Visitors during labor are chosen by the mother. All other visitors must remain in the waiting area located outside of the unit. Please advise your visitors that it may be an hour or longer before they will be able to visit, as we may be providing care to you and your baby. It’s also important that you have some personal time to bond with your infant.
For the safety and privacy of patients and visitors, convenient waiting areas are located outside of the First Impressions Maternity Center. We encourage those awaiting news about your new arrival to wait in our waiting area on the second floor of the main lobby until your support person shares the news. We respect the privacy of our patients and cannot provide any information about labor or birth to family members.
If your baby must be delivered by c-section, our maternity center offers two operating rooms and a recovery room—there is no need to be moved to the main operating room of the hospital. One support person may accompany you in the operating room during the delivery.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine consultations are available with an OB/GYN for women who have ongoing medical problems or who have had complications in a prior pregnancy. Couples who are planning a pregnancy may come for a pre-conception consultation to discuss similar issues. During your consultation, you can expect a comprehensive review of your past medical records, a detailed discussion of your risks and the potential outcome of future pregnancies, and a management plan to help you achieve the best possible outcome in future pregnancies.
Perinatal consultations are also available for women who are experiencing complications in a current pregnancy. In special cases, your maternal-fetal medicine specialist may co-manage your pregnancy along with your obstetrician.
Genetic counseling helps to determine the risk of your child having a genetic condition or birth defect. At CentraState, genetic counseling is available for all women prior to or during a pregnancy to provide education, support, risk assessment, and genetic blood tests for themselves, their partner, and/or their unborn child. Most patients who undergo genetic counseling are provided accurate and often reassuring information about their current or future pregnancy.
Common reasons for genetic counseling include:
- A family history of a birth defect or heritable disorder
- Advanced maternal age
- A previous child or pregnancy with a health problem
- Recurrent miscarriages
- Couples who are related by blood to each other
- Determining if a medication/exposure may have been harmful to a pregnancy
- Fetal ultrasound problems
- An abnormal blood test or screening during pregnancy
Our team of specialists will help you determine which tests are best for you. Ultrasounds may be performed in the first trimester, the second trimester, or beyond depending on your specific situation. Usually in the first trimester, a maternal blood test is combined with an ultrasound to identify if your baby is at risk for chromosome abnormality. A maternal-fetal medicine specialist will review ultrasound results with you.
All patients undergoing diagnostic testing will meet with a genetic counselor to determine which tests are most appropriate for their pregnancies, and discuss the risks and benefits of testing. Tests include:
Amniocentesis — This is the most common procedure, following blood tests, used to test for birth defects, and it is performed after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Amniocentesis looks for certain types of birth defects, such as Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality.
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) — An alternative to amniocentesis, this procedure takes a small sample of cells from the placenta where it is attached to the wall of the uterus. It can be performed earlier in the pregnancy than amniocentesis. CVS can be used to find genetic disorders, such as Tay-Sachs disease or hemophilia. It can also find chromosomal birth defects, such as Down syndrome.
For the security and safety of you and your baby, and to ensure that you get adequate rest, First Impressions Maternity Center is a locked unit. Family and friends may visit from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Your support person may visit at any time.
Only children who are brothers or sisters of newborns are allowed to visit. Siblings must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times.
As a precaution for newborns, children or visitors with recent exposure to infectious diseases such as chicken pox or measles—or who are sick themselves with a cold, flu, or other illness—are not allowed to visit. It’s a good idea to ask your visitors about any illnesses before they visit.
We do not provide pacifiers to newborns in the First Impressions Maternity Center. If you would like your baby to have one, please bring it with you when you come to the hospital.
Yes. Our free and weekly support groups facilitated by a registered nurse and lactation consultant allow women to discuss new mom concerns, share experiences and lessons with other mothers, and ask any questions. This group is an open forum style to discuss topics including, but not limited to:
- Returning to work
- Work and breastfeeding
- Pumping breast milk
- Breastfeeding in public
- Breastfeeding
- Sleep deprivation
- Postpartum depression
- And much more!
Babies are welcome!
The Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center at CentraState offers breastfeeding education classes that are designed to teach you everything you need to know about breastfeeding before baby arrives. Once your baby is born, our Maternity Center’s board-certified lactation consultants and nurses are available for breastfeeding assistance and consultations. After you return home, you’ll be given a special phone number to call if you have additional questions. You can even make an appointment at the Lactation Center at CentraState to get one-on-one attention for any questions or issues you may have, including:
- Assessing your milk supply and your baby’s intake during a feeding
- Individual instruction on latching and positioning techniques
- Addressing low/slow weight gain concerns
- Instruction for breastfeeding and going back to work
Our Lactation Center is happy to meet with all mothers, regardless of where they delivered their baby. Check with your insurance company regarding coverage. To schedule an appointment with a board-certified lactation consultant, call 732-303-5258.
We provide formula and bottles to newborns during their stay at the First Impressions Maternity Center. We use Similac, Enfamil, and Good Start baby formulas.
Yes, free Wi-Fi is available.
Our top priority is the safety and security of you and your baby. Our security measures include the following:
- After delivery, a security tag is placed on your baby. Our state-of-the-art security system will sound an alarm if anyone attempts to take an infant out of the area.
- Bands with matching numbers are placed on you and your baby. Your baby will also have an umbilical cord clamp with a matching number.
- If your baby is in good medical condition, he or she will stay right with you, always in your view.
- All staff will introduce themselves as they take responsibility for your care and wear their color coded employee ID badge in clear view.
The Maternity Center is a locked unit. Visitors are screened for access to the unit.
To minimize latex in the environment for those who are allergic, latex balloons are not allowed in CentraState Medical Center.
You will be discharged in the morning after seeing your doctor and your baby’s doctor. Please make arrangements ahead of time for transportation on the day of discharge.
CentraState Medical Center’s First Impressions Maternity Center is located on the second floor at:
CentraState Medical Center
901 West Main Street
Freehold, NJ 07728
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