FAQs

Expectant parents often have numerous questions about giving birth at Overlook Medical Center. We’ve provided answers to some of the most commonly asked questions:

• When should I call my doctor or midwife?
  
• Where do I go when it is time to have the baby?
  
• How do I pre-register for the hospital?
  
• When should I sign up for childbirth classes?
  
• How do I get ready to breastfeed?
  
• Who will help me with breastfeeding in the hospital?
  
• Can my partner or support person stay with me during labor and delivery?
  
• Can my family or friends visit me during labor and delivery?
  
• Can my partner or support person stay with me after delivery?
  
• When can my friends and family visit me after the baby is born?
  
• If I want an epidural for pain management during labor, is there an anesthesiologist available 24 hours a day?
  
• What if there is an emergency or my doctor hasn’t arrived at the hospital yet?
  
• What if my pediatrician doesn’t have privileges here?
  
• Does Overlook Medical provide VBACs?

When should I call my doctor or midwife?
You should call your doctor or midwife any time you have questions or concerns about your health or pregnancy. They will want to know when:

• You are having regular contractions
• Your water breaks
• You are concerned about your health or the health of the baby

Most women will have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. However, there are some signs that might indicate a problem. If you notice any of the following signs, you should call your doctor right away:

• Sudden increase in swelling of your face, hands or ankles
• Constant severe headache
• Blurred or fuzzy vision
• Chills, fever or feeling sick
• Sharp or constant pain in your abdomen (belly)
• Any bleeding from your vagina
• Water or watery discharge from your vagina
• Fewer movements by your baby
• Any injury, or if you have fallen or been in a car accident

In general, if you feel that something is not “right,” call your doctor or midwife right away. He or she is prepared to help you if there is a problem. Do not try to treat yourself with medications or home remedies without talking to your doctor first.

Where do I go when it is time to have the baby?
 

• Make sure to call your doctor or midwife to let him or her know you are on your way to the hospital, so the hospital knows to expect you.
  
• Come directly to the Labor and Delivery unit. Enter the hospital through the main lobby entrance (which is on the fifth floor) and take the elevators to the sixth floor. Our Labor and Delivery unit is to the left.
  
• Between 11:00pm and 6:00am, the main lobby doors will be locked. Enter the hospital through the emergency department. Do not stop to be evaluated at the emergency department, but proceed to the elevator and take it from the fourth floor to the sixth floor.
  
• View our campus map >

How do I pre-register for the hospital?
Your obstetrician or midwife’s office should give you a registration packet between pregnancy week 24 and 26. If the office doesn’t give you a packet, contact the Maternity Center Pre-Registration office at 908-522-2304 or maternity.registrationoh@atlantichealth.org. Be sure to look through the packet, which is full of important information.

When you return your pre-registration packet to the hospital, please include:
 

• Your completed registration form
• A copy of your health insurance card
• A copy of a form of photo identification (e.g., driver's license)
• A signed “Acknowledgement of Receipt of Notice of Availability of Supplemental Screening “ form
• Advanced directive (optional)

When should I sign up for childbirth classes?
Parent education classes at Overlook Medical range from prenatal exercise to postpartum infant care. We also offer special classes for grandparents and siblings. Our instructors are experienced, trained and certified to teach all of our pregnancy and parenting programs.

Our Early Pregnancy class provides great information for the first and early second trimester. We also offer a Calm Birth® preparation class, usually taken during the second or third trimesters. We recommend that you take our Prepared Childbirth class, led by registered nurses who are certified childbirth educators, during your seventh month, with a goal of finishing the class by week 37 of your pregnancy; please call at least a month in advance to schedule a class. Overlook also offers classes by experts in areas such as breastfeeding, massage and nutrition.

Learn more about Parent Education >

How do I get ready to breastfeed?
Breastfeeding classes are offered by Overlook Medical’s Parent Education Department. The breastfeeding support staff consists of registered nurses and nurse lactation consultants with years of experience helping new mothers breastfeed their babies.

Additional information about breastfeeding >

Who will help me with breastfeeding in the hospital?
Overlook Medical’s Maternity Center staff members strongly advocate breastfeeding, and we support our families to get the best possible start. All of our nurses are trained to assist you with breastfeeding. Lactation consultants are available Monday through Saturday to assist if you have a specific breastfeeding difficulty or problem.

Can my partner or support person stay with me during labor and delivery?
The presence of a partner or support person during labor and delivery is recommended to facilitate the best possible birth experience for the family, regardless of whether the delivery is vaginal or by Cesarean Section. You may have two support people while in Overlook Medical’s Labor and Delivery unit. Only one person may accompany his or her partner to the Cesarean Section room to be with her during the birth and in the recovery room.

Can my family or friends visit me during labor and delivery?
To protect the privacy, comfort and confidentiality of all of our patients in our Labor and Delivery unit, we ask all visitors to stop at the nurse’s station prior to entering a labor room. A family waiting room is available so that your partner or support person can keep your loved ones up-to-date on your progress.

Can my partner or support person stay with me after delivery?
Your partner or support person is not considered a visitor. He or she can visit at any time, and if you are in a single room, he or she can even stay overnight.

When can my friends and family visit me after the baby is born?
Visiting hours at Overlook Medical’s Maternity Center are from 11:00am to 8:00pm. To provide infant security, adult visitors will be required to present photo identification and sign in prior to entering the Maternity Center. Siblings of the new baby are welcome, but other children under the age of 12 are not permitted to visit. The nursing staff may limit visitors if indicated by patient condition.

If I want an epidural for pain management during labor, is an anesthesiologist available 24 hours a day?
An anesthesiologist is assigned to Labor and Delivery and is present in the hospital at all times.

What if there is an emergency or my doctor hasn’t arrived at the hospital yet?
Overlook Medical is prepared to manage emergency situations at all times. An obstetrician, anesthesiologist and highly skilled obstetric nursing staff are available in Labor and Delivery at all times. In addition, Overlook has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with an emergency neonatal team always ready to respond.

What if my pediatrician doesn’t have privileges here?
Overlook Medical has a pediatric hospitalist program with experienced attending pediatricians who can provide newborn hospital care if your pediatrician does not have privileges. Just like your private pediatrician, the pediatric hospitalist will examine and care for your baby. A brief summary of the newborn hospital stay will be sent to your pediatrician.

Does Overlook Medical provide VBACs?
If you’ve had a Cesarean section, you might be facing a choice about how to give birth to your next child. A vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) may be an option for some women.

Many women who attempt a VBAC delivery are successful. However, there is a risk of uterine rupture associated with VBAC attempts, which can endanger the mother and the baby. It is important to discuss the benefits and risks of VBAC with your obstetric health care provider.

The Maternity Centers at Morristown and Overlook medical centers are adequately prepared to support VBACs in partnership with your obstetric provider. Our in-house board-certified OB/GYNs, 24-hour anesthesiologists and NICU are available and ready for every circumstance.