Tondy Baumgartner, MD - OB/GYN

Pregnancy always comes with its share of anxiety and fear, but the COVID-19 pandemic has added a new layer of concerns for expecting families. If you will be delivering a baby during the pandemic, you likely have many questions about how delivery in the hospital may be different right now and how you can keep yourself and your baby healthy.

Community Medical Center has always taken great pride in caring for expecting mothers and their babies and making sure that our community has access to great OB care. This dedication to our region’s growing families has continued throughout the pandemic and will go on long after this health crisis has passed.

We are committed to making sure that all moms and babies have the safest birthing experience possible, and we are taking every necessary precaution to protect our families in labor and delivery from exposure to COVID-19. Our extra precautions mean that some aspects of delivery will be as expected, but some may be a little different. The two main changes most families will experience are visitor restrictions and limited entry points to the hospital. 

As part of our COVID-19 preparedness efforts, we have moved to a zero-visitor protocol hospital-wide. However, laboring and postpartum mothers will be allowed one designated visitor during their stay even though the hospital has adopted a zero-visitor protocol. This means women may have one healthy adult with them for their delivery and the duration of their hospital stay, but visits by siblings and other loved ones will have to wait until mom and baby leave the hospital. 

Additional measures Community Medical Center is taking to support and ensure the safety of our expecting mothers and newborns include:

• COVID testing and illness screening for all OB patients upon arrival or prior to arrival if scheduled (C/Section or induction of labor)
• Isolating all COVID-19 positive patients away from expecting mothers.
• Negative pressure rooms available for labor and delivery.
• PPE (personal protective equipment) available for laboring and postpartum mothers and their companion.
• Early discharges (24 hours vaginal and 48 hours cesarean), as long as mom and baby are doing well.
• Lactation support provided by nursing staff and use of tele-lactation support for additional needs.
• Full NICU support with 24-hour provider coverage.

These measures have been implemented with great care, and we will continue to update them with the health and safety of our expecting mothers and families in mind.

In a time of uncertainty, the one thing all of our expecting families can be sure of is that our experienced Women & Newborns staff members stand ready to help you on your journey to bring new life into the world. We are here to support you and keep you safe – today and every day the future holds. 

You can find more information about COVID-19 and how Community Medical Center is responding  here or by contacting your care provider.

Tondy Baumgartner, MD
OB/GYN
Community Physician Group