth Preparation FIVE Week Series - Birth topics include how to know if you are in labor, natural comfort measures including massage, relaxation, breathing awareness and labor positions. Learn about medical interventions and when they are recommended to protect the health and safety of mom and baby. We'll also discuss epidural anesthesia, labor induction, reasons why cesarean birth may become necessary, and postpartum recovery.
Labor & Birth Preparation Express - This class is offered for expectant parents with busy schedules. Join us on a Saturday or Sunday for a shortened version of our labor and birth preparation class with less time spent practicing labor support techniques.
Labor & Birth Preparation Online e-Class - Perfect alternative for busy couples and moms on pregnancy bed rest. Registration includes eight weeks of access to self-learning modules customized for women giving birth at Mercy.
VIRTUAL Natural Birth Preparation Five-week Series - This class is essential for expectant couples who desire a low intervention birth without the use of epidural anesthesia. Women and their birth partners will gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to have a natural birth. Each class includes focused practice time to learn natural pain relief techniques and comfort measures.
VIRTUAL Cesarean Birth Preparation - Expectant couples learn how to prepare and what to expect during a planned cesarean birth and postpartum recovery. A tour of the labor and birth peri-operative unit is included.
Labor & Birth, Newborn Care and Breastfeeding Package Six-week Series - This program combines our three most popular classes for first-time expectant parents into a convenient six-week series.
Mercy Birthplace in St. Louis provides breastfeeding classes for expectant and nursing mothers.
Breastfeeding Basics: A Successful Start - This two-and-a-half-hour class is packed with valuable information and strategies for a successful start to breastfeeding in the first few days and weeks after the baby’s birth.
Breastfeeding with Confidence Group - This popular breastfeeding support group is offered weekly in several locations, including Mercy Hospital St. Louis, Mid Rivers and South County. Nursing mothers with their babies receive support and tips for successful breastfeeding from a registered nurse with specialized lactation training.
Grandparenting Today (Virtual Class)
A lot has changed since many grandparents had their children. Make the most of your special new role as a grandparent by learning about improvements in childbirth and newborn care. This three-hour class costs $15 per person and includes a virtual tour of the maternity center at Mercy Birthplace.
Siblings Classes
Mercy Birthplace in St. Louis offers two classes for new siblings and their families.
- Tiny Tots – designed for children ages 2-3 and lasts 45 minutes
- Super Sibs – designed for children ages 3-6 and lasts one hour
Both classes include a tour of our mother-baby unit as well as story time focusing on the arrival of the new baby. Kids will also be able to practice holding baby dolls to prepare for their new sibling.
Mercy’s perinatal nurse navigators are here to help you throughout your motherhood journey.
Becoming a mom is both an exciting and overwhelming time.
As mothers themselves, the navigators understand the joys, anxieties, issues and challenges you may be facing as a first-time mom. Our team is here to help you navigate through questions and decisions you may have during pregnancy and the first months of life as a new mom.
Your navigator will provide personalized recommendations and support, building a lasting relationship with you throughout your journey.
To learn more about the program or to enroll, please call 479.338.2939.