Labor and delivery

Maternity center in Idaho Falls, ID

At Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, we take a family-focused approach to labor and delivery, offering the highest levels of medical care in the region.

Our expert labor and delivery nurses and physicians support you during labor and after your baby is born, to provide you with the birthing experience you desire.

After your baby is born, EIRMC offers the most comprehensive and advanced pediatric care, as well as access to pediatric subspecialties for children from birth to 18 years old.

Our labor and delivery unit

We offer many amenities to keep you and your support person comfortable and safe, including:

• Welcome goodie basket
• King-size beds for you and your family to snuggle!
• Bathrobe to use during your stay
• Your companion enjoys complimentary meal trays and snacks.
• Flavored syrups for clear fluids and ice chips
• Being able to choose your own clothing during labor (or no clothing)
• Warm blankets and cloths, heating pads
• Cool cloths, ice packs
• Dim or minimal lights
• Adjustable room temperature
• Preferred musical options
• Whisper/ quiet voices
• Special three-course “stork” dinner for you and your support person
• Open nutrition room with snacks and drinks for you and your support person
• Support person can “room in” 24/7
• Sleeper sofa, recliner, TV and internet access
• Family can be present during delivery and visit whenever you would like

For your safety:

• Most experienced labor and delivery nurses, doctors and staff
• Wireless, beltless fetal monitoring (allows for your free movement while keeping baby safe)
• Region’s most experienced Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with specialists providing around-the-clock care for critically ill newborns. We are equipped to care for babies born as early as 23 weeks gestation or with severe health conditions requiring immediate attention.
• Two designated suites for Cesarean sections (C-sections) to expedite delivery in emergencies
• Postpartum tubal ligation with your C-section or after vaginal delivery, if you choose

For pain management:

• IV pain medication and epidural
• Medication for nausea, headache, heart burn, sleeping
• Tools like birthing ball, peanut ball, birthing stool, massage ball
• Freedom to walk in your room and down hallways
• Movement techniques such as squatting, lunging, pelvic tilts
• Position changes in bed (per your comfort and request)
• Massage and counter-pressure techniques
• Guided imagery and visualization
• Breathing techniques

For your baby’s care:

• "Skin to skin" contact between mom and baby immediately after delivery to facilitate bonding and promote newborn stability
• Support from our international board-certified lactation consultants, if you choose to breastfeed
• An infant security system to protect your baby throughout your hospital stay
• Hearing tests for newborns
• Jaundice testing and monitoring; light therapy when needed to prevent kernicterus (brain damage)

Build your birth plan

At EIRMC, we want you and your baby to have the birth experience you desire. We also want you to feel comfortable, safe and heard.

That's why we encourage you to complete and print a birth plan to discuss in advance with your physician. Our team will do our very best to honor your wishes while maintaining our obligation to keep you and your baby safe and healthy.

Build your birth plan now

Intensive care for newborns

Sometimes after birth, your baby may require a bit more help. We know this can be a stressful thought, but our experts in our Level III NICU have your child's health as their highest priority. With a multidisciplinary team and specialists in maternal-fetal and critical care needs, even if your child has a preexisting or newly developed condition, we can assess and treat them as soon as they arrive.

We want to be as comprehensive as possible, and sometimes our team can identify problems and plan for them before you go into labor. We provide access to high-level specialists and physicians and offer prenatal services for moms experiencing or expecting pregnancy complications.

Midwifery care

Our team is all about providing various options for women who are expecting. That's why we offer access to Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) to deliver babies at EIRMC. If you are expecting a low-risk birth, a CNM-attended hospital birth might be the right choice for you.

A CNM is an advanced practice registered nurse who has completed, at minimum, a master's degree in nursing. They are certified with the American Midwifery Certification Board, and at EIRMC, undergo a credentialing process similar to physicians.

Some of the benefits of a CNM include:

• For many pregnant moms, CNMs offer a more natural birth experience with as much help as you want or need along the way. Their deliveries occur in the hospital, and they promote different pain management options while assisting in labor and childbirth.
• They remain with you throughout labor and are highly trained to recognize problems that might require a doctor's attention.

Like an obstetrician, a CNM provides regular education and counseling during pregnancy (including developing a personalized birth plan) and offers postpartum care.

CNMs cannot perform surgical interventions in an emergency. CNMs are generally not recommended for high-risk pregnancies, such as multiple births or women with diabetes, high blood pressure, or pre-existing health conditions.

Childbirth classes

"We're Having A Baby" begins with our Certified Lactation Consultants teaching the benefits and importance of breastfeeding. Next, our childbirth educator focuses on labor and delivery and postpartum education. A local pediatrician continues your education with a focus on newborn care. The class ends with a tour or our Women's Center and Labor & Delivery units.

This class is ideal for expectants parents at least six months into pregnancy.

It occurs on the second Saturday of the month, 9:00am to 1:00pm, in EIRMC Classroom A&B.

