From the moment you find out you’re pregnant, you want what’s best for your baby – starting with where they are born.
MetroHealth’s Birthing Center welcomed 2,711 babies in our state-of-the-art space that turns 1 year old this month.
For expectant parents who have yet to experience these new facilities, here’s what makes MetroHealth’s Birthing Center so special:
Take a virtual tour of MetroHealth’s Birthing Center.
- Space to fit your needs. Ten birthing rooms, awash in natural light, offer flexible options during labor.
- Improved focus on fetal health and safety. Each labor and delivery room is equipped with an advanced wireless system for fetal monitoring and a dedicated space for newborn care.
- Holistic delivery care. Expectant parents can personalize their birthing space through patient-controlled mood lighting in calming colors.
- Recovery space for patients and loved ones. Each of our 27 private postpartum patient rooms feature comfortable seating and pull-out beds for overnight guests, and spacious private showers.
- Security for peace of mind. The birthing and postpartum rooms are located on the same floor, keeping the area secure.
The modern, reconfigured spaces allow for more coordinated care across the spectrum of labor, delivery, and postpartum care. MetroHealth OB-GYN Nurse Manager Kelley Gallagher, RN, says that’s been especially important as MetroHealth continues to see an increase in births via surrogate. “With coordination between many services, we’ve developed a good system to ensure all families feel cared for and celebrated.”
A Year of Milestones
Clodagh Mullen, MD, MetroHealth’s Director of Labor and Delivery, shares some first-year highlights:
18
80
85
14
308
543
1,464
2,711
Caring for the Tiniest Patients
Take a virtual tour of MetroHealth’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
If your baby is born prematurely and/or needs extra support, our Certified Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is located just above the Birthing Center. In 2023, MetroHealth provided care for over 500 NICU babies. Care is overseen by a comprehensive team of neonatologists, perinatologists, respiratory therapists, pediatricians and neonatal nurses, using the most advanced monitoring technology in Northeast Ohio.
“Working in NICU is a privilege,” says Connie Eggleston, NICU Nurse Manager, ambulatory and inpatient. “Not only do we get to love on these infants along the way, but we also impact the parents in positive ways through being their partners throughout their infants’ stay.”
The NICU offers:
- We have 37 private rooms, and an additional 5 rooms for twins. Giving us a total of 47 patients.
- Private bathrooms and overnight furnishings in each room for families.
- Floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light.
- Procedure rooms on the same floor to limit baby’s movements within the hospital.
Providing Compassionate Care
Welcoming babies is the best part of life at the Birthing Center, but we’re also aware that complications and loss can occur. “We had the lowest number of losses we’ve seen in years,” says Gallagher. Thanks to the generosity of financial donors, including the Grech family, the Center is able to offer a number of supportive services and items. Employees, such as Patient Care Nurse Assistant Barbara Siegel and her daughter, Courtney Kwapinksi, also donate handmade items — and offer compassionate care.
Click here to sign up for our MetroHealth Pregnancy Loss Support Group.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, visit metrohealth.org/obgyn
or call 216-778-4444.
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