Expectant families will soon have a new option for welcoming their babies at Nebraska Medical Center. A new birthing suite is set to open this fall, offering a home-like environment within the hospital setting.

Located in a separate hallway from the main labor and delivery area, the suite still provides quick access to medical resources if needed.

“A birthing suite is more like a home-like environment that we want to provide for our patients,” said midwife Alyssa Fischer, APRN-CNM. “This environment is meant to be quiet and calm, and it’s set away from labor and delivery.”

What makes this space different?

The new birth suite offers several features designed to make families more comfortable during labor and delivery. The room includes a queen-size bed, a water birth tub and plenty of space for patients and their families.

The birthing suite allows up to four visitors plus a doula, which can include family members and chosen support people. This is double the number allowed in regular labor and delivery rooms, which only permit two visitors and a doula.

“Patients have freedom and mobility to move around,” Fischer says. “They can eat, they can drink. They can move about the room however they want to.”

Fischer says she’s seen firsthand how powerful it is to include family during birth. 

“Some of the best births that I’ve experienced have involved families and had children present,” she says. “I think it can be a really great bonding experience for families.”

Safety meets comfort

While the birthing suite feels more like home, safety remains the top priority. The space is designed for people with low-risk pregnancies who want a natural birth, but medical help is always nearby.

“Women who give birth in an in-hospital birth suite have essentially the best of both worlds,” Fischer says. “You have an opportunity to have an unmedicated, undisturbed birth. But then, also, if an emergency happens, we have the resources to move our patients to keep them safe.”

The birth suite will offer water therapy for pain management, along with increased mobility and movement options. If a patient wants stronger pain relief, they can transfer to the main labor and delivery area.

Who can use the birth suite?

The birthing suite is designed for patients with low-risk pregnancies who are carrying one baby in a head-down position. Patients also need to complete prenatal education classes and attend routine prenatal care visits.

“When you come to a birth suite, we’re anticipating you’re going to have an unmedicated, very low-intervention, very undisturbed birth,” Fischer says. “We want people to be prepared for that.”

The birth suite will welcome qualified women who want to try a vaginal birth after a previous C-section. This makes Nebraska Medical Center unique in the community, as many birth suites don’t offer this option.

Shorter hospital stays

One major benefit of the birth suite is the option for shorter hospital stays. Families can go home as early as six hours after birth if both mother and baby are doing well. They can also stay up to 12 hours or longer if they prefer.

This flexibility allows families to choose what works best for them. Midwives will continue caring for both mothers and babies after birth and can provide outpatient care for newborns in the immediate newborn period.

The idea for the birth suite came from both patient requests and the midwives’ philosophy of care. Many families had asked for a birth suite option, and the midwife team wanted to create a space that matched their approach to childbirth.

“As midwives, our philosophy of care is focused around undisturbed, normal physiologic birth,” Fischer says. “We wanted to be able to provide lower intervention options for our patients.”

The suite represents the completion of the team’s vision for natural birth. While they already work to keep hospital births calm and quiet, the new space takes this approach even further.

What families can expect

The new suite aims to reduce stress and anxiety for laboring families. Research shows that supportive environments can lead to better birth outcomes, including lower rates of C-sections and lower pain levels.

Fischer hopes families will feel empowered by their experience in the new space.

“I hope they feel like they have a lot of autonomy and shared decision-making,” Fischer says. “I hope their takeaway is that their needs were met and their experience was what they wanted it to be.”

Opening soon

The birth suite is expected to open in fall 2025. The team is working through details and preparing for this new addition to their services.

“We have a lot of people asking about it,” Fischer says. “’When’s the birth suite opening?’ This will be a new experience for all of us and we’re really looking forward to it.”