Maternity Care

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Having a baby is one of the most exciting and rewarding times in a woman's life, and Merit Health Wesley is dedicated to providing expectant mothers and newborns with quality care during this special time. Our maternity services are provided by obstetricians, labor and delivery specialists, nurses and other caring professionals in a welcoming, comfortable environment.

The Birth Center at Merit Health Wesley features labor, delivery, postpartum and recovery (LDRP) suites designed to allow a birthing mother to stay in one room for all of her birthing care. The LDRP suites are large, private rooms that also provide accommodations for fathers and additional space for visiting family members and friends. This family-centered approach to care allows for ample bonding time. We encourage mother-baby care, and the LDRP suites allow parents to keep their newborns with them in the privacy of their birthing suite.

Blue Distinction Center+

Merit Health Wesley's Birth Center has been designated as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care by BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi. This designation signifies our commitment to delivering quality maternity care - safely, effectively and cost efficiently. The goal of the program is to help consumers find both quality and value for their specialty care needs.

Baby-Friendly Hospital

Merit Health Wesley has been designated by Baby-Friendly® USA (BFUSA) as a baby-friendly hospital. This initiative insures mothers receive information that helps them make the best decision for infant feeding and supports them in achieving personal feeding goals. Focus is placed on mother-baby bonding through skin-to-skin contact, rooming in and providing instructions to help mothers recognize early feeding cues for their baby.

Merit Health Wesley follows these ten steps to successful breastfeeding to show their commitment to educating and promoting breastfeeding and mother-baby bonding.

1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
2. Train all health care staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
6. Give infants no food or drink other than breast-milk, unless medically indicated.
7. Practice rooming in – allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
9. Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or birth center.

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Take a Virtual Tour

Merit Health Wesley's maternity suites allow you to stay in one place throughout delivery and your stay. Suites are designed to accommodate both parents and baby to ensure that everyone is taken care of. In addition, the newborn nursery offers another option to new parents. Having infants 'room in' allows parents the opportunity to become comfortable and confident in their ability to care for their baby. However, during times when parents prefer to temporarily turn the care of their little one over to a trained staff member, babies may spend time in the newborn nursery.