Labour and delivery moves to new hospital wing

By Gillian Slade on December 13, 2017.

Photo taken during the final construction phase of the new ambulatory wing at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.--FILE PHOTO

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

After years of planning and anticipation it was move-in day Tuesday for the labour and delivery department in the new ambulatory wing of Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.

“Very excited, very impressed, it’s a lovely space,” said department manager and RN Leslie Pocsik. “I’m very happy for our patients. I think that they will find everything very satisfactory.”

The new facility is spacious. In the old unit many items such as cots for babies had to be stored in hallways and there is no need for that anymore.

The number of delivery rooms has increased from four to six.

Rooms used initially when someone comes in for assessment are now also private instead of shared, said Pocsik.

There is now also enough room for fathers to remain with their wives and the new baby all the way through. It will also be possible to include additional family members the patient may want to have close by during labour, said Pocsik.

Labour and delivery rooms are not only spacious but provide expansive views of the countryside.

“They are spectacular,” said Pocsik.

The views may be a good distraction during labour. Some patients are in the labour and delivery unit for longer hoping to delay labour and birth.

“They spend some time with us, longer than a labouring mother would, so it will be very nice for them,” said Pocsik.

Arranging the move while remaining fully functioning throughout took considerable planning.

The idea was to have enough rooms open in the old location as well as the new unit with admissions to the new unit only starting 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Patients were then transferred to the new unit as soon as they were stable.

“We were able to accomplish everything we set out to do,” said Pocsik.

A similar plan was in place for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, said hospital site manager Marguerite Dorchuk. Any new babies needing NICU were admitted in the old unit up to 7 a.m. and then into the new unit. By Tuesday afternoon two babies had been transferred into the new NICU.

The space in 3 North maternity already has well equipped private rooms for mothers and babies that are spacious enough to accommodate close family, said Pocsik. There are no renovations planned for that area at present.