HealthPartners - Your guide to pregnancy

HOSPITAL OR BIRTH CENTER? You’ll want to start looking at hospitals and birth centers during the first few months of your pregnancy. Your choice will most likely depend on your insurance carrier, your medical needs, and where your health care provider has admitting privileges. Most hospitals and birth centers will let you tour their facility. Questions to ask before choosing a facility: • Does it have single LDRs (labor, delivery, and recovery rooms) or LDRPs (labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum rooms)? • How many people can be in the room for the birth? • What is its policy on rooming-in ? • What are its visiting hours and who can visit? • What are its safety and security procedures?

YOUR BABY’S HEALTH CARE PROVIDER It’s important to choose a health care provider for your baby before you go into labor. This should be a qualified medical professional who specializes in caring for children. Many providers are happy to let you visit their office while you are pregnant. If you can, take someone with you to this visit. If you have a health insurance plan with a preferred provider list, check to make sure that the person you choose is on the list. If you have Medicaid coverage, the Health Department or your caseworker can give you a list of approved health care providers.

CORD BLOOD BANKING Collecting leftover blood from the umbilical cord and placenta after birth is called cord blood banking. Cord blood contains stem cells, which may be lifesaving for people with certain cancers, blood disorders, and immune diseases. Collected blood can be stored in either a public or a private cord blood bank. If you want your cord blood collected after birth, talk with your health care provider at least 2 months before your due date .

Your baby’s umbilical cord is attached to the placenta 1

The umbilical cord is clamped in 2 places and then cut 2

The blood is drained through a tube into a special collection bag 3

Package the collection kit and ship it to your chosen facility for processing and storage 4

The cord blood stem cells are preserved in a liquid nitrogen storage tank in a secure facility 5

Your Guide to A Healthy Pregnancy

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