Family Birthplace

970.384.7200 Patient Portal

There’s no more joyous time than childbirth, but it’s a time that can be full of anxiety. At Family Birthplace, we encourage you to make your birth experience uniquely yours with a personalized birth plan that details everything from your medication guidelines to aromatherapy preferences. Your comfort and privacy are assured as you prepare for delivery in our comfortable suites, and you can rest confidently knowing that you have a dedicated delivery team trained in all eventualities ready to step in at any time.

There’s immediate support for baby, as well, with a Level II Newborn Intensive Care Nursery that can take care of babies born early, as well as those that need a little extra help getting started on life. When delivery is over, we encourage rest and relaxation before you and your baby begin a new life at home. We’ll continue to support you there, as well.

Download/View Birth Plans in English
Download/ View Birth Plans in Spanish

Virtual Tours

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Our Team

We encourage families to actively participate in planning for your care and decision making.

Please discuss your birthing plans with your physician or midwife and share it with us upon your arrival at the Family Birthplace.

For those times when a higher level of care is needed, we have state-of-the-art equipment and maintain the highest standards, skills and expertise in perinatal services.

Valley View’s Family Birthplace includes a Level II Newborn Intensive Care Nursery and is equipped to take care of babies born as early as eight weeks before their due date. We are also ready to help when term babies need some extra care in the first few days of life.

Speak Up for New Parents from The Joint Commission on Vimeo.

Services

Anesthesia Options

What Every Expectant Mother Should Know

When it comes to using anesthesia in childbirth, most women fall into one of three categories:

– Those who are quite certain they will want pain relief.
– Those who are unsure of their pain relief options, and how they will
affect their labor and delivery.
– Those who would prefer to give birth without any pain relief.

No matter which category you fall into, it is important for you to know how anesthesia and pain relief are used in labor and delivery. Even if you fall into the latter category, remember the old adage: It’s a woman’s privilege to change her mind! No two women experience childbirth in quite the same way, so it is important to keep your options open. Every woman should be prepared for the possibility of needing an anesthetic. Epidurals are available if needed. Talk to one of our staff about the best plan for you.

Nitrous oxide as an alternative treatment for pain relief

Valley View Hospital is proud to be one of the few hospitals in Colorado to offer this additional, safe pain relief method.

Nitrous Oxide is a safe and effective method of pain relief in laboring women. Widely used in Europe for decades as a pain relief option, Nitrous Oxide has become increasingly popular in the United States.

The Nitrous Oxide in our birthing center is 50 percent nitrous and 50 percent oxygen — a much lower concentration of nitrous than used at a dentist office, resulting in less side effects and sedation. Within 30 seconds of inhaling nitrous you will begin to feel some pain relief, therefore we encourage you to begin inhaling just before each contraction and through its duration. When you are not breathing in the nitrous the effect wears off within minutes. Best of all, you will still be able to move around while using nitrous oxide, so you may make use it while standing, squatting, sitting in a rocking chair or on a birth ball. About 10 percent of nitrous users may experience some dizziness, therefore your nurse or provider may assist you in getting out of bed.

Use of Nitrous Oxide in labor has not been shown to slow labor or have any adverse effects on the baby, and there is no point in your labor when it is too late to use this method of pain relief. Women who use nitrous may still choose to have an epidural at a later point in their labor. Using nitrous earlier in labor can allow you to remain mobile and upright longer, promoting the baby’s descent before being confined to bed with an epidural.
Childbirth Preparation

Supporting new mothers has been a hallmark of Valley View for many years and continues to be a reason why so many expecting families choose Valley View. With an expert staff and support providers on hand every day, new mothers never have to worry about providing for their baby.

We believe that you and your family come first. At the heart of our patient-centered care philosophy is the belief that healthcare providers, patients and their families are partners, working together to best meet the needs of you and your baby.

Our staff of compassionate professionals are eager to plan your birthing journey with the very experience you want. Contact us for an appointment, tour and consultation.
970.384.7200.
Lactation Consultation

Our lactation consultants are wonderful resources and can assist you, if any of these situations apply to you:

– You are going back to work and want to keep nursing?

– Do you need expert breastfeeding support and care to?

– Eliminate pain and sore nipples

– Increase your milk supply

– Nurse single, twin, or triplet babies

– Nurse an infant with medical needs

– Explore breastfeeding options for adoptions

We offer comprehensive, personalized care for nursing mothers and families. Our team of experts will support you every step of the way.

– Do you have any questions about breastfeeding or pumping?

– Would you like to know how to get off to a good breastfeeding start?

– Have you wondered if you should stop breastfeeding or have been told to?

– Are you simply seeking reassurance from compassionate professionals?

We are here to provide expert advice in a compassionate, caring environment tailored to your lifestyle and unique needs.

Lactation line 970.384.7233
Leave a message if no one answers

Chat Time — Is a support group for new moms. It is every Monday from 10am to 12, at Valley View Hospital, second floor room 2B. This is a program run by our lactation consultants.

