Basic HTML Version
connections
w
5
Do
w
Fend o illnesses by washing your
hands often, especially after handling
raw meat or using the bathroom.
w
Stay away from toxic chemicals and
substances, such as insecticides, cleaning
solvents, paint thinners and paint fumes.
w
Check with your doctor before taking
any medicines, even over-the-counter
ones. Some might harm your baby.
w
Sign up for one of our childbirth
education classes to learn more about
labor and delivery. Call
208-883-6385
for more information.
w
Work closely with your doctor to
make sure any health problems you
have (such as diabetes or high blood
pressure) are well controlled.
Don’t
w
Eat sh that may contain high levels
of mercury, such as sword sh, king
mackerel and tile sh.
w
Take very hot baths or use hot tubs or
saunas. High temperatures might hurt
your baby.
w
Breathe in secondhand smoke. Expo-
sure to other people’s tobacco smoke
raises your risk of having an under-
weight baby.
w
Clean a cat’s litter box. You might
develop an infection triggered by
a parasite sometimes found in cat
feces. If not treated, this infection
can cause severe problems in unborn
babies.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Gritman nurses are the best
WHAT
do almost all of our pa-
tients recall about their experiences
at Gritman Medical Center? ree
words: our exceptional nurses.
Every one of them is a highly
skilled professional trained to care-
fully assess your health and immedi-
ately notice and respond to the most
subtle changes in your condition.
National certification
Within the Family Birth Center,
Gritman is proud that a large percent-
age of our nurses have earned national
certi cation in inpatient obstetrics.
“Our nurses are constantly
improving their skills,” says Kati
Haeder, Director of the Family Birth
Center. Kati has earned the national
certi cation, and many of the Family
Birth Center nursing sta have re-
ceived the national certi cation too.
So far, one-third of the Family Birth
Center nursing sta has received the
national certi cation.
A nurse can be fully accredited and
competent without national certi -
cation, but the rigorous testing and
ongoing education that national cer-
ti cation requires demonstrates that
the nurse is continually growing pro-
fessionally, developing and learning in
Smart steps for moms-to-be
A HEALTHY PREGNANCY
largely depends on making good choices. To protect
your baby:
the best interest of patient care.
For a hospital the size of Gritman,
which delivers about 400 babies a
year, the percentage of nationally
certi ed nurses is high, Kati says.
Lactation experts
So is the number of lactation
experts. Kati’s sta includes two cer-
ti ed lactation consultants and four
lactation educators.
“We almost
always have a lacta-
tion specialist on
shi ,” Kati says.
ese specialists
can also be seen by
appointment.
Standing out from the crowd
Still, what really distinguishes
our nurses is their compassion. Our
nurses truly care about every patient
they encounter, Kati says.
When this care is combined with
the other bene ts of the Family
Birth Center, including complimen-
tary massage, candlelight dinner
and whirlpool tubs, there is no bet-
ter place to bring your baby into
the world.
Safe and secure
While many amenities in the
Family Birth Center are for comfort,
others are for safety. e Family
Birth Center
o ers high-tech
security. All ba-
bies are given an
electronic ankle
bracelet at birth,
which is linked to
an infant security system. Visitors
are screened before entering, as well.
“It is another way we are proactive
and serving our youngest patients
and their families,” Kati says. It’s also
another way Gritman Family Birth
Center and its nurses are the best.
To schedule a tour of the
Family Birth Center and meet
our incredible team, call
208-883-2229
.
QUALITY