At Southeast Alabama Medical Center (SAMC), we believe that birth is a celebration of life and that a supportive environment for every childbirth experience is essential.

That’s why SAMC's Family Birth Center provides family-centered healthcare to pregnant women and their infants during both normal and high-risk pregnancies and births. Our inviting labor/delivery suites provide a calming, home-like atmosphere and feature spacious bathrooms with a tub/shower units. There are even comfortable places for dads to catch quick naps.

In a traditional maternity unit, a woman is moved following delivery. In some cases, she is in one room for labor, another for delivery, and still another for recovery. After the birth she is moved yet again to a postpartum room. Her baby, meanwhile, is taken to a nursery and then brought to the mother at various times throughout the day. Often the mother shares her postpartum room with another woman.

Our luxurious private birthing suites feature amenities such as a Jacuzzi with shower, refrigerator, TV with DVD and an open-air terrace. A well-baby nursery and a special-care nursery are strategically located in the new center. The Women's Center Boutique will not only be a place to buy "the perfect gift," but serve as a resource for newborns, moms, offer breast-feeding supplies, incontinence apparel, breast cancer prosthesis, certified fitters and more.

Family Birth Center nurses are professionally trained to provide couplet care where one nurse provides individualized attention for mom and baby. Couplet care has proven to be more effective in providing better care for new moms and their babies. It also provides that special bonding time for mom, dad and their new baby. Nurses are certified in creative strategies to provide aromatherapy and massage, and other techniques to assist mom in the labor process.

Our philosophy at The Family Birth Center is:

• Birth is a celebration of life

• Childbirth is a process of wellness, not illness

• A loving, supportive, and safe environment for every childbirth experience is essential

• Knowledge and support are the keys to a successful transition to parenthood

• Family involvement is an important part of the childbirth experience

• Caring is demonstrated to our patients by our commitment to family-centered care

The Childbirth Education Department is committed to provide instruction that will meet the following goals:

• Empowerment: Through education, provide empowerment for making informed choices/decisions

• Facilitate Communications: Facilitate positive communication with Health Care Providers and support systems

• Facilitate Support Systems: Facilitate support systems in the family, in the community, and in the hospital

• Healthy Lifestyles: Promote healthy lifestyles

• Increase Self-Confidence: Empower with knowledge to increase self-confidence

• Knowledge: Increased knowledge of the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of pregnancy, labor and birth, and early postpartum and the newborn

• Pain Management Strategies: Comprehension and utilization of pain management strategies during labor and birth

• Variations: Prepare for possible variations in pregnancy and birth