The Center for Women & Infants at UofL Health – UofL Hospital offers services to meet your needs for low-risk and high-risk pregnancies. Your baby will receive the warmest welcome because we are focused on patient and family-centered care. We offer the most advanced and innovative maternity care available. That makes us the perfect choice for expecting mothers in the Louisville area.

We are a designated Baby-Friendly birthing facility by Baby-Friendly USA. The designation is awarded to birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding.

UofL Hospital’s Center for Women & Infants is the only Downtown Louisville facility to earn this designation. It’s the fourth facility in Kentucky to have it.

Prenatal care/classes/tours

UofL Physicians – OB/GYN & Women’s Health

The doctors and midwives who deliver at UofL Hospital are part of UofL Physicians – OB/GYN & Women’s Health. We offer a full range of pregnancy care and services. For high-risk pregnancies, we also collaborate with our Maternal/Fetal Medicine physicians. For low-risk pregnancies, in addition to our team of obstetricians, we have a team of Certified Nurse Midwives. Our midwives can provide prenatal care and are available to deliver your baby at the Center for Women & Infants.

Learn more about our prenatal care offerings

To schedule an appointment, call 502-588-4400 or fill out our online Request an Appointment form.

Classes

We offer FREE prenatal care classes called “Beautiful Beginnings.” They are taught by experienced, certified OB nurses. The classes are designed to answer your questions about labor, delivery, recovery and breastfeeding. They also cover care for yourself and your baby.

View the current schedule and register online

Tours

We would love for you to visit UofL Hospital’s Center for Women & Infants. Tours are an opportunity to learn more about who we are and where we will give birth. Call our Labor and Delivery Unit at 502-562-3094 to make arrangements. Or stop by and someone will be happy to give you a tour.

High-risk pregnancy and obstetrics

Every pregnancy and delivery deserves special care.

For mothers and babies who require a higher level of expertise, we have high-risk specialists with UofL Physicians. They practice alongside our labor and delivery staff.

Pregnancy may be considered high-risk if you have:

  • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes
  • A heart condition
  • Multiple babies
  • A number of other reasons (see full list here)

Our highly-trained team works together to give the mother and baby the best care possible. We have exceptional maternal-fetal specialists (doctors who specialize in high-risk pregnancies) leading a team that is ready and able to handle any situation.

In addition to our maternal-fetal specialists, our team includes:

  • Surgeons
  • Cardiologists (heart doctors)
  • Trauma specialists
  • Endocrinologists (doctors specializing in diabetes

Specially-equipped facility

The Center for Women & Infants is specially equipped to care for mothers and infants involved in a high-risk delivery. This includes:

  • Two specialized delivery suites for Cesarean birth (C-section).
  • Seven delivery suites to serve mothers and babies with special needs, including all ICU-level equipment and a specialized monitoring system.
  • For mothers in pre-term labor or who have other serious medical conditions and need to be hospitalized while pregnant, we have a specialized antenatal (before birth) unit.
  • We also house a Level III NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). This unit provides care for babies born too early and those that are too sick to be cared for in couplet care.

Regional clinical care

Our maternal-fetal medicine group is a recognized referral center for high-risk pregnancies in Central and Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. This initiative allows us to share our expertise with other health facilities in Kentucky.

The partnership provides Kentucky hospitals that may not specialize in high-risk pregnancies an opportunity to collaborate with our top maternal-fetal medicine doctors. This ensures women in Kentucky are receiving the best possible care.

NICU

In 2017, there were 305 infants admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Our Level III NICU has 24 beds. It is one of the largest in the region. We are committed to providing the very best for your baby. We have the latest equipment and knowledgeable staff to care for babies born too early and those that are too sick to be cared for in couplet care.

Our neonatal specialists with UofL Physicians participate in a state-supported high-risk infant follow-up program. The doctors follow the health of premature babies up to eight years to help support the pediatrician’s primary care.

We also plan an annual NICU Reunion for families.

Thank you to our partner, Kosair for Kids, for funding life-saving equipment and supporting our families.

Visiting your baby

The NICU has open visitation for parents. You are welcome to visit anytime, 24 hours a day. Other people may visit with you. Children under age 14 are only allowed if they are a sibling. Visitation may be limited during flu and RSV season, in order to protect your baby.

See your baby anytime, from anywhere

The arrival of a new baby is an exciting time for families. But it can be stressful for parents when they need to leave the hospital without their baby – whether it’s for the night or an extended period of time.

Our NICU now offers NICVIEW, a live video monitoring system. Parents, siblings and other relatives can log in to a secure system to watch the baby’s progress. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Labor and Delivery

When you go into labor, go to the third floor of UofL Hospital (530 S. Jackson St.). At the main door, pick up the phone and dial 3094.

What do you need to bring with you?

  • Identification
  • Name of your doctor
  • The office location for your prenatal care
  • Insurance information
  • For your personal comfort:
    • Toothbrush and toothpaste
    • Shampoo
    • Body wash
    • Brush/comb
    • Cosmetics
    • Slippers
    • Bathrobe
    • Snacks/food (for your partner in care)
  • Car seat for your baby to go home in (We cannot discharge you from the hospital without a car seat.)
  • Clothes for you and your baby to wear home

While in labor

All of our nurses are labor specialists who will make every effort to meet your goals for delivery. We will work with you to accommodate your plan of care during your labor and birth. Each labor room is equipped with a bathroom and shower. We have birthing balls and squat bars for those who desire them.