Birth Plans

With so much information available on the internet, cable channels and DVDs, some expectant parents wonder, “Why should I make a birth plan?” We feel that partnering with you and providing education and support is laying the foundation for being a good and attentive parent. Spending structured time to stay healthy and become prepared for your baby is your first responsibility. Even if you plan to use pain medication for your birth, working with our team on a birth plan can provide and support a variety of coping methods, ease discomfort, help you learn about your baby and make a positive transition to parenthood. Ask us more!

Download/View Birth Plans in English
Download/ View Birth Plans in Spanish

Baby Friendly

Baby-Friendly means doing what’s best for you and your baby.

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative assists hospitals in giving new mothers the information, confidence, and skills necessary to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies, or safely feed with formula, and give special recognition to hospitals who are upholding the highest standards of infant feeding care. In cases where patients have a medical indication, or parents have made an informed decision to use formula, the safe preparation and feeding of formula is provided to mothers.

The Family Birthplace at Valley View is proud to be designated a Baby-Friendly facility.

As a Baby-Friendly facility, your newborn baby will be placed on your chest for immediate bonding. This includes skin to skin contact immediately after birth and throughout your baby’s stay.

Skin-to-skin benefits:
• Better breastfeeding
• Helps your baby’s temperature remain normal
• Helps your baby keep normal heart and breathing rates
• Helps your baby’s blood sugar remain normal
• Less stress for you and your baby
• Your baby will cry less

Baby-Friendly at Valley View Hospital means:
• Hospital staff know how to support breastfeeding mothers
• Hospital procedures and practices are supportive of breastfeeding
• The best start for baby for long-term good health

The American Academy of Pediatrics and healthcare providers recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with breastfeeding continuing for one year or longer.

Breastfeeding benefits compared to formula fed babies:
• Fewer ear infections
• Fewer stomach problems and diarrhea
• Fewer lung infections
• Less risk of diabetes, childhood cancers and obesity
• Less allergies and asthma
• Increased I.Q.

Mother benefits:
• Reduce risk of high blood pressure, breast/ovarian cancer, heart disease, and diabetes
• Strengthens bones
• Lose weight gained during pregnancy

Additional benefits:
• It saves money!
• It’s convenient! Always with you and ready to go
• It’s always ready! Little to pack when you leave home and always the right temperature

Successful breastfeeding begins with:
• Support from hospital staff
• Breastfeeding within one hour after birth
• Babies staying in mother’s room 24 hours a day
• Feeding based on baby’s cues
• limited use of pacifiers until breastfeeding is established
• Breastfeeding support after going home
• Pumping support

Awards

Gold Safe Sleep Champion

Each year, 3,500 babies die in their sleep. These deaths are classified as SUID – Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. Some of these deaths are due to SIDS – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the cause of SIDS remains unknown. SIDS is a subcategory of SUID.

Many infant deaths are due to suffocation or strangulation while in unsafe sleep environments.

As a Gold Safe Sleep Champion, recognized by the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program. This award is the highest designation granted by the program.

As a Nationally Certified Gold Safe Sleep Champion Hospital, the highest designation granted by Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, the Family Birthplace at Valley View aims to take an active role in reducing these preventable deaths by prioritizing individualized education for all families and caregivers on infant safe sleep practices. We believe the more we can do to support new families, the better it for babies, lowering their risk of sleep-related death.

During your stay at the Family Birthplace, you can expect the following as part of Valley View’s adherence to safe sleep:

Placing baby on their back to sleep
Baby wearing safe sleep swaddle sleep sack
Baby sleeping in Halo Safe Sleep Crib in room with parents
Complementary safe sleep sack for each baby to take home
Education on baby and parents sleeping close, but not co-bedding with the baby

Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep Champion badge

Maternal and Infant Care Quality Champion

Valley View is recognized as a Maternal and Infant Care Quality Champion by the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative. This designation means that Valley View has access to the most current data, best practices and resources available and is leading the way for the safest, healthiest outcomes for Colorado’s women and infants.

Classes

Childbirth Education – In-Person
Prepare for delivery with a four-hour, in depth look at labor and delivery at Valley View. The following topics will be covered:

Basics of labor
Comfort measures
Pain management options
Delivery
Breastfeeding initiation
Early newborn care

Learn more and register at our events calendar.

Prenatal Pelvic Floor – In-Person
Prepare your pelvic floor for labor, delivery and post-partum at this one-hour, express class. This class is for expecting moms, 28-weeks and over. The following topics will be covered:

Breathing and pushing techniques
Using a TENS unit during labor and other labor comfort techniques
Labor and delivery positioning to help ease labor and prevent post-delivery complications
Body mechanics to protect your pelvic floor during and after pregnancy (carrying a car seat, carrying your baby, sleeping positions for optimal comfort, and more).