KANSAS CITY, Mo.  — Expectant mothers planning to deliver their babies at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City will soon be doing so in spacious, well-appointed new birthing suites. The hospital's new labor and delivery unit will welcome patients beginning Friday, Sept. 10, 2010.

Located on the second floor of the new Ellen Hockaday Center for Women's Care, the unit will offer women and their families an inviting, comfortable and technically advanced setting aimed at providing an exceptional birth experience. Saint Luke's Hospital delivers more than 2,200 babies each year.

At 23,300 square feet, the unit is nearly double the size of the former space. An improved layout was designed with input from physicians and labor and delivery staff.

Features include:

  • 11 spacious labor and delivery suites
  • Three state-of-the-art surgical suites (for C-section deliveries)
  • Five private triage rooms
  • Three private recovery rooms
  • Six high-risk antepartum rooms
  • Large waiting area for families

A covered drop-off area with free valet parking and a dedicated elevator for expectant mothers provides easy access to the secured unit. The unit is also in close proximity to the Women's Shoppe, making it convenient for new moms to purchase the postpartum supplies they may need.

Family friendly labor and delivery suites offer soft lighting and a homelike atmosphere, private bathrooms with walk-in shower, extra counter space and storage area, flat screen televisions, wireless internet access, sleeping accommodations and state-of-the-art equipment for newborns.

The new labor and delivery unit is housed in the Ellen Hockaday Center for Women's Care which offers convenient, one-stop health care including breast care, emotional wellness and high-risk maternity services. Construction of the new unit was funded in part by charitable gifts from Saint Luke's physicians and community supporters. The center is part of Saint Luke's $330 million expansion project designed to increase comfort and satisfaction for patients and their families with improved access, easier navigation and more green space.

The hospital also features a Level IIIb Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the state's highest designation for care. Board-certified neonatologists staff the NICU 24/7, ensuring the best care possible for standard and high-risk pregnancies.