Twig Birthing Center - What to Expect

Our goal is to provide exceptional care in a comfortable environment for you and your baby. Each of our private labor & delivery and postpartum recovery suites include a bed and pillows/blankets, a TV, a bassinet for rooming-in with your baby, a private bathroom with a shower or combination bathtub/shower, and a fully-reclining chair or pull-out sofa for your support person. Our postpartum recovery suites also include a hair dryer. In addition to the amenities provided, there are a couple required items to bring with you along with any personal items to help make your stay more comfortable.

• Required items:
  •  Insurance Card and Photo ID
  • Infant Car Seat (in order to bring baby home!)
• Other recommended items:
  • Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, etc.)
  • Robe
  • Slippers
  • Comfortable clothes for after delivery
  • Phone charger

When expecting, you may be anxious about how you will know it's time to go to the hospital. Your provider will give you specific instruction on when you should go to the hospital, but here are some general guidelines:

• If experiencing contractions:
  •  Keep track of your contractions. Write down what time a contraction starts, what time it ends, and then what time the next one starts. When your contractions are consistently 5-10 minutes apart, call your provider and head to the hospital.
• If you have a planned induction scheduled:
  • Please call (585) 298-2957 the morning of your induction to ensure your appointment scheduled is still the best time for you to be induced. Our goal is to keep your labor appointment and begin your induction once you arrive at the hospital. It is difficult to predict how many patients will be in labor on any given day. In the event that we do not have an empty labor room for you and must postpone your induction, we will do our best to bring you in as soon as possible.

The Twig Birthing Center is located in Rochester General Hospital at 1425 Portland Ave, Rochester, NY 14621.

We recommend that all patients and visitors use the Portland Ave Garage, and enter through the main entrance of the Eugene Polisseni Pavilion. Once inside the main entrance of the hospital, use the GREEN elevators to get to the Twig Birthing Center on Floor 3.

There is also a limited amount of parking near the entrance of the Twig Birthing Center. We ask that this lot/entrance only be used if dropping off a patient in active labor. Once the patient has been admitted, you will be asked to move your car to the main garage.

Labor and delivery (both vaginal and caesarean) take place in our brand new unit in the Twig Birthing Center.

During a traditional delivery, you may have up to 2* additional visitors in your room for support. If you choose to have a doula, they are also welcome in the room, in addition to your other visitors. (*Please note that the visitation policy is subject to change based on current health and safety protocols, including during flu and COVID-19 seasons. For details on current visitation policies and who is allowed to visit, please see our Visitor Restrictions. All visitors are required to show photo ID before being admitted to the unit.)

We empower our patients to do what they need to in order to make their labor and delivery experience their own. Patients are encouraged to create and discuss their birth plan with their physician or midwife before admission. Some women choose to bring personal items from home, such as their own pillows or special music, to help create a more relaxing environment. For your comfort, we also have private in-room showers or combination bathub/showers along with many anesthesia options to choose from, including nitrous oxide and epidural anesthesia, should you want them.

Visiting Hours & Who Can Visit: For the safety of our patients and newborns, visitor restrictions may be in place during flu and COVID-19 seasons. For details on current visitation policies and who is allowed to visit, please see our Visitor Restrictions. All visitors are required to show photo ID before being admitted to the unit. 

Visitor Parking: We encourage all visitors to park in the Portland Ave Garage and enter through the main entrance of the Eugene Polisseni Pavilion. Once inside the hospital, take the GREEN elevators to Floor 3

At Twig Birthing Center, we encourage skin-to-skin contact after your baby is born, and support the practice of delayed cord-clamping when possible.

As a Baby Friendly hospital, we adhere to and promote the World Health Organization's initiative to support a mother's choice to breastfeed, and we practice "rooming-in," where the baby is kept in a hospital-supplied bassinet by the side of the mother's bed. Additionally, we have internationally certified nurse lactation consultants on staff ready to assist new moms in all aspects of breastfeeding.

All newborns will receive a general physical exam within 24 hours of birth to check their appearance and vital signs.

Should your baby require additional attention or special care, we have a Level II Special Care Nursery on site with neonatologists and pediatricians available 24 hours a day.

As required by New York State, all newborns receive a series of health screening tests, including a blood test (taken from a small prick on your baby's heel) that screens for over 30 different disorders, a hearing test, a screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease, a blood sugar screening, and a screening for jaundice. New York State also mandates the use of erythromycin eye ointment after birth to protect against potential serious eye infections and a vitamin K injection to reduce the risk of Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB). The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that all newborns receive the first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. If you have any questions or concerns about these screenings or medications, please discuss them with your family's pediatrician or family doctor.

The length of your stay at the hospital varies by patient and is determined based on patient need. You and your care team will discuss your length of stay once you have been admitted to the postpartum recovery unit, and your team will work with you on a discharge plan. 

On the morning of your discharge, a member of our staff will check in with you and ensure that your newborn has had all of his or her screenings, and will go over some final paperwork with you, including insurance documents, birth certificate paperwork, and your child's application for Social Security. They will also make sure you've made your first appointment with your child's pediatrician, and can assist you with any question you may have about securing your child in his or her care seat safely. 

Upon discharge, you'll also receive a Safe Sleep gift bag with instructions on safe sleep practices and a HALO SleepSack swaddle for your newborn.

Congratulations! You've done the hard work of bringing your newborn into the world, and now it's time to enjoy your time together as a family at home. Here are a few things you should know about leaving with baby:

New York State law requires that all babies leaving the hospital go home in an infant car seat. Please make sure you have the appropriate care seat prior to coming to the hospital so when the time comes, you are ready to leave with your newborn safely.

It is recommended that all newborns see their pediatrician sometime within the first 3 to 5 days after birth. Before you leave the hospital, you will need to call your child's pediatrician to make his or her first appointment. If you have not yet selected a pediatrician for you child, we recommend doing so as soon as possible. Find a pediatrician close to home! 

Staff from our social work department are also available to help coordinate home care, if necessary, and can put you in touch with community agencies which provide support services to patients.