We are committed to enhancing your experience by offering comfort and top of the line. You will receive personal care and:

• A spacious, private, birthing suites (which can accommodate overnight guests and visitors) featuring private bathrooms with whirlpool tubs, refrigerators, and specially designed baby baths
• Free Prenatal, birthing, and breastfeeding classes
• On-demand room service that allows you to choose from our extensive Mahaska Health Café menu
• We endeavor to help you follow your birth plan as closely as possible
• A Celebration Dinner- Before you leave the Birthing Center, we treat you and your partner or guest to a Celebration Dinner from a special gourmet menu. It’s our way of saying “thank you” for choosing the Mahaska Health Birthing Center.

Other amenities include:

• Expanded cable television
• Apple TV
• Wireless internet for use with your personal electronic devices

Items you may want to bring:

• Clothes for mom and baby to go home in. Don’t forget a blanket for baby and loose-fitting or maternity clothing for mom
• Socks, slippers
• Toiletries
• Reading material
• Nursing bra, if you are planning to breastfeed
• Contact information for friends and family
• Infant car seat
• Baby book
• Personal laptop or other electronic devices for use with wireless internet and Apple TV

We supply the following:

• Gown
• Robe
• Shampoo
• Underwear
• Toothpaste and toothbrush
• Comb
• Sanitary napkins

Please feel free to bring any of your own items for your comfort and personal needs.

If you are able, please call the Birthing Center at 641.672.3170. If you do not receive an answer, wait for the operator to pick up or dial 641.672.3100.

When you arrive at the hospital:

• Use the emergency entrance (entrance #5) and check in at the Emergency Services Registration window.

Anyone, whether you’re delivering at Mahaska Health or not, is welcome to enroll in on line classes, free of charge. It’s just one of the ways we hope to help you and your partner feel more confident and comfortable as you embark on this new beginning.

To register or for more information, please email birthingclasses@mahaskahealth.org or contact the Birthing Center at 641.672.3170.

• Birthing Class

Participants learn prenatal care, labor, delivery, postpartum and baby care. For more information, please email birthingclasses@mahaskahealth.org with your contact information, the classes you wish to attend, and a nurse will contact you.

• Breastfeeding Class

This class is for new mothers as well as those that would like a refresher and is led by Mahaska Health’s Board Certified Lactation Counselor.  We can help you with what to expect and how to manage possible difficulties to help you be successful in your breastfeeding journey.

To register or for more information, please email birthingclasses@mahaskahealth.org with your contact information, the classes you wish to attend, and a nurse will contact you.

The class will cover:

• Breastfeeding techniques and positions
• How to read your baby’s hunger cues
• What to expect in the early days
• Benefits for both moms and babies
• How your baby’s feeding needs may change over time

Additionally, Oskaloosa AHFA MCAH and WIC Breastfeeding Support Group meet at Mahaska Health 3rd Thursday of every month, at 5:30pm, with Certified Lactation Counselors.

For more information click here!

• Lactation Consultation and Perfect Beginnings Support

At the Mahaska Health Birthing Center, our goal is to support you through your delivery and recovery, during your stay and after you return home.
To help you transition into parenthood seamlessly, we offer the Perfect Beginnings program, an optional program that provides parents with helpful information during the crucial first weeks of your baby’s life.

Perfect Beginnings starts before you even leave the birthing center. All of our nurses are breastfeeding educators, and if you choose to breastfeed, we have Board Certified Lactation Counselors who can visit with you during your stay. When you are discharged from the hospital, you have the option of a Perfect Beginnings Registered Nurse coming to your home to provide ongoing support as needed.

During the first home visit by an RN, the nurse will provide a brief assessment of the mother and baby, including a weight check for the infant. The nurse will also cover numerous educational topics such as nutritional/feeding issues, infant/child safety, SIDS education on proper sleep positioning and environmental factors, newborn care and address any questions parents may have.

Through Lactation Consultation during your hospital stay and after discharge, as well as the Perfect Beginnings program, we strive to provide support and comforting peace of mind. If you have questions or experience difficulty with breastfeeding, the Birthing Center nurses are in-house 24/7 and would be happy to assist you.