During Pregnancy

One of the best ways to prepare for childbirth is to start early and make a game plan. We recommend creating a “wishlist” to help you envision what you’d like your baby’s birth to encompass – with lots of room for flexibility.

Discuss these details with your OB and/or midwife during your prenatal appointments, and share it with your labor and delivery team upon your arrival at Memorial Family Birthplace.

Our dedicated team will do everything in our power to make sure your labor and delivery match up with all of your wishes.

By the time you are 35 weeks pregnant, you should have chosen a pediatrician for your baby who will coordinate care with the nurses.

Please bring the name and phone number of your baby's pediatrician to the hospital when you are ready to deliver.

If your pediatrician doesn't round at Memorial Healthcare System, our staff neonatologist will act as the pediatrician during your hospital stay.

If you do not have a pediatrician, call Memorial Physician Referral Service at 800-944-3627 to help you find a physician that's right for your baby.

Expecting moms can pre-register and choose to deliver at three convenient locations:

• Memorial Regional Hospital - Hollywood: 954-265-4484
• Memorial Hospital West - Pembroke Pines: 954-844-7110
• Memorial Hospital Miramar - Miramar: 954-538-5180

We encourage you to attend a virtual or in-person maternity orientation tour at the hospital that's most convenient for you. Topics covered in the orientation class include:

• How to pre-register for birth
• Where to enter when you’re in labor
• Places to park
• Things to pack

Register for Tour at Memorial Regional Hospital

Register for Tour at Memorial Hospital Miramar

Register for Tour at Memorial Hospital West

Join our maternity education classes to help you prepare and feel more confident for your labor and delivery – and life at home with baby.

We offer a wide variety of classes in English and Spanish on baby proofing, infant CPR, safe sleep, car seat safety, breastfeeding, hypnobirthing, and more. Our comprehensive maternity classes are always growing, so check back frequently for new options as your pregnancy progresses.

At Memorial Family Birthplace, we are committed to providing support in all aspects of labor, delivery and postpartum care – and that includes both mental health and social support. We encourage you to sign up for our Transition to Parenting online class, hosted by a mental health guest speaker.

Have a safe place prepared for your baby to sleep at home.

Memorial Family Birthplace team is committed to sleep safety, so if you need help finding a safety-approved crib or pack-n-play, please reach out to one of our team members. We also offer an Infant Sleep Safety class to help our parents-to-be prepare a safe sleep spot location for their little one.

Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification has awarded each Memorial Family Birthplace facility the program’s highest designation, Gold Safe Sleep Champion, for its commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. To learn what a safe sleep environment looks like for your newborn baby, please download the Safe to Sleep For Your Baby brochure. You can also refer to the Safe Sleep Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

From bilingual and multilingual physicians, neonatologists, and nurses to birth certificate technicians and hearing screeners, many members of the Memorial Family Birthplace team can converse in multiple languages. We offer international maternity services so everyone feels supported and understood while in our care.

If you're pregnant and addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, Mothers in Recovery (MIR) may be able to help.

Our maternal addiction program is designed to help mother and baby safely withdraw from substances and support mom in meeting her recovery goals.

Call 954-276-3429 or email us at epreira@mhs.net to start the admissions process. If you're experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, please go to your nearest emergency room.

Our three Memorial Family Birthplace locations offer many amenities during your stay, including:

• 24 hour lactation support
• Aromatherapy
• Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) chairs
• Delayed bath
• Food options for vegan, vegetarian and Kosher meals
• Immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth
• Music
• Pain management options
• Peanut ball
• Quick access to epidural with an on-site anesthesiologist
• Rooming-in with your baby during postpartum care

Yes. We encourage you to keep the baby in the room with you. This allows you to care for your baby while in the hospital with the assistance of the nurses. If questions arise, this is the ideal opportunity to address them. Remember, the safety of your baby is most important. If you are too tired to care for your baby and there is no one else staying with you, a nurse might suggest that your baby be taken to the nursery while you rest.

We are very supportive of breastfeeding for babies. Memorial Family Birthplace has board-certified lactation consultants on staff to help support you and your family as you learn how to breastfeed your baby. We offer consultation and support after you leave the hospital with classes, educational materials, support groups and many other services for the mother who chooses to breastfeed. Learn about our breastfeeding and lactation services, classes, and support groups.

Doula services are available through the company Mother's Care Doula Services. They can be reached directly at 954-433-2273. They are available for both labor and postpartum support.

Yes, your doctor or midwife should give you either a yellow card or a copy of your medical records to bring to the hospital. This will contain the results of your lab work. It is very important that you bring this with you so that we can care for you and your baby in the best way possible.

Our365 is not affiliated with Memorial Healthcare System, but is a service that is available for you for prenatal and infant photography. They offer package purchases and secure online posting on their Web Nursery website in a password-protected environment. You can contact Our365 customer service at 800-325-3550.

Use the Safe Kids Worldwide® Car Seat Safety Checklist to make sure you are meeting your child’s car safety needs as they grow.

• Right Seat: Check the label on your car seat to make sure it’s appropriate for your child’s age, weight and height. Also make sure the expiration date hasn't expired.
• Right Place: Keep all children in the back seat until they are 13. Never place car seat in front on an airbag.
• Right Direction: Keep your child in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by your car seat manufacturer. Move your child to a forward-facing car seat when they are too tall or heavy for a rear-facing convertible seat.
• Inch Test: Once your car seat is installed, give it a good shake at the base. A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
• Pinch Test: Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots. Now, with the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder. If you are unable to pinch any excess webbing, you’re good to go.
• Safety First: Never leave your child alone in a car seat, not even for a minute. Leave your phone, purse, or backpack next to car seat so you're forced to retrieve those items when you exit the car.

Visit the National Highway Transportation and Safety Car Seats and Booster Seats page for more information.

After purchasing your child’s new car seat, fill out the registration card that comes with the car seat. It will already have the seat’s information included; you will only need to fill out your contact information and mail the card.

You can also register your child’s car seat online.

If you suspect your child’s car seat has undergone a recall, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and click "Car Seats." You will need the name of the car seat manufacturer, model number and date of manufacture. This website is also helpful if you are looking at buying a used car seat – make sure to check the data thoroughly before purchasing a car seat second-hand.

Take a photo of your child’s car seat label and save it on your phone for future reference.

• Aromatherapy diffuser and essential oils
• Birth book for souvenir footprints
• Birth plan/wish list
• Bluetooth speaker
• Camera (please note we do not allow video recordings of baby’s birth)
• Clothes (robe, loose fitting clothes, pajamas, nursing bra, undergarments, and slippers)
• Identification (driver's license/passport and insurance card)
• Focal point
• Massage tools
• Phone and charger
• Relaxation music/favorite playlist or podcast
• Toiletries
• Optional: Clothes for partner

• Car seat (must be installed in car)
• Clothes (washed with no fabric softener)
  • Hat
  • Onesies
  • Sleepers
  • Socks
• Wearable blanket
• No mittens
• Baby's pediatrician name and phone number. If you need a pediatrician, please call 866-532-4362 or visit Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital physician referral.
• Check with your insurance company to make sure your baby’s pediatrician is covered in your network.

• Photo identification
• Change of clothes
• Sweater
• Toiletries
• Snacks to limit the need for trips outside the hospital