Mother & Baby Unit (Postpartum Care)

After you deliver, you’ll stay in the labor suite for a brief time before moving to our Mother & Baby Unit (postpartum unit). Babies “room-in” with mothers and family where infant bonding is encouraged. Our experienced Mother & Baby nurses and lactation specialists get to know each family, providing postpartum care, breastfeeding support, as well as newborn care and education. We work hard to make your time with us comfortable and safe.

• Rooms are all private with individual bathrooms and fold-out couches for your support partner.
• A Fireside Room is on the unit providing a living room experience, with comfortable couches and chairs, a fireplace and picture windows so you don't have to stay in your room the entire stay.
• We offer a celebration dinner after the arrival of your newborn(s), our cafeteria will set-up and deliver a white cloth dinner for you and your partner.
• Flower for mom: Siblings can get a free flower to give to mom in the hospital gift shop.
• During your stay, you and partner can order meals from room service between 7 am and 6:30 pm. These meals are delivered to your room, and mom’s meal is free of charge.
• Our security system sounds an alarm should a baby get too close to an exit.

Vaccinations
We follow the latest clinical guidelines by offering hepatitis B immunizations to new babies, along with newborn metabolic and hearing screenings. We encourage you to speak a pediatrician before or shortly after you deliver if you have questions or concerns about vaccinations. A pediatrician will visit you and your baby while you are in the Mother & Baby Unit to provide a newborn check-up and to answer questions.

Current immunizations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics can be found here.

Educational Video - Newborn Immunizations

Vaccine Safety
The most common side effects of a vaccination are a sore spot at the site of the shot and a mild fever. Severe problems, such as an allergic reaction, are very rare. However, false and frightening information spread easy on social media and the Internet. To get the facts on immunizations, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or call your pediatrician.

Choosing Your Child's Medical Provider
We recommend selecting who will be your child's health care provider at least three to four weeks before your due date. This way, you don't have to worry about it before you deliver. It also means that your medical provider's office has enough notice to schedule your baby's first appointment, which will be soon after you deliver. Visit our find a provider page to see all our family medicine providers and pediatricians, we have providers available in Missoula and Stevensville.

Educational Video - Choosing a Doctor for Baby

Childbirth Education
We've curated educational videos for each trimester of your pregnancy, labor & delivery and postpartum eduction. Please note, the postpartum education is required prior to discharge so we encourage you to watch these videos prior to your arrival if possible.

All Recommended Videos

First Trimester Education

Second Trimester Education

Third Trimester Education

Labor & Delivery Education

Postpartum Education (Required)

Going Home
If there are no complications, moms and babies typically go home one or two days after a vaginal birth and within four days if they’ve had a c-section. We’ll give you advice to help things go well and to keep your baby safe and healthy as you settle in at home.

Car Seat Requirement
Before your newborn is discharged from the hospital, you'll need to have a car seat that is the right size and installed in your car correctly. Missoula Rural Fire offers car seat fitting sessions free of charge on Saturdays 10 AM - 2 PM, by appointment. Call (406) 549-6172 to schedule an appointment.

Get more car seat tips at www.safekids.org.

If you cannot afford a car seat, please contact your local city-county health department so they can make a referral for a reduced cost or free car seat. This should be done a minimum of four to six weeks prior to your due date.

Nationally Recognized

The Joint Commission Community Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval®. This award demonstrates the hospital’s commitment to the highest-quality safety and care of patients, and recognizes compliance with The Joint Commission’s strict national standards. Accreditation Programs: • Hospital • Laboratory Advanced Certification Programs: • Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care Safe Sleep Champion - Gold Certified Community Medical Center is proud to be a Gold-level Certified Safe Sleep Champion – achieving the highest level of national safe sleep certification. Awarded by the Cribs for Kids® National Infant Safe Sleep Initiative, this certification recognizes our commitment to reducing infant sleep-related deaths by: Promoting best safe sleep practices Educating the public on infant sleep safety Establishing an infant-safe sleep policies at CMC Modeling infant-safe sleep for our patients Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Community Medical Center earned the nation’s top distinction for patient safety with an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group. This honor acknowledges the efforts of our caregivers to keep our patients safe. We’re proud to be recognized as one of the safest hospitals in America.