Labor & Delivery
Turn to the experienced team at Adventist HealthCare when it’s time for your baby to be born.
When Should I Go to the Birth Center?
Call your doctor if you have symptoms of labor, which may include:
- Back pain
- Contractions (cramps) that last more than 30 seconds and happen more often than every four to five minutes
- Lightening or dropping of the baby bump
- Pressure or fullness
- Water breaking, or leaking of fluid from the vagina
Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, your doctor may recommend you go to the Birth Center or the nearest hospital. Labor before week 37 of pregnancy is known as premature labor.
Scheduled Delivery
Depending on certain factors, your doctor may schedule you for a planned delivery. Your doctor may recommend:
- Induction – This means your care team will start labor with medicine or another method instead of waiting for labor to start on its own.
- Cesarean section (C-section) – This is a surgical procedure to deliver a baby. If you have a planned C-section, you’ll need certain blood tests done before the procedure. Talk to your care team about how to prepare.
Where to Go
You may give birth at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center or Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center.
Shady Grove Birth Center
If you’re arriving for a scheduled procedure, such as an induction or Cesarean birth, park in the Visitor’s Parking Lot at the front of the hospital and enter through the main hospital entrance. Turn right and take the elevators at the end of the hallway to the Birth Center on the third floor.
If you’re in labor or it’s after 8 p.m., park in the Emergency Department parking lot and enter through the Emergency Department entrance, where you can find a wheelchair if you need one. Turn left and follow the signs down the hallway to the garden elevators. Take the elevators to the Birth Center on the third floor.
White Oak Medical Center Birth Center
When arriving in active labor, please enter through the Main Lobby and go to the front desk to check-in. You will be directed to Labor & Delivery on the fourth floor.
If you're arriving for a scheduled procedure, such as an induction or Cesarean birth, park in the Parking Garage at the side of the hospital and enter through the Pavilion entrance. Please go to the front desk to check-in.
If you're in active labor between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., please park in the Emergency Department parking lot and enter through the Emergency Department entrance, where you can find a wheelchair if you need one. Please check in with the security officer in the Emergency Department lobby who will direct you to Labor & Delivery.
Is My Baby Ready to Be Born?
If you go to the Birth Center because of labor symptoms, your doctor or midwife will give you an assessment. Your provider will determine if it’s time for you to go to a labor and delivery suite or if you can return to the comfort of your home until you’re further along.
What to Expect at the Birth Center
Your labor and delivery suite at the Birth Center provides a calm, specialized setting to welcome your baby to the world.
During Childbirth
Trust your Birth Center care team to follow your birth plan as much as possible, prioritize your safety and wellbeing, and provide personalized services for a smooth delivery.
Pain Relief & Comfort Options
Trust your team to help you feel as comfortable as possible and ease labor pain with options such as:
- Breathing techniques
- Labor tubs of warm water
- Pain medicines
- Epidural or spinal anesthesia
You’re also able to bring a birthing ball, a rubber ball you can sit on during labor.
Bond with Your Newborn
After your baby is born, you and your baby will move to a private Mother/Baby suite. Enjoy spending time with your newborn while you have access to the support of your Birth Center care team.
