What to Expect When You’re Expecting

At the Family Birthing Center at San Ramon Regional Medical Center, our goal is to deliver family-centered care as you welcome the newest member of your family. Our knowledgeable staff provides a caring environment necessary to make your experience the best possible so that you feel safe and at home.

“We are proud to provide convenient access to an excellent team of experts including gynecologists, obstetricians, nurses and surgeons,” said Joanne Vogel, M.D., Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. “We work closely with our patients to provide an individualized treatment plan based on their specific needs.”

In our Family Birthing Center, the focus is always on you and your newborn. Our center provides comprehensive maternity and neonatal care.

“From birthing classes to lactation consultation, our medical team provides education and care,” Dr. Vogel said. “Our nurses generally work one-on-one with patients in labor, which fosters a trusting relationship between the patient and their nurse.”

Our nurses care for mothers on 12-hour shifts and we believe continuity of care is very important before, during and after childbirth.

Patients have access to private, fully equipped labor and delivery suites that are designed with comfort in mind. Each room is connected to a central fetal monitoring system so nurses can easily monitor your baby at all times. We also have dedicated operating suites for caesarean deliveries.

Highly-trained pediatricians from UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland staff the Family Birthing Center in person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and neonatologists are always on-call to ensure your newborn receives excellent care. If your chosen pediatrician is not available, our in-hospital pediatricians provide care for your baby throughout your hospital stay. Our wonderful pediatricians attend births, monitor newborns and care for babies in our Level II special care nursery, which provides on-site support services for babies born with complications. They also consult for pediatric patients in our emergency department.

With August being National Breastfeeding Month, we’d like to take a moment and talk about what this means for new moms.

When it comes to breastfeeding, we understand it’s not always easy and everyone has different preferences. Questions always arise and when they do, we have experienced nurses available to answer them. Is this a proper latch? What are the benefits of breast milk? Is my baby getting enough milk? For these questions and countless others, our trained staff offers answers, techniques and suggestions to help facilitate your breastfeeding success. Whatever decisions you make about breastfeeding, our lactation consultants are here to support you.

“Breast milk contains antibodies that protect infants from certain illnesses, such as ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, and allergies. The longer your baby breastfeeds, the greater the health benefits,” said Fadel Shammout, M.D., OB/GYN at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. “Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of a baby’s life. Breastfeeding should continue up to the baby’s first birthday as new foods are introduced.”

As your baby grows, your breast milk changes to adapt to the baby’s changing nutritional needs. In addition, breastfeeding can benefit you as well.

“Breastfeeding is an excellent investment for your body. It helps the uterus return to its normal size more quickly and may decrease the amount of bleeding you have after giving birth. It also makes it easier to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy, and on top of that you decrease your risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer,” Dr. Shammout explained.

We understand you may have questions related to giving birth during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Melanie Howard, Registered Nurse in our Family Birthing Center, recently spoke about preparing for pregnancy during COVID-19 in a webinar to provide parents with tips and guidance on what to expect. Rest assured, our team has your health and safety top of mind from the moment you enter our doors to the moment you are discharged.

Our experienced team is ready to care for you and your baby. We can’t wait to meet your growing family.