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Maternal & Newborn Care Unit

NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital

Maternal & Newborn
Care Unit

Call for more information: 888-697-4010 Call to find a OB/GYN: 914-528-7664

Frequently Asked Questions

The hospital is located at 1980 Crompond Road, Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567 (also known as Route 202). You will be directed to the Maternal & Newborn Care Unit on the second floor, where our triage staff will be expecting you and will greet you.

If you believe you are in labor, call the OB-GYN or midwife on call.

Yes, there is an Emergency Department at NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital. Whether you come in through the Emergency Department or the front door, you will be directed to a triage room in the Maternal & Newborn Care Unit on the second floor.

Hospital meals are available for you and your support partner. You may also order in takeout and send your partner to pick it up in the lobby.

Common patient and visitor questions

Please bring the following information with you to the hospital. This will help the admission process go smoothly.

  • Complete list of all the prescription and over-the-counter medications that you are currently taking
  • Reports your doctor gave you to bring to the hospital
  • Medical insurance information, including insurance cards, pre-certification, and other documentation required by your insurer
  • Personal identification, such as a driver's license, passport, or other appropriate identification
  • List of telephone numbers of immediate family members to call, if necessary

We will assess you and your baby. Based on our assessment, we will either tell you to go back home until you are further along in labor, be observed, or be admitted to a labor and delivery room. We encourage you to ask any questions you may have during this time.

Questions about labor and delivery

There are three stages of labor:

  • The first stage is the time from the onset of labor until the cervix is 10 centimeters dilated.
  • The second stage is when you push your baby through the birth canal.
  • The third stage is at the end of delivery when the placenta, also called afterbirth, has passed.

We are equipped to handle all types of deliveries, from vaginal single baby birth to high-risk and multiple infant deliveries. We also perform C-sections and have excellent experience with VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) deliveries.

Your nurse will assess your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and place you on a wireless fetal monitor. The nurse will monitor you throughout your labor and help you explore which comfort measures work best for you. An intravenous line may be placed to give you medication and fluids. You may also receive ice chips to help quench your thirst. You should not eat any food without your physician's permission.

Yes. We will work with you to set up an epidural or other pain relief to ease the discomfort of labor. Pain relief is also available to you after delivery, as needed.

We have temporarily adjusted our visiting policy in order to keep our patients and visitors safe from infection as related to coronavirus (COVID-19). Please read our coronavirus visitor policy for more information. You are generally permitted one support person to stay with you throughout your stay.

If you have a Cesarean delivery, your birth partner can be with you as long as you receive epidural or spinal anesthesia. If you require general anesthesia, your birth partner will be taken to the recovery room to wait for you and your baby. You will be monitored in the recovery room until the effects of anesthesia wear off and then taken to your postpartum room.

There are several methods to induce labor, including amniotomy (rupturing the amniotic sac during a vaginal exam) or administering prostaglandin (a hormone in a gel form that is inserted into the vagina or a tablet given by mouth, to prepare the cervix for delivery). Induction is not usually done unless there's a true medical need for it. This is done if your water broke, but you have not had contractions; your baby is several weeks overdue; you have an infection in the uterus; or there isn't enough amniotic fluid, among other reasons.

Pictures may be taken during delivery. Only still photography is allowed in the labor and delivery room for vaginal delivery or operating room for Cesarean delivery. Photographs are permitted behind the anesthesia screen and in the operating room at the discretion of your obstetrician. Videotaping is not permitted in the labor/delivery or operating rooms, regardless of the type of delivery. Videotaping and still photography of the mother and her baby are permitted in the mother's room on the postpartum unit. Any videotaping or photographing of staff may only be done with that staff member's permission.

Yes. Immediately after your baby is born, if there are no complications or need for immediate care, we turn down the lights and allow you, your partner, and your baby to have quiet, private time together. We encourage skin-to-skin contact between you and your baby and between your baby and your partner to promote bonding and create an intimate setting for the three of you as a family. We delay eye drops, weight-taking, and cord cutting until after this "Golden Hour" has passed. If you deliver your baby via C-section, we will place your baby cheek to cheek with you after birth and then give the baby to your partner to bond skin-to-skin in the recovery room until you are able to join them.

Yes. Your baby will need to see a doctor frequently within the first weeks of life, so it will be helpful to choose a pediatrician in advance. If you need help finding a pediatrician, visit nyp.org/find-a-doctor or consult your obstetrician.

Typically women who have had a vaginal birth stay in the hospital for 24 hours and those who had a C-section stay 48 hours.

Questions about postpartum care

Yes, all of our maternity patients each get a private room. It is very homelike and more like a hotel room than a hospital room. You'll even have your own private bathroom with walk-in shower. You'll find it to be quite comfortable and quiet.

Yes. We encourage "rooming in" as much as possible, with the baby staying in the room with you. We perform examinations and infant care in front of you, in your room, as much as possible.

Yes. There is a pullout couch in the labor and delivery room and a convertible sleeper chair in your private postpartum room for him or her to stay overnight.

Please read our current visitor policy here.

Questions about neonatal care

The hospital has a six-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which provides specialized care to premature infants and newborns requiring medical or surgical interventions.

A Level 2 NICU is located on the unit for premature infants (born 30 weeks or later into the pregnancy) and those with specialized needs.

The NICU is staffed by neonatal nurses and neonatologists (newborn care physicians) and is designed for babies requiring intensive observation and medical care.

If your baby is born earlier than 30 weeks, we will transfer him or her to another hospital for more advanced newborn care. If you come to us ready to give birth before 30 weeks and you are able to be stabilized, we will transfer you to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia or Westchester Medical Center to give birth there and have your baby cared for in an even more specialized NICU.

Questions about care after you go home

When you go home, you will have Steri-Strips across your incision. You should make sure you keep the area clean. When you shower, let soapy water drip over the incision. Make sure you don't vigorously scrub the incision. Your doctor may say it's OK to apply a topical antibiotic or petroleum jelly on the incision. You should watch for redness, swelling, drainage, and separation of the skin around the edges of the incision; if you see any of these, call your OB-GYN.

Deciding how long to breastfeed is a personal decision. The World Health Organization recommends exclusively breastfeeding for six months and then continued breastfeeding combined with solid foods for two years.

Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that affects a mother after the birth of a new baby. It's estimated that 20 percent of women experience mood or anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Symptoms include:

  • Exhaustion and fatigue
  • Extreme sadness and mood swings
  • Restlessness and irritability
  • Anxiety or panic attacks
  • Appetite changes
  • Oversleeping
  • Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
  • Persistent thoughts of suicide or death

There are many reasons a woman may develop postpartum depression. If you feel you may be depressed, help is available. Talk to your doctor about connecting you with mental health professionals. You can search for a psychiatrist or psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian by visiting doctors.nyp.org. You can get additional information about postpartum depression by visiting nyp.org/psychiatry.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends having contact with their health care provider within three weeks of giving birth. You should have a complete postpartum checkup no later than 12 weeks after giving birth.