During your stay

Meals and snacks

Meals will be delivered to your room. Nourishment rooms offer drinks and snacks to you and your partner or support person anytime. Your family and friends may be able to order meals for a fee. The hospital cafeteria, located on the first floor, offers additional dining and snack options.

Rooming in

Research shows that babies who stay in the same room as their mothers adjust better, and new moms rest and recover better. Keep your baby with you as much as possible throughout your stay, so you can bond and learn to recognize your baby’s needs.

Hand-washing

As your new baby’s immune system develops, hand-washing is an important way to prevent infection. Protect your newborn by asking visitors to wash their hands before touching your baby. If anyone is sick — even mildly — ask them not to visit until they are feeling better.

Newborn photos

Ask your nurse for more information on newborn photography in the hospital. Often a photographer will visit your room, and take photos if you request. Fees vary by hospital.

Newborn security

Your baby’s security is important to us. Never leave your baby unattended. If you need to be away from your baby for any reason, let your nurse know so we can make sure your little one is safely cared for.

Once your baby is born, mom, baby, and one other person designated by mom will receive ID bands with numbers that match. The numbers are matched again at discharge. The hospital also provides HUGS protection bands, which are placed on your baby’s ankle to make sure he or she remains in the mother-baby unit.

Hospital employees are required to wear pink photo ID badges at all times. If you’re ever uncomfortable with the person who is asking to take your baby from you, use your nurse call button to ask for an additional staff member to confirm the request. If you have any questions about security procedures, please ask your nurse.

Newborn screenings

All newborns undergo painless screening tests. Your care team will explain your baby’s tests that happen at birth and soon after.

Breastfeeding

Breast milk is nature’s perfect first food, and breastfeeding can enhance the bond between you and your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and continued breastfeeding through the first year of life.

Learn more about breastfeeding >

Support for successful breastfeeding:

• Breastfeeding classes offered by the hospital will help you learn about breastfeeding positions, milk supply, preventing and managing pain, pumping, milk storage, and working while breastfeeding.

• We encourage skin-to-skin contact, which triggers healthy baby behaviors. It helps your little one stay warm on their own, breathe on their own, and learn to nurse.

• Most labor and delivery and postpartum nurses are trained breastfeeding specialists. Hospitals also have lactation consultants available to you. Ask for help if you need it.

Lactation consultants

If you need additional support, a lactation consultant will come to help you while you’re in the hospital. Lactation consultants are also available after you go home.

Leaving the hospital

After you have your baby, you’ll be seen daily by nurses and obstetricians who will care for you during recovery and help determine when you’re ready to go home. The length of your hospital stay will depend on a variety of factors.

If you have a vaginal birth, you may be ready go home when your baby is 1 or 2 days old. If you have a cesarean birth, you’ll need to stay a bit longer.

On the day you leave the hospital, a member of your care team will complete the discharge process with you so you can get home and settled in on your own with baby.

Secure checkout

When you’re ready to leave, your support person should bring the car up to the entrance where you entered in labor. A staff member will wheel you and your baby downstairs after you’ve gone through a secure checkout.

Car seat

Colorado law requires that you take your baby home in a car seat. We encourage you to ask your hospital or care providers about car seat installation classes before your baby is born. It also helps to have your car seat installed a few weeks before your baby is due.

Car seat installation resources

Always read and follow the car seat instructions, as well as your vehicle seat belt instructions. You can find guidelines for safe car seat installation online. You can also call 1-866-SEAT-CHECK (1-866-732-8243), or go to seatcheck.org to find a seat-inspection location certified by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Home care for new moms and their babies

The Perinatal Hospital and Home Care (PHHC) Program from Kaiser Permanente offers members in Denver/Boulder access to a team of nurse practitioners and nurse midwives who specialize in caring for new moms and babies.

Your ob-gyn may arrange for the PHHC team to see you while you’re still in the hospital. If you choose, you may receive a home visit one to three days after you’re discharged from the hospital. In the comfort of your home, a PHHC nurse will complete a physical exam for you and your baby, provide breastfeeding support, conduct a postpartum depression screening, and answer any questions you may have.