Family Birth Center - Dignity Health - Mercy San Juan Medical Center

The Family Birth Center at Mercy San Juan Medical Center offers 24/7 care for expectant parents and their new babies. Spacious, private suites provide a comfortable setting for you and your support partner to welcome your new baby.

Our care team collaborates with you on your birth plan, helping you safely give birth. We offer a full range of pain management options and provide expert care for vaginal and cesarean births.

After birth, you’ll have uninterrupted time with your baby to promote bonding. We offer breastfeeding education and postpartum guidance to help you and your baby get the best start possible.

You’ll labor, deliver and recover in the same room, so you won’t have to move rooms after your baby is born. We include benefits such as:

• Aromatherapy

• Board-certified lactation consultant support (available seven days a week)

• Diaper bag with baby essentials

• Organic bath and body products

• Wi-Fi access
  

• A celebratory meal

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 or slippers

• Lip balm

• Comfortable sleeping attire or robe

• Nursing bras and nursing pads

• Personal electronics and chargers

• Personal toiletries

• Favorite snacks

• Change of clothes for your birth partner

Yes, we would love to show you around our birth center. You can register for an in-person Stork Tour to see our facilities and learn what to expect on the big day.

Please meet in the Russell Lobby at the main entrance. You may bring one support person. No children are allowed on the tour.

Register for a tour

Yes, we are regional leaders in high-risk pregnancy care. Our perinatologists help minimize risks and partner with you to deliver your baby safely.

Our Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care, awarded by the Joint Commission, means we deliver the highest standard of patient-centered prenatal through postpartum care.

Babies born prematurely or with complications get advanced care in our Level III NICU. Our highly trained, collaborative care team includes:

• Neonatalogists

• Neonatal nurse practitioners

• Registered nurses certified in neonatal intensive care

• Specialized respiratory therapists

• Lactation consultants

• Dietitian specializing in neonatal care

• Developmental specialists

• Neonatal pharmacists

The Robert S. and Star Pepper Neonatal Intensive Care Unit can care for 40 babies in 16 private rooms and 24 semi-private spaces. A parent may stay with their baby 24/7 in a safe, comfortable environment.

Watch NICU video

Our Level III NICU provides comprehensive services, including:

• Conventional ventilation

• High-level respiratory support

• Continuous EEG

• Transport services

We also provide emotional support and guidance to parents. Our goal is to ensure that you have everything you need to make care decisions for your baby during their stay in the NICU.

Yes, Mercy San Juan Medical Center is the first NICU in the region to offer an exclusive human donor milk diet for premature babies. If your baby needs additional support, we provide safe, screened donor milk through Prolacta Bioscience. 

Your breast milk will always be the first choice for your baby’s nutrition. But if you choose donor milk, your baby’s care team will use it in addition to your milk.

Yes, our board-certified lactation consultants are available seven days a week to help you learn to breastfeed your baby during your hospital stay. After you return home, we offer live online support on Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.