Midwives

Our midwives work with our general obstetricians to assist mothers in achieving their labor and delivery goals. Certified Nurse Midwives encourage a natural birth for low-risk pregnancies. At other hospitals, midwives don’t deliver babies, but in ours they do. They are trained to try different positions to ease pain and help lessen stress. They consult with our general obstetricians and maternal-fetal specialists when needed. A full range of obstetrical services are available right at hand if needed. Learn more about our Certified Nurse Midwives.

Lowest C-section rate in Louisville

Our primary Cesarean section rate is one of the lowest in the city. If you’ve had a Cesarean birth before, you may be eligible to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean).

For those who do have a C-section, we are the only birthing facility in the area that offers a clear drape. The mother won’t see the surgery, but she will be able to see the birth of her baby. She will be able to watch as her baby is born and gets cleaned up. She won’t feel disconnected from the baby because she can still see what’s happening. Similar to Kangaroo Care, the baby will lay skin-to-skin on the mom’s chest soon after delivery if both mom and baby are in the condition to do so.

Kangaroo Care

After your baby is born, as long as both you and your baby are doing well, you will place your baby skin-to-skin in what is called “Kangaroo Care.”

What is Kangaroo Care?

The practice of mother and baby “skin-to-skin” is called Kangaroo Care. It is similar to how a baby joey is carried by the mother kangaroo. Kangaroo Care is the best way for a baby to make the transition to the outside world. It stresses physical contact to provide a sense of safety for the infant, promote bonding and encourage the natural instinct of breastfeeding.

After Baby is born…

Mother/Baby Unit

Generally, you’ll recover in Labor and Delivery for the first two hours after your baby is born. Then you’ll move to the Mother/Baby Unit for the rest of your stay.

You’ll be provided with a more comfortable bed and a private bathroom. Your partner in care will be provided with a sleeper chair, pillow, blanket, etc.

Your baby will room in with you throughout your stay. This is also known as couplet care. We do not have a newborn nursery. This time allows you to get to know your baby, start bonding and encourage breastfeeding. Rooming-in allows for mom and other caregivers to adjust to caring for the baby while in the hospital. Our goal is to have our nurses help the mom and caregivers so they are more confident when it’s time to go home.

Visitors

You are welcome to have visitors. However, we encourage you to rest after you have had your baby. Your partner in care is encouraged to stay to help you.

Quiet time hours are reserved for you, your partner in care and your baby. We ask that visitors respect this time and do not come between 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Baby photos

Mom365 is a FREE photography service available to capture precious memories of your baby. A photographer will stop by your room during your stay to ask If you wish to take advantage of these services. They will provide a free keepsake photo and a login to share the photos with your family and friends.

Breastfeeding help/Lactation Center

Top 10 reasons to breastfeed your new baby.

  1. Human milk is for human babies
  2. Your breast milk is designed for YOUR baby
  3. Nothing to prepare
  4. Breastfed babies are healthier (prevent illness, ear infections, etc.)
  5. The poop of a breastfed baby has no odor
  6. Passive immunity (what you are immune to will pass to your baby)
  7. Prevent childhood obesity
  8. Bonding with your baby
  9. Your uterus returns to a pre-pregnant size more quickly, and breastfeeding burns more calories so you can lose baby weight faster
  10. Save money – nothing to buy

Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mom and baby. The Lactation Center at UofL Hospital’s Center for Women & Infants is designed to help new mothers and their babies overcome any difficulties with breastfeeding.

This service is available at no charge to ALL breastfeeding mothers in the community.

Our lactation center staff members are all international board-certified lactation consultants. They have more than 50 years of combined lactation experience. They also have extensive neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience.

Open Monday through Saturday, our team is prepared to help you through breastfeeding difficulties, such as:

  • Poor latch/painful breastfeeding
  • Engorgement (breasts are painfully full)
  • Insufficient milk supply
  • Poor infant weight gain
  • Jaundice (yellowing of skin/eyes)
  • Plugged ducts, mastitis and abscess
  • Thrush (fungal infection in the mouth)
  • Late preterm and premature babies
  • Cleft lip and palate, Downs Syndrome and tongue-tie
  • Preparation for return to work or school
  • Safe pumping and storage of breast milk
  • Induced lactation (breastfeeding without pregnancy) and re-lactation (bringing back milk supply)

Breastfeeding is also covered in the prenatal classes offered by The Center for Women & Infants.

Contact us

The Lactation Center is located on the third floor of UofL Hospital. It is in the hallway outside the Center for Women & Infants. UofL Hospital’s address is 530 S. Jackson St., Louisville, KY 40202.

Our team

UofL Hospital’s Center for Women & Infants has a robust team of obstetricians, gynecologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, midwives, neonatologists, nurses, unit managers, nurse educators, case managers, social workers and lactation specialists all focused on the care of you and your newborn baby.

Learn more about our team of general obstetricians and gynecologists from UofL Physicians – OB/GYN & Women’s Health.

Learn more about our team of Certified Nurse Midwives from UofL Physicians.

Learn more about high-risk specialists from UofL Physicians – Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

All of our nurses are trained in high-risk. Our nurses are also trained by specialty unit labor and delivery, mother/baby, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Contact Us

Contact the Center for Women & Infants by calling 502-562-3325.

To make an appointment with a doctor or midwife at UofL Physicians – OB/GYN & Women’s Health, call 502-588-4400 or fill out the online Request an Appointment form.

Resources

Human Milk Initiative

Safe Sleep

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