Maternity

The premier hospital for maternity services

In fact, Saint Peter's University Hospital has been nationally recognized for its perinatal care services. It became a designated Level IV Perinatal Center in 1973 and the region's first state-designated Regional Perinatal Center in 1992. The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) at Saint Peter’s is dedicated to providing exceptional care to patients with various medical and obstetric complications. There are more than 500 low-birth-weight babies delivered at Saint Peter's University Hospital each year and more than 2,200 high-risk OB clinic visits per year. This large volume provides the backdrop for the residents' experience in high-risk obstetrics. Saint Peter’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has been honored with the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, a testament to the extensive training, expertise and patient-centered care that are the hallmarks of our nurses.  Saint Peter’s University Hospital has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care (ACPC) by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The certification recognizes Saint Peter’s efforts to achieve integrated, coordinated and patient-centered prenatal through postpartum care, including for both complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies.

Labor and Delivery

There are few joys greater than the birth of a child. Saint Peter’s has been blessed over the years to have delivered more babies since opening our doors than many of the hospitals in the area. We are very proud of the fact that so many choose Saint Peter’s for this memorable event. Our experienced doctors and nurses deliver and care for about 5,600 babies in a year, and each delivery is as special as the one before.

A designated admission area for expectant mothers is right outside the delivery rooms in The Dr. Bipin Patel Pavilion, so there is no delay. Even if a woman knows beforehand that she’ll be having a Caesarean—or C-section— she can still be admitted through the Labor and Delivery Unit located in The Dr. Bipin Patel Pavilion, rather than the hospital’s main admitting office.

Saint Peter’s has the resources to support every delivery—no matter how simple or complex—and features private labor and delivery suites with adequate space for daddy or coach to feel welcome during this special time. While nurses keep a close eye on mom during labor, our caregivers keep a close eye on the progress of the baby’s arrival and well-being with fetal monitoring equipment.

Please view our interactive maternity tour to see our rooms, including our private labor and delivery rooms and the nursery, and get an idea of what your time at Saint Peter’s will be like.

The Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center

The Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center is New Jersey’s first Birth Center to be located on the grounds of a hospital and the first and only hospital-owned birth center in the state to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers . Each room features a queen-size bed, a sleeper chair, bathroom with shower and a spa-size Jacuzzi tub where moms can relax during labor. Staffed by Saint Peter’s certified nurse-midwives, the Birth Center offers hotel-like suites and amenities is equipped to offer a variety of nonpharmaceutical pain management options including hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, nerve stimulation, sterile water papules and different massage techniques.

Sharing the Joy

Saint Peter’s helps new parents share the joy of their new arrival with Mom365, a web page where baby photos of your new addition can be shared with loved ones you designate.

TeamBirth

To enhance quality of care, Saint Peter's has launched TeamBirth, a structured method to foster better communication between laboring mothers and the clinical team caring for them. It includes a discussion between the expecting mother and her birth team, reviewing the protocols to be followed throughout the birthing process — one that aligns with her hopes, desires, and concerns. The initiative ensures that the individuals giving birth and the clinicians who are caring for them have shared input and understanding into decisions made during labor and delivery. The program was developed by Ariadne Labs, which is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston..