Expectant mothers arriving at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital’s newly renovated maternity wing will now be able to deliver their precious babies in a bright, new, comfortable environment with the latest equipment and optimal conditions.
“We’ve been in the process of updating the hospital with new buildings and new floors, but we have also been modernizing our existing floors, like the maternity wing,” said Alex Masmela, chief operating officer at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce. “While the footprint is the same as it was before, the nurse’s station, the labor and delivery rooms, the patient rooms and the common areas have all been updated with the comfort of the mother and baby in mind.
“Our biggest advantage is that we are the only hospital on the Treasure Coast with level 2 and level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), which allow us to administer advanced neonatal care and keep the mother and baby together after birth,” Masmela continued.
“Hospitals without NICUs have to transfer babies born with health issues to another hospital with a higher level of care, but the mother can’t go with the baby because she’s recovering from delivery.
“If she has a vaginal delivery she will be [apart from the baby] for 24-48 hours, and if she delivers by cesarean section, it could be even longer. That potential time apart becomes a barrier for many birthing mothers.
“A lot of birthing mothers choose Lawnwood because they know their newborn is going to potentially have issues at birth or they may deliver earlier than expected,” Masmela continued. “Knowing that their baby will get immediate neonatal care while remaining in the same hospital where they are gives them peace of mind.”
Lawnwood has an obstetrician hospitalist and mid-level nurse practitioner on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with back-up physicians on call, according to the hospital. There is also a neonatologist on site 24 hours a day for those special needs babies. If a newborn needs neonatal care, the neonatal team jumps in immediately and starts treating the baby while the OB team continues to manage and stabilize the mother.
“Local obstetricians support the OB hospitalist model because if they are tied up in the office or unable to respond to the call, the patient is cared for immediately,” Masmela said. “The primary obstetrician can still come in and see the patient in the hospital, but for the most part, our OB hospitalists take care of the patients from the time they come in until the time they go home.”
Lawnwood now has seven labor and delivery rooms, a dedicated operating room where cesarean sections are performed, two recovery beds for those mothers who had cesarean section deliveries, and 12 post-postpartum beds.
The days of housing newborns in a nursery where visitors can view them through a window are long gone. At Longwood, the goal is to keep mother and baby together continuously from the time of delivery, whenever possible. The new patient rooms are equipped with everything mothers need to bond with their newborn.
Lawnwood also has a special transition room for mothers of babies being released from NICU.
“Sometimes babies are in NICU for an extensive period of time and the mother still isn’t prepared to have the baby at home,” Masmela continued. “Our transition room has a bed for the mother so she can actually stay here at the hospital while we slowly transition the baby into the room with her. It’s equipped with monitors, emergency call bells and whatever she needs so our nursing staff can support her for any questions, concerns or issues she has. It slowly transitions the family up to where the mother and father are both comfortable bringing their baby home.”
HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital is one of 32 hospitals across the state to be awarded the 2022 Excellence for Maternal Care Awards presented by the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration in recognition of commitment to maternal healthcare and supporting outcomes for mothers and newborns.
“This award reflects the commitment of our staff, physicians and hospital administration to provide the best possible care for patients,” said Dr. Michael Bakerman, chief medical officer. “We are committed to the care and improvement in human life. By providing excellence in maternal care, we provide the best outcomes for both mother and child.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly nine in 10 women who deliver via cesarean section with their first pregnancy have a C-section with subsequent pregnancies, increasing the risk of dangerous or long-term complications.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of cesarean sections,” said Masmela. “Vaginal births are always preferred, unless there for some reason there’s a higher risk.”
In 2023, Lawnwood delivered 1,380 babies, a 9.3 percent increase over 2022. The hospital is on track for a similar increase in births in 2024, with a 9.1 percent growth rate. Its team of board-certified obstetricians, nurse midwives and nurses understand family-centered care and provide quality support throughout the birthing process, according to hospital staff.
You can learn more about HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital’s labor and deliver services by calling 772-461-4000 or visiting www.hcafloridahealthcare.com/locations/lawnwood-hospital/specialties/womens-care.
