MercyOne North Iowa Birth Center

Our birth center team ensures you and your baby are getting the very best care by collaborating with your care team. Should your baby need specialized care, we offer a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), staffed 24-hours by pediatric hospitalists and highly trained neonatal intensive care RNs.

Care team members could include these specialists:

• Obstetrician
• Family Medicine Physician  
• Family Medicine Resident Physician  
• Electronic fetal monitoring certified nurses and providers
• Labor, delivery and post-partum nurses
• Lactation experts, including IBCLC and CLCs
• NICU nurses
• Pediatric Hospitalist Physician
• Pharmacists
• Respiratory therapists

Our International Board-Certification Lactation Consultant and certified lactation counselors are on site to assist with breastfeeding and/or using a breast pump. Our birth center is a milk depot, receiving breast milk donations through the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa. Donor breastmilk is available for our NICU babies and healthy newborns if needed. Frozen milk from approved donors is brought to our depot, then picked up and processed by the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa.

Additionally, our birth center is an approved milk dispensary. Parents or guardians of an infant who has a prescription can purchase pasteurized donor milk from our birth center for $15 per bottle. To donate or purchase breast milk, please call the birth center at 641-428-7219.

Our advanced care team is prepared to assist with conditions that may arise with pregnancy. These can include breastfeeding challenges, gestational diabetes, miscarriage, postpartum depression, preterm labor, preeclampsia and stillbirth.

Services and specialties:

• Access to our free MercyOne maternity app
• Breastfeeding and lactation care, including support groups
• Care for low- and high-risk pregnancies, deliveries, postpartum and newborns
• Delivery of multiples (twins)
• Family-centered maternity care
• Gentle cesarean section (c-section)
• Labor pain management including epidural and nitrous oxide
• Large, private rooms
• LDR birthing suites – labor, deliver and recover in one private suite, then move to another large, private suite for postpartum recovery
• Level II NICU
• Milk depot and milk dispensary
• Mother-baby nursing with 24-hour rooming-in available
• Nurses trained in Spinning Babies techniques to help with successful vaginal delivery
• One-on-one education sessions and bathing demonstrations
• Operating room suites with recovery rooms on the same unit
• Pediatric hospitalists
• Physical therapy consults available for those interested in pelvic floor therapy
• Skin-to-skin on all healthy term deliveries
• Triage rooms
• Wireless fetal monitoring

Practices and interventions:

• Baby’s first bath
• Baby’s first health exam
• Blood sugar monitoring during labor and delivery for women with Type 1, Type 2 or gestational diabetes
• Depression screening
• Emergency c-section
• Epidural and/or nitrous oxide for pain control during labor
• External cephalic version to turn baby from breech to head down
• Labor induction
• Lactation consultation
• Neonatal resuscitation
• Newborn screenings (hearing, congenital cardiac heart disease, metabolic and jaundice)
• Oxygen support
• Skin-to-skin bonding on all healthy term deliveries

Amenities:

• 24-hour rooming in
• Aromatherapy
• Birthing balls
• Comfort cushions
• Donor breastmilk available
• Family-centered labor, delivery and postpartum care
• Free valet parking
• Hospital-grade breast pumps in every room
• Photo backdrop when sharing your baby news
• Private suites
• Refrigerators available for patient room use
• Room service with special menu items
• Specialized delivery rooms
• Warm blankets  

Our birth center is designed to provide a home-like, non-medical setting for your birth experience while still having access to advanced medical care in the event more specialized care is needed.

MercyOne Home Care 

MercyOne Home Care provides in-home nursing for newborns, supporting you and your family for all your care needs. We specialize in pediatric skilled nursing care, neonatal care, ventilator and tracheotomy care, gastric feedings and infusion therapy. Skilled nursing visits provide education or training for those that are medically fragile. MercyOne Home Care provides short-term intermittent visits to accelerate recovery at home.

MercyOne Home Care provides health assessments and safety evaluations to make sure your infant is receiving the highest quality of care in your home. They can explain other community resources such as WIC program and DHS Support. 

MercyOne Home Care has been recognized as a Top 500 Elite Home Care Agency in the nation. This award recognizes our commitment to quality health services, achieving good patient outcomes, lower hospital readmission rates and high patient satisfaction. We provide service to Cerro Gordo, Floyd and Worth counties. For more information, call 641-428-6444 or 800-274-5285.

Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital

MercyOne North Iowa Birth Center is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and providing training programs for healthcare team members, and safe sleep education to family and caregivers. 

Bereavement

The birth of a baby is an amazing experience. But unfortunately, there are days when a family has to say hello and goodbye to their baby all at once. It’s our mission to serve with compassion and provide personalized care in every setting.  Our birth and bereavement suite allows us to honor every birth.

Additional resources:  

• Early Pregnancy Loss | ACOG
• Stillbirth | ACOG

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month

MercyOne participates in the Wave of Light an annual global remembrance event on October 15.  You’re invited to join with other families across the world by simply lighting a candle at 7pm local time and leave it burning for at least 1 hour as we remember all babies that have died too soon.

Local Remembrance Event

MercyOne North Iowa Birth Center, spiritual care and pathology department collaborate to host a memorial service to recognize National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day annually on October 15.

Parents and families are invited to a 5:30 p.m. memorial service at Fullerton Funeral Home, 123 2nd Street SE, Mason City, then travel to Lullaby Lane in Elmwood Cemetery, Mason City for a prayer for the cremated ashes laid to rest under a monument next to a paver pathway.

Many people find closure and healing in this ritual of a memorial service.  Our team offers this service to recognize life and to validate the grief felt by families following their loss.

We want to assist you in your journey – to bring comfort by saying goodbye and to find healing and hope for the future. Please contact the bereavement team in the birth center with any questions at 641-428-7219.

CaringBridge

Share your family’s story and photos of your newborn by creating a secure page on CaringBridge. It’s easy and free! Click here to begin. 

Family Connections 

Family Connections is a team of nurses, social workers and early childhood educators who offer resources and programs for pregnant and parenting families in North Iowa. They provide comprehensive home visits for residents of Cerro Gordo, Hancock and Worth counties as well as parent education classes available for individuals in all counties. They are a listening ear and a helping hand.

As part of MercyOne North Iowa’s Birth Center and Pediatric Unit, Family Connections is here to help you before and after your delivery, up until your children are five years old, if needed. You may enroll in our program at any time during your pregnancy or your children’s first five years. 

For pregnant families 

• Prenatal care and education for healthy pregnancies, physical changes and discomfort, emotional needs, fetal growth and development education.
• Parenting and child development classes on various topics.
• Postpartum depression support. 

For parenting families 

• Child Development Education at each milestone.
• Ages & Stages screening 0-5 years old for gross and fine motor skills, language development and problem solving.
• Support for single, teen and first-time parenting.
• Assistance with sibling rivalry, bed time routines, stress management and behavior management. 

Family Connections has been serving families in North Iowa for the past 18 years and is completely funded by grants and donations. Please help us continue to serve North Iowa families for many years to come. 

For more information, contact: 641-428-5819 or 1-800-433-3883 ext. 82525 or email Chelsie Hinton at Chelsie.Hinton@mercyhealth.com