As Dana and Tripp Maxwell prepared to welcome their first child into the world, they realized that their knowledge on childbirth and parenting was fairly limited. So the young couple turned to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
The Margot Perot Center for Women and Infants at Texas Health Dallas offers a host of on-campus classes, group sessions and private consultations to help parents prepare for delivery and transition from hospital to home. The Maxwells took advantage of the hospital’s Prepared Childbirth and Breastfeeding classes to help them get ready for the arrival of Charlotte Grace Maxwell on May 25, 2014.
“I think the childbirth class was the closest thing we could get to an instruction manual on how to keep our little baby alive and well,” Dana said. “The classes not only helped with what to expect as far as hospital procedures and the actual labor, but also prepared us for taking care of Charlotte once we got home.”
“During the childbirth class, I was encouraged to labor at home for as long as possible. It was the best decision I could have made. Laboring at home with my husband by my side and being in the bathtub was very comfortable,” she added.
Texas Health Dallas’ childbirth education coordinator, Jill Johnson, stresses the value of the Prepared Childbirth class as a traditional and comprehensive program when discussing educational options with expectant parents.
“I let expectant parents know that the class is designed to address the physical as well as emotional challenges that may arise during late pregnancy, labor and birth,” Jill said. “The content includes such well-rounded topics as anatomy, late pregnancy discomforts and exercises along with comfort measures to provide relief, warning signs of complications and the stages of labor.”
On the other end, Texas Health Dallas offers its Breastfeeding class to new moms to arm them with information and support so they may confidently care for their newborns. The hospital’s board-certified lactation specialists are available seven days a week for inpatient and outpatient breastfeeding assistance. And, as Dana admitted, she still calls on Jill Johnson and her lactation nurse when questions come up about breastfeeding and other baby issues.
“Luckily, Charlotte was healthy and did not require any special treatments after delivery,” Dana said. “But, we wanted to make sure that we took advantage of the resources that were available to us to ensure her healthy arrival and transition home. When we chose Texas Health Dallas for childbirth and education, it was the right hospital with all the right services to provide our new daughter the gift of the right start.”