Maybe it’s the peace — spacious and private rooms, walls adorned with curated art, and wide-window views of tranquil treescapes. There’s the top-quality care — low nurse-to-patient ratios, custom birth plans, a level II specialty care nursery, and personal, attentive care with respect to privacy.
Or maybe it’s what happens when that unmatched privacy and high-quality, undivided care create a birthing environment that promotes peace and joy during the often-stressful childbirth experience.
Thousands of families have their own reasons why they recommend giving birth at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s Family Birth Center. For Monterey residents Mia and Danny McKernan, it was “the care, compassion, professionalism, and expertise of so many on the team.”
Attentive and compassionate birth care
Mia and Danny recall their son Archer’s birth as “not without complications” in a heartfelt letter to their Family Birth Center care team.
Two days before Archer was born, Mia experienced decreased fetal movement and went with Danny to the Family Birth Center for evaluation. Labor was induced, and during labor, Archer’s heart rate decreased during contractions, leading to an urgent C-section. The procedure went well, and in what seemed like seconds, Danny held Archer to his chest while Mia underwent a brief recovery.
“Our anxiousness turned to trust and we were able to go home with our beautiful son as a family of three,” Mia and Danny’s letter continues. “We are so incredibly thankful for the care that we received.”
Personalized care and attention to detail define Mia and Danny’s Family Birth Center experience. “From preadmission meetings to post-delivery care, we felt comfortable in being the decision-makers about how we wanted our birthing experience to go,” Mia says.
As soon as I recovered, lactation experts guided me through breastfeeding. We went over different ways to hold Archer to help him latch. They also provided breastfeeding alternatives and resources, and they came back to help with more feedings.
—Mia McKernan, Family Birth Center patient
When Archer was born, Mia and Danny’s care team walked the first-time parents through everyday baby care like breastfeeding, bathing, diaper-changing, and using a car seat.
“As soon as I recovered, lactation experts guided me through breastfeeding,” Mia continues. “We went over different ways to hold Archer to help him latch. They also provided breastfeeding alternatives and resources, and they came back to help with more feedings.”
The Family Birth Center is a limited-access area within Community Hospital, making the space private and quiet for patients and families.
“We weren’t confined to our room," Danny says. “We walked the hallways, sat on the couches, visited the staff. It was a great balance of attentive care and freedom to do what we needed.”
Giving birth at the Family Birth Center
For families who want to give birth at the Family Birth Center, getting started is easy with preadmission registration. Patients receive preadmission education and consultations where they can get their questions answered, take a virtual tour on YouTube, meet members of the care team, find resources, and more.