Register for a class

Breastfeeding your baby

We aim to support you and your baby in achieving your breastfeeding goals.

Breastfeeding best practices include:

• Performing skin-to-skin care with your baby immediately after delivery and throughout the first week of life. Baby holding helps babies succeed with breastfeeding.
• Feeding your baby on-demand and unscheduled. Keeping baby skin-to-skin and watching for early feeding cues are key to success.
• Rooming with your baby during your hospital stay. We encourage continuous, uninterrupted bonding time with your baby. The more time you spend in close contact with your baby, the faster your baby will learn to breastfeed.
• Massaging your breast lightly, stroke your baby's cheek, or gently rub the baby's head, back and feet intermittently to keep the baby awake and sucking while nursing.
• Breastfeeding should not be painful. With a proper latch, the baby should have lips that are flanged outward and full cheeks. If you are having pain with the baby's latch, break the suction with a light finger in the corner of the baby's mouth and allow the baby to reattempt the latch.
• The more time your baby spends nursing, the more milk your body makes. Your body knows the perfect amount of milk your baby needs based on how often the baby eats. If you are away from your baby during a feeding, you will need to remove milk from your breasts with a breast pump or hand expression to replace the feeding and maintain your supply.

Outpatient lactation center

EIRMC’s outpatient lactation clinic is a resource for moms in the community with questions about breastfeeding. This one-on-one clinic helps moms with their breastfeeding challenges, including:

• Effectiveness of feeding and proper positioning
• Latching difficulties
• Low milk supply and information on increasing milk
• Medical issues during breastfeeding
• Normal infant behavior related to feedings
• Pain with feeding/sore nipples
• Questions about pumping and going back to work
• Reassurance

We offer a one-time complimentary consultation to assist new moms. To schedule, please leave a message at (208) 529-7171.

Breast milk donations and donor milk

Sometimes, premature babies, like those in EIRMC’s (NICU), depend on donated breast milk to thrive when their mom’s milk is unavailable. EIRMC assists by being the region’s only donation center for new moms to drop off their extra/unused breast milk.

If you have saved breast milk or are currently breastfeeding, consider donating to the Breast Milk Donation Center at EIRMC. To become a donor, contact us at (208) 529-7171.

Can I donate milk?

Taking care of your baby is your first priority. Once you have established your milk supply and your own baby’s needs, becoming a donor might be an option for you. You likely qualify as a donor if:

• You are in generally good health
• You are a non-smoker
• You are taking no medications regularly

To become a donor:

1. Call (208) 529-7171 to refer you to the milk bank.
2. Trained lactation consultants conduct a short phone pre-screening.
3. You will be sent a comprehensive screening form to submit.
4. A lactation consultant will contact you to schedule a blood test at EIRMC for free.
5. Once you sign the donor consent form and your doctor signs the medical release form, you are ready to donate milk.
6. You will be provided with containers to store your milk.
7. Drop off your milk at EIRMC; that’s all there is to it.

After you donate your milk:

1. Milk is received and stored in large freezers maintained at -20° C or colder.
2. Milk is pooled together into large flasks and then poured into sanitized glass bottles.
3. The bottles are placed in a pasteurizer, brought to 62.5, for 30 minutes.
4. The bottles are cooled immediately, labeled and placed in freezers.
5. A small sample of the milk is analyzed to assess fats, proteins and lactose.
6. A sample from each batch is sent to the lab to be tested for any bacterial growth.
7. Once approved, the milk is sent coast to coast to babies in hospitals and homes.

Prenatal care for a healthy pregnancy

If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, these are ways you can promote a healthy pregnancy and baby:

• Alcohol — When you drink alcohol, so does your unborn baby. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
• Diabetes — Poor control of diabetes during pregnancy increases the chance for birth abnormalities and other problems for your baby. It can cause severe complications for you, too.
• Environmental and workplace exposures — Some workplace hazards can affect the health of your unborn baby.
• Folic acid — Folic acid is a B vitamin that can help prevent significant birth abnormalities.
• High blood pressure — Existing high blood pressure can increase your risk of problems during pregnancy. Talk to your doctors about ways to maintain healthy blood pressure and how to monitor it.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) — If you are pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant, get a test for HIV as soon as possible and encourage your partner to get tested as well. If you are pregnant and have HIV, talk to your doctor about what you can do to keep yourself healthy and protect your baby.
• Medications — Taking certain medications during pregnancy might cause serious birth abnormalities for your baby. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about anything you are taking. These include prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary or herbal supplements.
• Smoking — Smoking during pregnancy is the single most preventable cause of illness and death among mothers and infants. Learn more about the dangers of smoking and find help to quit.
• Unborn babies exposed to radiation — If you think you might have been exposed to radiation, talk with your doctor.
• Vaccinations — Talk to your doctor about vaccinations. Many are safe and recommended during pregnancy, but some are not. Having the proper vaccinations at the right time can help keep you and your baby healthy.
• West Nile virus — Take steps to reduce your risk for West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne infections.