Family Birth Center - Dignity Health - Mercy Medical Center Redding

The Family Birth Center and Mercy Medical Center Redding provide comprehensive care for you and your baby before, during and after delivery. Our services include:

• Pregnancy testing

• Childbirth education

• Nutritional counseling

• Referrals to specialists

• Management of high-risk pregnancies

• Vaginal or cesarean delivery

• Neonatal intensive care in our Level III NICU

• Breastfeeding assistance

• Professional photography

• Home care follow-up visit

At the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Mercy Medical Center Redding, our knowledgeable, compassionate physicians help get your baby healthy and ready to go home. As a Level III NICU, we are equipped to provide specialized care, including monitoring, medications and oxygen delivery. Our doctors and nurses will communicate with you about your baby’s care plan and answer your questions.

Our team includes neonatologists (doctors specializing in premature and high-risk babies) along with:

• Registered nurses

• Respiratory therapists

• Developmental specialists

• Lactation consultants

• Dietitians

• Pharmacists

As part of our philosophy of family-centered care, we also encourage you to participate in your baby’s care — such as diaper changes, feedings or gentle touches — as often as possible. This will help make your baby’s transition to health and home easier.

The most important item to bring with you is an approved infant car seat. You may also want to pack an outfit for your baby and a receiving blanket. We provide all other necessary items for your baby during your stay, including diapers and blankets.

However, you are welcome to bring anything that will make your stay more comfortable, including: 

• Comfortable clothes to wear home (maternity clothes)

• Driver's license or ID card, insurance card, and pediatrician and OB/GYN contact information

• Flip-flops

• Lip balm

• Nightgowns

• Nursing bras and nursing pads

• Personal electronics and chargers

• Personal toiletries

• Snacks

• Swimsuit and a change of clothes for your birth partner

Yes, we welcome your chosen support people to be present during labor and delivery, and after birth. We recommend discussing your visitor preferences with your care team, which will help ensure a comfortable and safe environment for everyone.

We allow up to two visitors at a time and require them to check in at the lobby and wear a visitor badge while in the hospital. Visitors may use the cafeteria and gift shop.

Review our visitor guidelines

Yes, our well-trained care team can help you get started with breastfeeding if you choose this option. We also help families create a feeding plan, whether you choose breast milk, formula or a combination of both.

We offer families a Breastfeeding Basics class that covers topics such as:

• Avoiding sore nipples

• Common issues around latch-on techniques

• Expressing and storing breast milk

• Returning to work or school

Classes are held in Auditorium A and B from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Registration is required prior to class. Partners are welcome to attend. 

Register for a class

The Childbirth Education Class helps you and your partner prepare for the labor and birth experience. It covers topics from pregnancy to birth — including cesarean birth and postpartum recovery — with an emphasis on options for labor and delivery and coping strategies for pain management. 

We suggest you enroll in a Childbirth Education Class during your fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. Registration is required prior to class. Classes fill up quickly and space is limited.

Classes last eight hours and take place on Saturdays. We break for lunch around noon for about one hour. Please bring a lunch or be prepared to purchase one. You may also bring a labor ball, blanket and pillows for the skills portion of the class, although these are not required. 

Register for this class

Yes, we provide professional photography services to celebrate your newborn’s arrival. You can purchase prints or create a personal website. Our photography vendor offers on-site printing so you can receive your package before you leave the hospital. You can also select images or reorder up to a year later.

Yes. At Mercy Medical Center Redding, we keep mothers and babies together during the hospital stay to encourage bonding opportunities. Skin-to-skin bonding often:

• Causes your uterus to contract and bleed less

• Comforts and soothes baby

• Gives baby better oxygenation and blood sugar levels

• Promotes feelings of closeness and protectiveness

• Provides a quiet time for your new family to connect

• Stabilizes baby’s temperature and vital signs

• Stimulates milk production and provides the best opportunity to get breastfeeding off to a good start

You can choose a pediatrician by asking your obstetrics and gynecology doctor or asking family and friends. You can also use our Find a Doctor tool.