After Delivery

Continued Care for You and Your Baby

Your care doesn’t end once your baby arrives. Our team continues to support you and your newborn through the first important days together. During your stay, you can expect guidance on breastfeeding and infant feeding, safe sleep practices and newborn care. Families may also choose services such as newborn photography or circumcision. In addition, required screenings and tests will be completed to help ensure your baby’s health and safety before going home.

Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding Support

Our hospital has International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants available to support your infant feeding needs. At Centra Southside Community Hospital, nurses are trained to support your infant feeding needs. Hospital grade breast pumps are available for inpatient use. Your care team will provide pump parts and flanges.

All physicians, providers, nurse practitioners and nurses caring for you and your newborn have received special education on supporting breastfeeding and infant feeding. We offer outpatient lactation consultation with referral from your provider in our Pediatric Specialty Clinic located at Virginia Baptist Hospital.

For support after discharge, we have a WarmLine (434.401.9344) and peer support group, Baby Café. Baby Café is on Wednesdays from 10 am – 12 pm at Virginia Baptist Hospital.

Lactation Support | Centra Health

Intensive Care Nursery

Our hospital has a neonatal intensive care unit located at Virginia Baptist Hospital. If your baby requires this level of care, the care team will work together to orient you to this space and visitation. Our neonatal intensive care is staffed by registered nurses, neonatologist, and neonatal nurse practitioners to care for your family.

Centra Southside Community Hospital does not have a NICU on campus. Our nursing staff are trained to stabilize and transfer babies as needed. There are several NICUs within an hour of the hospital. We will work with the receiving facility and the family to make the best decision in the event higher level of care is needed. A few of the surrounding NICU facilities include:

Virginia Baptist Hospital, Lynchburg
VCU, Richmond
UVA, Charlottesville

Photography

Your moments are important to us and understand documenting a birth is important to some of our patients. We allow still photography during labor & delivery for this reason, however no video's are currently permitted. We ask that you please refrain from including our care team in your personal photos and videos without their permission. At this time, newborn photography is not provided at the Southside Birth Center. Newborn photography is provided by Bella Baby photography during your stay at Virginia Baptist Hospital.

Bella Baby Photography

Circumcisions

Circumcisions are an elective procedure for newborn males. We respect the decision of our patients and circumcisions are only performed with consent provided by the mother. The procedure occurs on the Mother Baby unit by an obstetric provider after 24 hours of age. Infants who have not received a vitamin K injection will not be eligible for circumcision prior to discharge.

A Parent’s Choice – HealthyChildren.org

Safe Sleep in the Hospital

To ensure the safety of our infant patients, they are provided with a safe sleep surface (bassinet) that is an adjustable height. Infants should not be carried in hallways or areas outside the patient room but should be in their bassinet for transportation. Nothing should be added to the bassinet for safety to include (but not limited to) extra blankets, stuffed animals, or pillows. Infants should sleep in their own bassinet and not share a sleep surface with any adult. When you arrive, our team will share information about the risk of infant falls from bed-sharing while in the hospital.

Safe to Sleep

State Required Tests

Virginia Newborn Screening Program – Virginia Department of Health – VDHLiveWell
- Hearing Screen
  - Dried Blood Spot Testing for genetic, metabolic and inherited conditions
  - Critical Congenital Heart Defects testing
Routine newborn testing and medication will also include:
- Hepatitis B Immunization AAP Recommends that Infants Receive First Hepatitis B Dose within 24 Hours of Birth - HealthyChildren.org
  - Vitamin K injection Why Your Newborn Needs a Vitamin K Shot - HealthyChildren.org
  - Erythromycin eye ointment Erythromycin Eye Ointment for Newborn Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis) - HealthyChildren.org
  - A bilirubin test is a blood test. Jaundice in Newborns - HealthyChildren.org
We have a social work team member to help facilitate any discharge needs or support.
Please ensure you have prepared a safe sleep surface and car seat prior to discharge.
- For support with a free safe sleep surface or car seat you can visit: Child Passenger Safety Program – Central Virginia
- Safe Sleep Program – Central Virginia
The hospital practices delayed bathing for well newborns. The hospital will routinely wait at least 8 hours before newborn bath. Bathing Your Baby - HealthyChildren.org

Birth Certificate and Social Security Card

You will be visited by a Birth Registrar during your stay. You will work together to obtain the information needed by the state of Virginia to complete the record of birth.

If you would like, the hospital can submit your request for a copy of the birth certificate on your behalf.
- If you choose this option, a birth registrar will interview you and get your signature on the documents.
- If you are not legally married, the father of the baby will need to be present with a valid photo ID to sign the birth certificate.
- A check, money order or online payment of $12.00 is required. Check or money order should be payable to the Virginia Department of Health. You can request more than one copy at $12.00 each per copy.
- You will receive the copy of the birth certificate to the address you indicate.
Social Security Card: Please have the name of your baby selected when you are visited by the birth registrar.
Information about birth certificate guidelines in Virginia: § 32.1-257. Filing birth certificates; from whom required; signatures of parents
Birth Registrar: 434.200.4571