Update for Expecting Moms
No matter what is happening in the world, babies will still be born. We recognize if you are an expecting mother, you probably have many questions regarding COVID-19 and we want to do our best to help you understand how the virus may impact your delivery.
Please know Mountain View Hospital is taking all of the necessary precautions to keep you and your baby safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Protocols at the Hospital. Mountain View Hospital is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and strictly enforcing them throughout the hospital. This starts at our front door. Mountain View Hospital is taking temperatures of everyone who enters the hospital, including employees, to ensure no one is running a fever. Patients and visitors are also being screened for COVID-19 symptoms and will be asked if they’ve traveled to an area with wide spread of the coronavirus or been close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19. Of course, if you are in labor, the hospital will work to get you into a delivery suite as quickly as possible. These extra measures are designed to keep patients within the hospital safe and reduce your chances of being exposed to any illness.
Changes to Visitation. In order to reduce the number of people coming and going from the hospital, especially on the Labor and Delivery floor, Mountain View has temporarily implemented a new visitor policy. New moms can have one visitor during their delivery and stay at the hospital. The support person needs to be the same person the entire time. To protect the health of moms, babies and our team, we ask the support person to try and limit the number of trips in and out of the hospital.
We understand this is an exciting time in your life and you may want family and friends nearby. Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to limit the number of people coming to the hospital to protect you and our other patients. We encourage our patients utilize FaceTime or other video chat options to stay connected with loved ones while they are at the hospital. We will also take a photo of your newborn and post it to our online nursery, so you can easily share it with your network.
COVID-19 Screening. As your delivery date gets closer, your doctor will keep a close eye on your overall wellbeing. Given the rising concerns over COVID-19, your doctor will also screen you to see if you’re showing any signs of the virus. Mountain View Hospital has set up special delivery suites to accommodate moms who may have COVID-19. Even if you have the virus, you will still be able to deliver your baby at Mountain View Hospital. The delivery suites we’ve designated for COVID-19 will allow us to provide you and your baby excellent care, while keeping you separated from other new moms and babies, so the virus does not spread. Early studies show, COVID-19 is not transferred through the placenta or breast milk. Even if you have COVID-19 when you deliver, you should be able to be near your baby as long as you wear a face mask.
Prenatal & Maternity Classes. To keep expecting moms healthy, Mountain View Hospital is limiting the number of participants in our prenatal and maternity classes for the time being. This allows us to ensure we can hold the class safely by following social distancing guidelines. Classes are held second Saturday of every month. To reserve your spot in an upcoming class, please call 208-557-2729.
Tours. We understand expecting parents are still anxious to come and see the hospital. For the past few months, we have put our tours on hold for our patients’ safety but we will start hosting limited tours each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Anyone who would like to come and tour the Labor & Delivery Unit at Mountain View Hospital will need to call us at 208-557-2729 to reserve a spot. To limit the size of tours, we will offer 15 minutes tours and only take one couple at a time. Space is limited, so please call us at your earliest convenience to secure your spot. Please expect to be asked a short series of COVID-19 screening questions before your tour. If our tour times do not work for your schedule, we encourage you to check out our virtual tour here.
We are committed to keeping you and your baby safe. We understand this is a lot of information to take in at once. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our Women's Center at 208-557-2729.
