Birthing Services-Programs & Services

 
Antepartum Unit
In the event that a high risk pregnancy would have you staying with us at the Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee prior to the birth of your baby, rest assured that you would be staying in a comfortable and attractive room on our Antepartum Unit and would be cared for by a knowledgeable and compassionate nursing staff along with other members of the health care team. To contact the Antepartum Unit call (414) 291-1142.

Breastfeeding Services
Along with breastfeeding classes, we offer the services of international board certified lactation consultants and educators, nursing staff with breastfeeding support skills, inpatient assistance, a telephone help-line and outpatient assistance. Special support is available for expectant mothers with special circumstances - women expecting multiple births, mothers with a history of breast surgery and mothers with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. To contact Breastfeeding Services call: Milwaukee Hospital (414) 291-1440; Breast pumps may be purchased at our Milwaukee Hospital Birthing Center. Please call the Breastfeeding Help Line, (414) 291-1440, Monday - Friday from 9am - 3pm to ensure your product(s) are in stock.

Click here to find additional information regarding breastfeeding your baby, for which we have provided a brief overview.

Birthing Center
Our birthing center has been designed to provide personal comfort and privacy. Our staff is highly skilled and our care is focused on your individual needs and desires regarding the birth of your baby. We offer a wide variety of pain management options, including epidurals, and comfort techniques such as aromatherapy and birthing balls. We make every effort to help you feel right at home in an atmosphere that promotes a wonderful, memorable birthing experience. We encourage family centered maternity care so that you may have those people with you as you move into parenthood during your stay with us.

Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee
Birthing Center
2323 N. Lake Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53211
(414) 291-1142

Click here for driving directions.

Education & Classes
When you choose to give birth at the Columbia St. Mary’s you will be well cared for with our wide variety of services available.

The goal of perinatal education classes sponsored by Columbia St. Mary’s is to prepare pregnant women and their families for a meaningful and healthy pregnancy, birth and parenting experience.

We offer classes for both first time parents and experienced parents. We offer classes for parents after the birth of their babies. Our classes offer a wide variety of teaching techniques which will also benefit you in your daily life as we present information and techniques as life skills.

We encourage moms-to-be to register early as classes tend to fill quickly. We also encourage you to attend classes with your support person. For a complete list of classes and descriptions click here. For more information and to register, call (414) 963-WELL (9355).

If there are concerns about payment for class, scholarships may be available.

You may also contact the Perinatal Education Coordinator at (414) 291-1025 for additional questions.

Natural Family Planning
With Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital commitment to Catholic values, our Birthing Services also offer Natural Family Planning services. A certified Natural Family Planning Practitioner offers consultations and instruction on achieving or avoiding pregnancy. Please call for an appointment (414) 291-1750.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Should the need arise, the NICU at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee offers a specially designed unit, staffed and equipped to provide intensive care for your newborn.

A neonatologist, a physician who specializes in the care and treatment of premature and ill newborns, is present and available 24 hours a day. The neonatologist is assisted by a team of professionals, including respiratory therapists – A respiratory therapist assists patients with breathing problems. Pediatric Therapy which consists of physical therapists. Occupational (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) role in the NICU is to access the infant’s muscle tone and strength, reflexes, the amount and quality of movement, the ability to orientate to stimuli, state control and sensory functioning. The OT and PT work along side nursing staff and encourage good positioning and support developmental care. OT and PT are involved with parents and provide education for development, handling techniques, motor milestones, positioning activities as a part of a home program once they are discharged. They also provide education about infant massage. With infants and older children, occupational therapy assesses muscle tone and strength, fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, sensory processing, visual motor and visual perceptual skill, reflexes, manual dexterity, attention span and activities of daily living. Occupational therapists and speech pathologists - A Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist works with infants and their families to improve feeding skills. The goal is the infant will feed safely, efficiently and positively to support nutritional growth. The Pediatric Speech Pathologist also educates the family on feeding readiness for the sick term infant and feeding development for the premature infant. Care is individualized based on each baby's individual needs. Treatment on some premature infants begin before they begin to nipple feed to improve oral motor organization and coordination of respiration with sucking non-nutritively, so they are more prepared for oral feedings. The Pediatric Speech Pathologist also consults with Lactation Services and works toward having infants be exclusively breastfed if this is their mothers optimal goal. At the same time being sure feeding at the breast is functional and without any oral motor or pharyngeal (swallowing) concerns and significantly contribute to the care of babies in the NICU as well. The NICU is also staffed with specially trained support personnel.

In our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, babies receive highly technical, yet very gentle care. The philosophy of care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is that each new day brings dreams and possibilities. For more information on the NICU call (414) 291-1141.

Pediatric Services... Healthcare for Your Child
It is important to select a qualified physician for your baby from the very beginning. We encourage expectant parents to select a health care provider for their babies before they are born. Columbia St. Mary's has caring, qualified physicians on staff, and we offer a free physician referral service for your convenience. Call (414) 963-WELL (9355) for more information on a physician located at an office or clinic near you.

Social Services
Specialists are available to help parents and families cope with emotional and social concerns that may arise during pregnancy and throughout the first year of your baby's life. Services include referring families to resources in the community, and arranging for insurance approved follow-up care including medical equipment, supplies, outpatient rehabilitation therapy or nursing visits to the home. To contact Social Services call (414) 291-1955.

Ultrasounds
Along with our team expertise, we offer state of the art high resolution ultrasounds allowing families to view images of their baby moving in real time.

We can record your ultrasound for you. If you would like to take a copy of your ultrasound home with you, please bring a blank DVD that is marked +RW. Blank DVDs are also available for purchase in the hospital pharmacy should you forget to bring one to your ultrasound appointment.

Universal Hearing Screenings
We were the first in the state to offer a Universal Hearing Screening Program. All newborns are screened for hearing problems before they are discharged from the hospital.

The hearing test is a simple, non-invasive procedure performed while the baby is sleeping. Parents are given information about the potential for hearing loss during early childhood, and receive a checklist of speech and hearing milestones from birth to five years of age. The program has been very successful in identifying newborns with congenital hearing loss.

Website Nursery
Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee provides a nursery website. While in the hospital parents can have images taken of their baby and the baby's photograph can appear on our nursery website. Photos are not posted on the nursery website unless the mother signs a consent form. Click here for more information.