Sentara CarePlex Hospital Opens New Family Maternity Center in Hampton

By Rachel Leber

HAMPTON, Va. — New Year’s Eve 2017 brought new hope to Virginia’s Hampton community; after more than eight years since the Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton has delivered babies, the Sentara CarePlex Hospital Family Maternity Center opened on Dec. 31, 2017.

The Sentara CarePlex Hospital held a ribbon cutting on Dec. 12, 2017 for the Family Maternity Center, with interim president, Rita Bunch, welcoming local leaders and Sentara affiliates to take a first look at the spacious accommodations for mothers and babies and their families, according to the Hampton government website.

The new maternity unit is located on the second floor of the hospital and will be the only hospital to offer labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum (LDRP) suites in the lower peninsula. The new maternity unit features spacious rooms, accommodations for doulas, a cesarean-section operating room, two triage beds and advanced technology in each suite to keep parents and babies safe and a nursery.

The new maternity center will also provide educational classes for families before, during and after pregnancy, including support groups, and tours to educate and support new and expecting mothers as well as their families.

Classes will cover topics such as infant growth and development, infant care, breastfeeding support and first-time parenting classes for expectant fathers, spouses and partners, according to a Sentara web announcement.

Additionally, the new LDRP rooms enable expecting mothers to be able to experience their entire birthing journey — from labor to postpartum — in one room, which increases comfort and ease of the entire process.

Beyond improved technology and increased space, the maternity center will create a personalized profile for each patient, according to the Sentara website. The profiles are intended to help hospital staff to understand the new mother’s lifestyle, comfort and experience preferences. Expecting mothers will complete the short questionnaire before their stay at the new maternity center to ensure customized care. This includes food sensitivities, calming methods, religious and cultural beliefs, as well as how they would like to be treated during their hospital stay.