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Hospitals Re-Open For In-Person Maternity Tours and Classes

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Both Tenet Health Central Coast Hospitals, Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo have been honored with the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Care Award. 

Not only is the IBLCLC Care Award a global recognition of best practices for protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding, it demonstrates that the hospitals are committed to ensuring staff have earned the prestigious International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification.

Only 12 of the 341 hospitals in California (and 129 hospitals of 6,090 in the United States) have received this recognition, and two are part of Tenet Health Central Coast. Both hospitals are also internationally recognized as Baby-Friendly birth facilities, a designation created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to recognize maternity services that support successful and sustained breastfeeding for babies to give them the best start in life.

The announcement comes at a time where Twin Cities and Sierra Vista have opened up Maternity tours and classes. Parents who are expecting and birthing coaches can now tour the hospitals’ Birth and Baby Centers to find out what to expect when delivering, what support classes are available, and get a sneak peek at the private birthing rooms and recovery suites.

The Birthing Centers include Deluxe Hydrotherapy Labor Tubs, which allow mothers to take advantage of the soothing properties of warm water and aromatherapy to help ease labor pain. Unlike the inflatable tubs often found at other facilities, these are permanent tubs that are ergonomically designed to support the back and allow access for personal physicians.

Twin Cities also features a unique Outdoor Zen Garden as a part of the Birth & Baby Center’s third-floor terrace as a calming respite for those desiring fresh air and a tranquil setting overlooking Templeton’s rolling hills and vineyards.

For the convenience and safety of mothers, many maternity classes are now available online, such as Preparing for Childbirth, Breastfeeding and Returning Back to Work, and Introducing Solid Foods to Your Child.

At Twin Cities, there are also in-person support classes, including Navigating Motherhood, where positive coping skills and strategies for successfully overcoming the new challenges of parenthood are taught. Understanding the risk factors and symptoms of postpartum depression are also addressed in these classes.

Twin Cities also offers an outpatient lactation clinic.

Sometimes, newborns can have unexpected challenges and, should there be any concern, Sierra Vista’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – the only Level III NICU in the County – stands ready to help and has two new ways to support the families that have babies needing NICU care. One form of support is a new innovation; if it turns out that a baby needs to stay in NICU after mom is able to go home, Tenet Health Central Coast is launching the NicView webcam system to help families feel close and connected 24/7 after mother is discharged from the hospital. For the NICU babies themselves, there are staff members certified in Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapy. This therapy can significantly impact, including increased weight gains, improved developmental scores, and earlier discharge from the hospital. Parents also benefit because this therapy enhances bonding with their child and increases confidence in their parenting skills.

More information or scheduling a tour can be accessed online at tenethealthcentralcoast.com/services/obstetrics. 

Information about class schedules and attending can be found online at tenethealthcentralcoast.com/events.