Family Birth Center: Labor & Delivery

At SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville, our goal is to best support you in all of your labor and delivery goals. We offer a variety of options during labor, in an environment designed to meet your choices and the vision you have for your labor and birth.

SSM Health supports many options for childbirth. We always keep your wishes and plans in mind first and will always work with your personal and family goals should the situation remain safe to do so.

Family Birth Suites

A peaceful setting for your birth experience.

  • Quiet, spa-like rooms designed to accommodate both you and your partner
  • Includes a pull-out bed for added comfort
  • In-room baby bathing area for convenience
  • Massaging showers to help ease discomfort
  • Birthing balls and guided body positioning support during labor
  • Breastfeeding support
  • Enhanced room service menu featuring organic and locally sourced options
  
  

Childbirth Options

It's important for a mother to be involved in her birth plan. We encourage you to research all available options before developing yours. SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville offers several types of low intervention support. These include but are not limited to:

For low-risk patients, a laboring mom is not always confined to the bed. When appropriate, you can wear a wireless fetal monitor or an intermittent monitor. This allows you to walk around, try standing positions or even labor in a special laboring tub. This option supports movement during labor, increasing comfort and potentially moving the delivery process along.
Many expectant mothers choose to work with a doula. According to DONA International, a Doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth, Their role is to help you achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible. We welcome this additional support in your birthing suite.
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville practices delayed umbilical cord clamping at delivery, a practice that is shown to reduce anemia in infants.

SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville promotes mother and baby skin-to-skin initiation within five minutes of birth and maintained for the first hour, including cesarean-section births. Some of the benefits to this practice include:

  • Contributes to successful newborn transition to extra uterine life
  • Improves infant temperature regulation, blood sugar, and promotes successful breastfeeding
  • Calms both mother and baby

Schedule a lactation appointment with one of our specialists. Call the family birth suites at 608-373-8200.

Support Services

We’ll partner with you during your entire pregnancy. Our services go beyond doctor’s visits. We provide free childbirth preparation classes and support groups to help you throughout the duration of your pregnancy. Topics range from understanding pregnancy and labor to postpartum care.

Free Childbirth Preparation Class in Janesville
Download Birth Plan Template

A Designated Baby-Friendly Hospital

Baby Friendly Logo

SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Janesville has been recognized with the prestigious international recognition as a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital, from Baby-Friendly USA, Inc.

What does the Baby-Friendly USA award mean?

Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities that offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.

To be recognized as a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital, the facility must undergo a rigorous on-site survey. The results are then reviewed at UNICEF Headquarters to determine if the facility meets the global Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative standards.

For questions about the health ministry's Baby-Friendly USA designation, lactation support, or other concerns, call 608-373-8200.

2015 & 2016 Women’s Choice Award®

SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville Family Birth Center team is proud to be the recipient of the 2016 and 2015 Women's Choice Award® as one of America's Best Hospitals for Obstetrics. This coveted, evidence-based designation is the only award that identifies the country's best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction, clinical excellence, and what women say they want from a hospital.

Compassionate Care from Planning to Parenthood

Whether you’re expecting, or trying to conceive, trust the team at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Janesville. We’ll partner with you on this exciting new chapter in your life. Find the nearest OB/GYN today and get started.