At Cornwall Community Hospital, our Paediatric and Obstetrical Units are combined as Women's and Children Health Services. Women and Children’s Health Services offers 24/7 obstetrician coverage and paediatrician coverage for newborns, teenagers, and children. A multidisciplinary team of specially trained healthcare professionals including nurses and respiratory therapists also work in Women and Children’s Health.
Children, teenagers, and newborns (who are not able to be in the room with mom) are cared for in a paediatric wing located on 6th Floor North. New mothers and their healthy newborns are cared for on 6th Floor South. Post-operative care is also provided on 6th Floor South for women who have undergone a surgical gynecological procedure.
Pregnancy is an exciting and anxiety provoking time for you and your family; but, be comforted to know that at Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH), you and your baby are in expert hands.
CCH is home to a fully staffed and modern Labour and Delivery Unit where expecting mothers can deliver their babies in a compassionate, safe, modern and supportive setting.
Every year, our Labour and Delivery Unit helps to deliver nearly 600 babies from across Eastern Ontario.
Located on the sixth floor of the hospital, our recently redeveloped Labour and Delivery Unit houses spacious, private labour and delivery rooms, each equipped with whirlpool tubs, padded benches, rocking chairs and windows providing beautiful sunset and sunrise views over the City of Cornwall.
State of the art technology has been incorporated throughout, including recently acquired Panda Warmers, which are utilized in births to warm the baby as the pediatric teams assess the infant (pictured below).
The unit is also home to an Early Labor Lounge, which is a comfortable, alternative space to allow labour to continue as naturally as if mom were still at home.The Lounge is a more home-like, relaxing space with chairs and low-lighting, where you can listen to soothing music, watch television, use birthing balls or peanut balls. This is to help moms keep active and move around during labour, which can provide comfort, advance labour and help reduce the need for caesarean delivery.
By delivering a baby in an urban centre such as Cornwall, moms also benefit from having access to a fully staffed team of healthcare professionals to ensure the labour and delivery process goes as smoothly and safely as possible, and that they can receive the best postpartum care and education before going home.
Nearly 30 nurses work exclusively within our Labour and Delivery Unit, specially trained and certified through the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Fetal Health Surveillance Program.
Moms can also expect 24/7 obstetrician coverage, physician coverage for newborns, and respiratory therapists on-site at all times who are trained in neonatal resuscitation in the event there are any breathing complications with the baby during labour and delivery and up to the age of 28 days.
Although all of the nurses on our Labour and Delivery Unit receive breastfeeding training, there are certified Lactation Consultants who specialize with helping new moms with breastfeeding and providing education.
The Gentle Beginnings Midwifery Group hold privileges at CCH and proudly support many moms who wish to benefit from the unique care experience offered by midwives but give birth in the safety of a hospital. The midwives, obstetricians, infant providers and nurses all work collaboratively to provide the best team-based care possible.
To make the birth of your new family member the best experience possible we would like to share with you our guidelines. In keeping with the privacy, respect and safety of the labouring families we ask for your cooperation with the following:
At Cornwall Community Hospital we are committed to the security of our “youngest” patients and we have a newborn security procedure in place. At birth, 2 identification bracelets will be placed on your baby. The mother and the identified support person will also receive a bracelet with the same number and information printed on it. If mother and baby are separated, the bracelets should be checked when they are reunited. Please do not be offended if you are asked to show your ID bracelets; this is to protect you and your baby.
Help us to protect your baby for the duration of your stay by following these security measures:
For more information, please see our information booklet here. For additional information, questions or a tour of the hospital's Labour and Delivery Unit, please contact Jackie Girard, Manager of Women and Children's Health.