It’s the little things that deliver big smiles
Having a baby is an exciting time in your life – and at the BirthPlace in our Niles and St. Joseph hospitals, we want to make it a healthy time. Our family of obstetric and pediatric physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, midwives, and lactation consultant strive to continuously provide our moms, babies, and families a safe, nationally-recognized, and high-quality experience.
Some of the little things that make the BirthPlace a special space for you a baby:
- Access to pediatric specialists 24/7
- Experienced and loving health care professionals
- Intimate family-centered birthing suites
- Newly renovated rooms
- Online nursery for friends and family who can’t be present
- Daily serenity hours
- Continued support throughout your delivery until you depart home
- Ongoing new parent education
Your baby's safety is at the heart of what we do.
Spectrum Health Lakeland Niles Hospital proudly earned a platinum designation for maternal care from the Michigan Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (MI AIM). Spectrum Health Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph also earned gold level designation, the second highest ranking.
MI AIM works with birthing hospitals to reduce and eliminate preventable maternal mortality and severe morbidity. Hospitals implement structured “safety bundle” plans to improve health outcomes for mothers to combat the leading causes of maternal mortality such as obstetric hemorrhage and severe hypertension. Safety bundle plans help hospitals by defining actionable protocols, education, equipment, and drills to prevent and treat serious maternal events. Learn more.
The Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM), a nonprofit group comprised of Michigan’s largest employers and unions, has awarded Lakeland Hospitals with the 2022 Maternity Care Excellence Award for demonstrated excellence in maternity care and delivery outcome. The Niles Hospital received this award a third year in a row.
The awards are part of EAM’s Maternity Care Project. Created in 2018, the project goals are to decrease the state’s infant mortality rate, reduce the rate of unnecessary C-sections, and be an educational resource for new and expecting parents residing in Michigan.
Sep 1, 2020 Reporting from Niles, MI
We Were In Great Hands - Anjana Gupta
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/medical-services/womens-health-services/pregnancy-care/birthplace/Detail/we-were-in-great-hands/?utm_source=We_Were_In_Great_Hands&utm_medium=PatientStory_Landing&utm_campaign=InternalPages
Sep 1, 2020
Sep 1, 2020
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
As a first-time mom, 37-year-old, Anjana Gupta of St. Joseph didn’t expect to deliver her baby five weeks early. Throughout her pregnancy, Anjana and her baby required additional monitoring and she was admitted to Lakeland Medical Center in St.
We Were In Great Hands - Anjana Gupta
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/ResourcePackages/SpectrumHealth/assets/img/sh_white_logo.png
We Were In Great Hands - Anjana Gupta
Sep, 2020
As a first-time mom, 37-year-old, Anjana Gupta of St. Joseph didn’t expect to deliver her baby five weeks early. Throughout her pregnancy, Anjana and her baby required additional monitoring and she was admitted to Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph four times between May 1 and 17. When she arrived the final time, doctors told her it was time to deliver.
“Every time I was admitted to the hospital it was a great experience,” said Anjana. “I was comfortable, and the nurses answered all of my questions.”
Anjana delivered Alice Kumari Brown via caesarian section on May 17, 2019. Five days after labor, Anjana was able to be discharged home. But since her daughter was delivered prematurely, she was not able to eat on her own yet and needed to stay at the hospital a little longer. Fortunately, if mothers are discharged before their newborns, they can stay until their baby is released too. Anjana and her husband were able to remain by their daughter’s side until they brought her home–which meant the world to them as first time parents.
“There was no way I would have left my baby,” she said. “The best part is I was able to stay in my room. Everyone was always helpful. I never felt like a bother to them.”
While Anjana appreciated her entire care team, it was the interaction with the nurses in the nursery that meant the most to her.
“They were always supportive,” she said. “They encouraged me to take breaks, and I received incredible training on how to care for a premature baby. We’re not used to having a four-pound baby, so the education they provided was incredible.”
Lactation consultant, Denise Lendardson, RN, met with Anjana every day. All the nurses were also trained to help with breastfeeding. Within those four days, Anjana’s daughter went from syringe feeding to bottles to trying to breastfeed.
“I cried when we left, because I did not want to leave the nurses,” she said. “Everyone was incredible. We knew we were in great hands.”
Anjana hopes to ease the minds of other expecting mothers, reassuring them of the excellent care she received at the Lakeland BirthPlace.;
“Trust the professionals,” she said. “They know what they’re doing. If you relax, trust, and listen, you and your baby will be fine.”
Anjana delivered Alice Kumari Brown via caesarian section on May 17, 2019.
“There was no way I would have left my baby,” she said. “The best part is I was able to stay in my room. Everyone was always helpful. I never felt like a bother to them.”
Fortunately, if mothers are discharged before their newborns, they can stay until their baby is released too. Anjana and her husband were able to remain by their daughter’s side until they brought her home–which meant the world to them as first time parents.