Lots of comfort measures for women in labour continued from p.5 need to be resuscitation attempts, having the parents as part of that where they can observe and talk to the pediatrician and ask questions is really important," said MacDonald. "The two operative birthing rooms we have now are sized so that we can have twins and resuscitate them in the room." Kathryn Doren, patient care manager for the unit, said the operative birthing room at Reynolds Street OTMH is so small those present can barely move if twins are born due to the amount of people and equipment needed to care for them. Upon arriving at the new hospital, women in labour can enter through the hospital's main entrance to the west or come through the Emergency department entrance, if they believe the baby is coming immediately. MacDonald recommends women in labour always call first, if possible. The unit features a three-bed triage area where women in early labour can be assessed to determine if they actually need to be in the hospital at that point or if they would be more comfortable at home for the next few hours. MacDonald emphasized there is an early labour lounge where patients can be accommodated if, for example, there is a snowstorm outside and they do not want to go back home for four to six hours before the next assessment. The new hospital has two Jacuzzi tubs to provide comfort to women in labour. "We want to be able to offer women a whole measure of comfort measures during labour, including walking, a birthing ball, a shower, a Jacuzzi tub right up to an epidural," said MacDonald. "So we do have the tubs, but our intent is not to have underwater births. They are not specifically that kind of tub." The existing OTMH has an average six to seven births per day with an average hospital stay of 36-48 hours following those births. Dr. Robert Morrow, chief of obstetrics at OTMH, said women who are expected to leave the hospital soon after birth may be allowed to just stay in their LBRP room with their newborn. Those expected to remain longer will be moved to one of the new hospital's 18 postpartum beds. This section includes 11 single-patient rooms, one three-bed room and two two-bed rooms. includes a fetal surveillance system. Doctors have been using the system at OTMH since June to become familiar with it. A monitor strip transmits the progress of a woman's labour online where it can be securely accessed by an obstetrician. This way if a nurse has a concern about the status of the fetus, they can call the obstetrician, who can access the data wherever they are and intervene, if necessary. Morrow said ultrasounds would also now be available in the prenatal clinic. "There is some sadness about leaving a place where (staff) have been, they've shared a lot with friends, they had their babies and even grandbabies there, in some cases," said Doren. "But there is excitement about how beautiful this new site is, how they are going to be facilitating and providing care. So some of them are saying, `Let's move, let's go now.'" Those staff will have to wait until Sunday (Dec. 13). At 6 a.m., OTMH will permanently close at the 327 Reynolds St. site and all hospital care in Oakville will then be delivered at the new hospital, also OTMH, at 3001 Hospital Gate (Third Line and Dundas Street). 7 | Thursday, December 10, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Inside the new Maternal-Child Unit . | photo by Justin Greaves Oakville Beaver The existing OTMH actually had two more beds in this area, but far less space with just four single rooms, two four-bed rooms, and four twobed rooms. The prenatal clinic will also increase in size at the new hospital with three consultation rooms and five assessment rooms. The old clinic is just one room with curtains around three beds. As obstetricians control, for the most part, how many patients enter the Maternal Child Unit, greatly higher volumes for this area are not anticipated at the new hospital. For this reason, this unit is not hiring more doctors now, but does have the capacity to add more doctors in the future, should the need arise. "The obstetricians are the ones who really dictate the volumes. They know how many women they can provide care to because they are not only attending the birth, they are doing much of the prenatal care," said MacDonald. "There may be some increase. We may have some women who decide they don't want to give birth at a neighbouring hospital, they want to come here... If they are in early labour and we feel it is safe, we will direct them to their home hospital because they are the ones that have all of their information. Their blood work, their past history, all of that and that is really important for safe care." New technology available in the new hospital If you find a cheaper price, simply show us and we will match* WON'T BE BEAT save $ ® 297 lb 2 81lb 397 Clementines Product of Morocco Clementine 5 lb box $6.55/kg Lean Ground Beef BIG PACK!TM Boeuf hache maigre Breyer Classic 1.66L & PC Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream 1.5L or Popsicle novelties 6-18's Selected varieties frozen Crème glacee ou friandise glacees 197 Rd Co rn wa ll only Best Price Turkey Guarantee We will automatically match our competitor's advertised price per pound on frozen utility turkey 18x355 mL. 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