What to Expect

Print Version
From low-intervention birthing rooms to fully equipped operating rooms for emergency situations, UNC Health Southeastern offers a range of prenatal options for each woman's unique needs. The Labor and Delivery Unit provides quality medical care in a relaxing modern setting. This unit features a maternity admissions area that offers mothers privacy and comfort for their early labor examination.

We offer all the maternity care services you need, including:

Private birthing suites
Infant feeding support
Help for fragile newborns
Emergency services
Childbirth and parenting education
Private birthing suites

You can have the childbirth experience you desire, with top medical care always accessible.

Our homelike labor and delivery rooms offer mothers the convenience of staying in the same room before and during birth and for a short period after delivery. Each room has a warm, comfortable atmosphere with a private bath, rocking chair and soft décor.

What To Expect When You’re Being Induced

When you are being induced there are several things you should expect:

Expect the entire process to take anywhere from 24-48 hours.
Depending on the type of induction, expect to have regular painful contractions (every 2-3 minutes).
Expect to have a vaginal exam every 4-6 hours.
Expect to have electronic continuous monitoring of your baby’s heart rate.
Expect to not be able to eat solid foods (you will likely be placed on a clear liquid diet)
Expect to not be able to walk around after your cervix reaches a certain level of dilation or after your amniotic membranes have been ruptured.

The Different Types Of Induction Methods

There are many different ways we can induce your labor.

Prostaglandin Medications

Prostaglandins are the most commonly used medications for ripening or preparing your cervix for labor induction.

Mechanical Dilation

Mechanical dilation uses pressure to dilate your cervix, rather than medications.

Amniotomy

Amniotomy is a process in which we “break your water.” This is known as AROM, or artificial rupture of membranes.

Membrane Stripping

Pain Management

You have many options when it comes to managing the pain of labor. Our staff will help you make pain management choices that suit your individual needs. Physicians specializing in pain management (anesthesiologists) are available 24 hours a day. Our staff is also trained to coach you through natural childbirth in which pain medication is not used. Discuss your options for pain management with your doctor. Choose from a variety of methods, including:

Birthing balls – Large rubber balls you can sit on to lessen discomfort and open your hips for birth
Breathing techniques
Epidural anesthesia – An injection that numbs the body from the waist down
Intravenous (IV) pain medication

What to Expect During Labor

When you arrive at the hospital, a nurse will determine your stage of labor. Your nurse will monitor your health and your baby’s health until it’s time to deliver.

Whenever possible, your care team will allow your labor to progress naturally. Your care team has ways to induce or speed up labor to protect your health and your baby’s health if needed. You can walk the halls or use an exercise ball during the early stages of labor to help you stay comfortable.

Cesarean Birth

Your doctor may recommend a Cesarean delivery if you:

• Experience complications during labor

• Have a baby in the breech position (bottom-down instead of head-down)

• Have a high-risk pregnancy

• Have a history of gynecological surgery

You may choose to receive care from our OB-GYNs or certified nurse midwives. We are the area’s only medical center with 24/7 nurse midwifery services.

You have access to:

Nurses trained in spinning babies (a physiological approach to preparing for and caring for birth)
Wireless fetal monitors so you can walk around, speeding labor
Jetted whirlpool tub
Private showers in all rooms
Infant feeding support

As a designated Baby-Friendly® Hospital, we offer assistance from our lactation consultant or maternity nurses to help you succeed at breastfeeding. Should you choose to use infant formula, we show you how to prepare formula and bottle-feed your baby safely.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Help for fragile newborns Medically fragile newborns receive advanced care at our Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). If your baby needs special medical care following delivery, rest assured they’ll receive 24/7 attention in our NICU.

Childbirth and parenting education

We offer classes and programs to help you feel confident in your new parenting role. Programs include:

Breastfeeding classes
Safe Sleep Awareness for Every Well Newborn (SAFE) Program

Care After Birth

Once you have your baby, you’ll move into a private mom-and-baby suite to recover and bond. Rely on your care team to help you:

Feed your baby
Give your baby a bath
Hold your baby skin-to-skin
Spend as much time with your baby as possible
Answer questions about your postpartum care
Breastfeeding Support

If you choose to breastfeed, get help nursing your baby from a breastfeeding specialist.

Your Care Plan

View details about what to expect each day on the communication board in your room. Your nurse will update your board daily to inform you and your care team about your Hospital stay.

Pediatric Visit

A pediatrician will visit you and your baby in the Hospital to perform newborn tests and other healthcare services your new baby needs.

All babies should be seen by a pediatrician within 24-48 hours after discharge from the Hospital.

Birth Certificate & Social Security

You’ll receive forms to request your baby’s birth certificate and social security number. A birth registrar is available if you have questions. Depend on our staff to pick up the paperwork from you before you go home and submit it to the North Carolina Department of Health.

Going Home

Rely on our team to help you prepare to bring your baby home. Expect to leave between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on the day your doctor says it’s OK for you to leave. If you had a vaginal birth, you’ll typically go home one day after delivery. If you deliver your baby by Cesarean, you’ll go home two days after you have your baby.

If your doctor prescribes any medications, you can fill and pick up your prescriptions at the UNC Health Southeastern Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy before leaving the hospital.