Maternity
KEMH makes every effort to provide a comforting, family-centered environment for the birth of your baby; an environment that welcomes your loved ones to be as much a part of this miracle as you choose. Our highly trained staff will be available to assist you every step of the way, from labour through delivery, post-partum care for you and your baby and instructions to put you and your family at ease when it’s time to take your new treasure home. All Maternity Nurses are both RNs and registered Nurse Midwives.
Think it’s time? If you feel that you are in labour, please call 239-2016 before you leave home, to let us know you are on your way. What to bring with you?
Have these items packed and ready to “grab & go”:
- Toiletries: soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, tissues and any beauty items you just can’t stand to be without
- Personal: Breast pads and sanitary pads
- Clothing: For you: a minimum of two nursing bras for breastfeeding, old comfortable underpants, loose, comfortable nightdresses and street clothing to wear home, slippers, a dressing gown and a shower cap (if you use one). For baby: sleepers, vests, socks, receiving blankets and stocking caps.
- Entertainment: an MP3 player or radio with headphones is fine. Cellphones are not permitted.
- Medicine: Prescribed medication only.
When you arrive. Check in at the Admitting Desk in the Emergency Department. The clerk will take your information, then take you to the Maternity Ward. Only one support person will be allowed to be with you while you are in the labour and delivery room. Others may wait in the sitting room until you are transferred to your room. Your support person should keep other family members and friends updated so that telephone enquiries to the labour room are kept to a minimum.
Post-delivery accommodations are determined by your insurance coverage unless you have pre-arranged payment for upgraded accommodations (a receipt for payment must be shown on admission). There are only two private rooms on the Maternity Ward, which are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis.
Visitors are allowed only during the hours posted. No visitors are allowed during Quiet Time (2:00pm – 4:00pm) Visitors must first check with the security person at the door. Doors are locked between 4:00pm and 8:00am. Please discourage visitors from handling the baby and do not allow siblings to visit if they have been exposed to chicken pox or other infectious diseases.
Televisions may be rented for a daily or weekly fee.
A Hospitality Trolley, courtesy of the Hospital Auxiliary Board (HAB) volunteers, comes by daily between 10:30 and 11am. Newspapers, small toiletry items and other goodies are available for purchase.
Valuables should be limited to essential items and a small amount of cash. BHB will not be responsible for loss or damage.
Neonatal Unit
The Special Care Baby Unit adjacent to the Maternity Unit cares for babies born before 28 weeks and for other special needs babies. Infants who require care beyond what can be provided in Bermuda are most often referred to the IWK (Izaak Walton Killam) Centre at Grace Maternity Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Childbirth Classes begin on the first Tuesday of each month and last for four weeks. They are open to expectant mothers and one birthing partner (coach) of her choice. Week 1 is an overview of pregnancy and the body changes to expect. Week 2 describes labour and delivery. Week 3 includes pain management and a tour of the hospital’s Maternity facilities. Week 4 concludes the course with a class on breast feeding.
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to image parts of the body for diagnostic and interventional procedures. Its use has become routine in imaging the fetus during pregnancy. It has also proved useful in imaging breast tumors that are not clearly imaged using mammography.
