Visitors and Family

Visiting New Parents

Having a baby…it can be the happiest, most exciting, most challenging and most stressful time a family can have. Everyone is excited and anxious to spend time with the new family member. Yet this is the most important and precious time for Mom, Dad, and baby to get to know each other, learn about each other, and become a family. That can be hard to do while entertaining a room full of visitors. For that reason, we encourage all visitors to be very thoughtful about time spent in the hospital with the new family. We suggest the following:

• Talk up front to the new parents and find out what they really want. Sometimes new parents are reluctant to tell loved ones that they need some time alone with the new baby. Ask, and see what they say.
• Offer to come visit in a week or so at home.
• If the new parents really do want you to be there, keep the visits short so Mom and baby don’t get overtired.
• Be careful how much the new baby is passed from person to person. Over stimulation and fussiness can result. Also, this can expose the baby to colds or other problems.
• Please do not stand in the hallways outside of patients’ rooms.

• Each patient receives four visitor passes, which includes one for your support person. You choose to whom you give these passes. These four persons may be with you during labor. Once the time of birth approaches, only three persons may be present.
• If any unforeseen complications happen, all family and visitors may be asked to leave the LDR room.
• Children under the age of 14 must have a support person—other than the mother or father of the baby—present at all times.
• You must have the permission of your obstetrician and the attending doctor to have children under the age of 14 years present during a vaginal birth in the LDR room.
• Sometimes moving to an operating suite is needed for a vaginal or cesarean delivery of your baby. (Discuss the possibilities with your doctor.) Two persons (this includes your support person) may attend the birth of your baby in the operating suite if your doctor approves. These persons must also be older than 14 years and change into sterile cover attire provided by the hospital.
• Storage of outside food items is not available on all units, and should be arranged in advance.

For more information on visitation guidelines, please refer to our Hosptial Resources on Visitors and Patients.