Labor and Delivery at Sheba

Sheba’s labor and delivery rooms are the heart and soul of our maternity wing. Staffed at all times by highly qualified, skilled professionals, these rooms are where we help every woman fulfill her dreams of giving birth safely in a calm and reassuring environment.

A great deal of thought and planning went into designing our delivery rooms. Each private space is fully equipped for any type of birth. In addition to the bed, there is a comfortable recliner, shower, and toilet. Rubber physio balls and hot tubs are also available, according to each woman’s personal wishes. Two escorts are allowed to accompany every woman in labor.

The health, comfort, and safety of both mother and fetus are our top priorities. Every room has an advanced embryonic monitor with a display screen in the room and also at the nearby nurses’ station so our team can monitor your baby’s health constantly. To assure anonymity, every woman is identified on the screen by room number.

In April 2019, Sheba opened a new center expressly for women who are interested in birthing in an intimate home atmosphere, without medical intervention or the use of painkillers. During childbirth, a qualified midwife provides full supervision, support, and assistance as needed. The Natural Birth Center is situated away from the normal delivery rooms, and the use of these rooms is contingent upon the mother and fetus meeting specific health conditions.

Every room features the latest holistic equipment, including dim lighting, music playback, a shower, roomy bathtubs, physio ball, floor mattresses, and more. All of these soothing amenities help women to cope with labor pains as well as give birth in various positions, such as kneeling or standing, or have a water birth.

When surgery is necessary for a healthy delivery, Sheba offers specialized “friendly” rooms and procedures to optimize the experience for mother and baby. As soon as the baby is delivered, he or she is placed directly on the mother, and then the surgery is continued. The baby enjoys the natural warmth of skin contact with the mother, and the separation of mother and infant is minimized.

After surgery is completed, the baby goes with the mother to the recovery room, where she can breastfeed. This “friendly” experience enables immediate bonding with the baby, increases milk production, and has been shown to reduce pain after the C-section. Note: specific health conditions must be met in order to qualify for this type of Cesarean delivery.

One of the advanced techniques we have adopted at Sheba is the use of glue for incision closure. In doing so, the woman’s recovery is much quicker and the pain associated with the incision is reduced.

Childbirth does not always develop as expected. When problems arise – either in the health of the mother or fetus, or in the birth progress – our physicians may recommend treatment or testing, including:

• Pitocin: to cause uterine contraction to encourage a shorter, safer birth
• Instrumental birth: use of forceps or vacuum may be indicated when the fetus must be extracted quickly to avoid unnecessary health risks; these devices are used when the cervix is completely open and the fetal head is low in the birth canal
• Direct monitoring of the fetal pulse: when an accurate register of the fetal pulse is not possible via the abdomen, an electrode can be attached internally to the fetal scalp
• Monitoring contractions by intrauterine cannula: when a highly accurate monitoring of labor pains is required, a thin plastic tube may be partially inserted to test for uterine contractions
• Intravenous antibiotics: this therapy may be needed to prevent complications for mother and fetus when women have prolonged water loss or a vaginal infection, or when fever rises during delivery. IV antibiotics may also be used for women with certain heart diseases.
• Blood sample from fetal scalp: testing to determine that the fetus is stable and in good health; this procedure enables detection of dangerous situations that require an immediate birth or it determines that childbirth can continue naturally without invasive intervention