HARLINGEN – Expectant parents are finding valuable information to help them prepare for the birth of their baby through free childbirth classes which are held at Harlingen Medical Center.
The classes are held on the last Saturday morning of every month, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, in the hospital’s Medical Office Building (MOB) Conference Room, located at 5505 S. Expressway 77 in Harlingen (on the first floor of the building closest to the Expressway, behind the elevators, in Suite 102).
It is recommended that new mothers attend the childbirth preparation class during the 7th, 8th or 9th month of pregnancy. The free class includes information on labor, pain relief / medications, cesarean births, and breastfeeding, and includes a tour of Harlingen Medical Center’s women’s services facilities, including:
* “Homelike” labor and delivery suites
*All-private post-partum suites
* Dedicated OB/GYN operating suites
* 21-bassinet newborn nursery
The childbirth classes are taught by Priscilla Claudio, RN, IBCLC, who is also one of two certified lactation consultants for breastfeeding at Harlingen Medical Center.
Studies have shown that breast milk helps protect newborn babies from many health conditions. As part of the effort to encourage breastfeeding, Harlingen Medical Center teaches mothers about “skin-to-skin breastfeeding” during the “golden hour,” the first hour after the baby is born. This also helps to make bonding closer between mom and baby.
“At Harlingen Medical Center, there is continuous support for breastfeeding, because it is a learning process,” said Ursula Villarreal, RN, Director of the Women’s Center at Harlingen Medical Center.
Ms. Villarreal added that HMC is committed to making the birthing experience a good experience for each patient, with Valley women benefitting from a family-centered approach which features personalized nursing care.
Under this unique approach, a mother who goes into labor is matched one-to-one with a specially-trained registered nurse, who then stays with the same mother as long as possible – both before and after the baby is born.
“We try to keep it one-to-one between our nurses and the new mother,” Ms. Villarreal said. “It’s personalized, with the same nurse with the same patient as long as possible … we try not to ‘hand off’ the patient, but instead promote continuity in the care of the patient.”
For more information about women’s services at Harlingen Medical Center – or to register for the free childbirth classes — please call (956) 365-1139, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.harlingenmedicalcenter.com/Services/Womens-Center.aspx.
