St peters university hospital labor and delivery

Having a baby is an amazing experience you will remember for life. It is also a time full of decisions. Where will you welcome the new member of your family? Who will be involved in your care?

The maternity centers at St. Peter's Health Partners are warm, homelike settings. Our obstetricians and midwives are highly trained and have many years of experience. We have the necessary tools and skills to promote a safe birth that is tailored to your needs.

Maternity Care at St. Peter's Health Partners: Why Choose Us?

• Convenient care close to home: We provide communities in the Capital Region with excellent, comprehensive maternity services. We have a vast network of board-certified obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and midwives throughout the area. With St. Peter's Hospital Women's and Children's Center in Albany, and Burdett Birth Center in Troy, we are convenient to families across the Capital Region.
• Region's trusted maternity care provider: More families trust us for pregnancy care and delivery than any other health system in the area. We see hundreds of patients every day and deliver hundreds of babies every month. And we consistently receive high marks from families for our attentiveness and care.
• Care of your choice: Expectant parents can choose the type of pregnancy care and delivery they want. Select a medical model of care with our obstetrics program or a more personal and natural experience with our midwifery model of care.

• A focus on family: We do everything we can to keep new families together to maximize bonding. Examples include couplet care, rooming-in and in-room breastfeeding support by specialized lactation staff.
• Care for high-risk pregnancies and complications: Our team is prepared for anything that arises during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period. Our maternity-related departments work together to continuously assess and meet your needs and goals as they evolve throughout pregnancy.
• National recognition: St. Peter's Hospital has earned national designations that demonstrate our commitment to high-quality care. We received Magnet Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for excellence in nursing and were named a Blue Distinction Center (BDC) for Maternity Care by BlueShield of Northeastern New York. Additionally, UNICEF's Baby-Friendly designation recognizes our focus on bonding and breastfeeding.

Inclusive Care

At St. Peter's Health Partners, expectant parents from all backgrounds feel comfortable and supported. We make arrangements for people who need interpreters or wheelchair access. Our team also offers sensitive care for birthing parents who are incarcerated, older parents, teens, those with opiate use disorders, same-sex couples and adoptive families.

In-Network Specialists When You Need Them

Pregnancy is an ever-changing experience. For women and newborns that experience complications, our specialists are prepared to handle any challenges that arise.

• High-risk pregnancies: Our network is home to a maternal-fetal medicine department for parents and babies who are at high risk for complications. This may include parents expecting multiples, pregnant individuals with substance or alcohol use disorder, expectant parents with serious health conditions or babies diagnosed with a condition in utero.
• Level III NICU: Our NICU cares for premature and critically ill newborns. Neonatologists, neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists and others work 24/7 to help your baby thrive and go home as soon as possible.

Education and Support When You're Having a Baby 

We offer many types of classes to help families learn everything there is to know about having a baby. Classes are led by nurses with master's degrees and special certifications. Learn about:

• Lamaze for first-time parents and refresher courses
• Childbirth 
• Breastfeeding
• Infant care 
• Parenting and grandparenting 

View our class schedule.

Building Bonds

Family bonding is essential to the health and well-being of parents and babies. Our maternity care team helps you bond immediately. We:

In full-term newborns with normal birthweight and no preexisting conditions, complications such as infection or injury are rare. Some hospitals have even fewer complications than others. The average rate at hospitals was 3.2%. At this hospital, 3.3% to 4.4% of lower-risk births involved newborn complications.

Welcoming a new baby into the world is one of the most awe-inspiring moments in life. Located in the Women’s and Children’s Unit in the Regional Medical Center, the Labor and Delivery care team at St. Peter's Health cherishes its work ensuring your birth experience and first days as a mother include access to the highest quality of care in a safe, supportive environment.

Delivering your baby at St. Peter’s Health

Our family-centered care focus allows you to take an active role in baby's care from the beginning. Each family is offered a private birthing suite with in-room Jacuzzi. We welcome the care team of your choice. And, St. Peter's Health is the second hospital in Montana to become Baby Friendly Certified.

Your providers work closely with labor and delivery nurses to provide one-on-one care throughout your stay. Along with the spacious labor suites, our birthing floor features a Cesarean section operating room and access to a Special Care Nursery (level 2 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) if the need arrives.

Spacious, comfortable suites

The Women and Children’s Unit has nine private labor and delivery/recovery/postpartum/newborn (LDRPN) suites. Each suite features a birthing bed, which allows mom to transition from labor to delivery to recovery in the same room. Your new baby is kept in the mother’s room for the length of the hospital stay. Suites also include:

• Jacuzzi tubs for pain relieve and
• Birthing bars
• Birthing balls and peanut pillow
• Bluetooth telemetry units to provide wireless monitoring
• Extra bed for a support person
• Bassinet and sink for the baby
• Meals ordered off the menu, at the patient’s request

Highly trained nursing staff

Our care includes one-on-one nursing during labor. The majority of the unit’s Registered Nurses are certified in the Obstetrical and/or Neonatal specialty area. They work closely with Helena’s obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, family practice physicians, pediatricians and personal doulas in order to provide each family with a memorable and safe delivery experience.

Our team includes lactation consultants available every day in the unit and for outpatient consultations after you and baby have gone home. 

Baby Friendly

St. Peter’s Health was the first major hospital in Montana to earn the designation as a Baby Friendly facility, meaning we strive to provide evidence-based maternity care with the goal of achieving optimal infant feeding outcomes and mother/baby bonding according to Baby-Friendly USA, Inc., which implements The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in the U.S. on behalf of The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Emergency care

Should an emergency situation occur during the birthing process, all supportive equipment and supplies are available in the suite. A Cesarean section operating room is located on the birthing floor, seconds away from each birthing suite, if needed. A three-bed Special Care Nursery is also available at the Women & Children's Unit for any newborn who needs special medical attention.

Labor and Delivery Partners

We work closely with Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology providers to ensure continuity of care.

Neonatal and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Partnership

In January 2020, St. Peter's Health and Bozeman Health announced a regional collaboration to expand the neonatal intensive care services at Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital. This collaboration provides comprehensive care and allows families in the Gallatin Valley and Helena-area access to NICU services close to home. 

Location(s) of Labor and Delivery Services

Prepared Parenting Classes

St. Peter’s Health offers parents FREE classes taught by a variety of specialists and professionals to help parents with all preparations, expectations and details surrounding a new baby.