North Valley Hospital is celebrating a much-needed expansion of its Birth Center.

Since relocating to its new facility almost a decade ago, the hospital has continued to see an increase in the number of births. Last year there were 537 newborns delivered at the Birth Center, which was constructed to comfortably delivery half that number.

“We thought it would be big enough,” Birth Center Manager Cindy Walp said. “But we’ve been full since that first month.”

One of the highlights of the expansion are the new delivery and postpartum rooms. Natural light adds to the open feeling of the spacious rooms while warm colors make it a calming environment. Following the birth, the delivery bed is wheeled out of the room and a queen-size bed folds down from the wall. Plenty of chairs give a place for extended family to gather together.

“We want it to be just like giving birth at home, but with the safety of being in the hospital,” Walp said. “We love having the family involved. We want everyone to be able to get on the bed together.”

The Birth Center expansion includes 2,730-square feet of new space and extensive renovation of about 1,045-square feet of existing space. The project created three new labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum rooms for a total of five, and two postpartum rooms. These combination delivery/postpartum rooms allow for mothers to stay in the same room from the beginning of labor though discharge.

In one corner of the new delivery and postpartum room is a large tub that can be used for relaxation or for birth. Walp said NVH is the only hospital in the area to offer water births. The large rooms combined with wireless monitors provides the space for a mom in labor to walk around the room. Those same monitors also allow for the healthcare provider to log-in remotely and monitor the mom and baby.

“We try to make the birth they want come true,” she said. “The more the mom can relax and breath taking in oxygen the healthier mom and baby are.”

Once the baby has arrived, an infant warmer in the room allows for health checks and the baby to remain with mom even if it needs oxygen or an IV.

The delivery and postpartum rooms allow moms and babies to remain together, which Walp says is important. She said the nursery is always available if the baby needs extra care, but keeping them together can help the baby get better faster.

“We try to use evidence-based practice,” she said. “We look at the established practices from the medical, midwife and pediatric communities and we pull all those things to together to take it one step better.”

Some of the special additions to the room are less obvious, like the rain shower-head in the bathroom or the over-sized sink for the baby’s first bath. Walp said she has already gotten comments from those who say they appreciate the extra touches.

“These items require a lot of thought, but not much more money,” Walp said.

Previously due to limited space, Walp said about 40 percent of mothers who delivered at the Birth Center experience postpartum care in general inpatient rooms.

Walp said while nurses from the Birth Center stayed with those patients, it’s important to allow mom and babies to remain in the same room as long as possible before they are able to go home.

The size of the nursery was also increased to care for babies needing special attention. A larger nurses’ station allows for greater space for the medical staff. A new lactation room to assist new mothers and larger family waiting area were also created.

An expanded security system was also part of the expansion project. Now nurses have increased ability to monitor babies, who are fitted with a band that includes a censor that tracks the babies locations and will alert the nurse’s station if the band is taken off or tampered with.

“The nurse’s can watch the computer and see what’s happening with the baby,” she said. “They can get to an area more quickly if there’s a problem. It’s additional safety.”

Walp said the experience a mom, baby and family have during their time in the Birth Center has long reaching impacts on future health.

“We want them to have empowerment to take over their own health care and do a good job of keeping themselves healthy,” she said. “In most families the moms make the health care decision so we want to teach them well so they take that home with them.”

The hospital has raised $1.3 million out of the $2 million for the expansion. The project is part of the hospital’s Building for Generations campaign, initiated in 2012 to focus on the comprehensive plan for meeting the current and future healthcare needs of the communities served by NVH.

The first project completed in the campaign was the addition of a fourth operating room to accommodate the growing surgical needs while maintaining access for emergency cesarean sections. That expansion was completed in 2013.