Labor and birth

Use this checklist to get ready for the big day:

• Take a virtual or in-person tour of the hospital you’ll be delivering at
• Take a childbirth class
• Pack your overnight bag
• Pick a pediatrician
• Install your baby’s carseat

Only five percent of babies arrive on their due date. Since you never know when you’ll go into labor, having a bag packed and ready to go ahead of time is always a good idea.

Your bag should include:

• Baby book for footprints
• Baby outfit
• Basic toiletries
• Bra (nursing bra if you intend to breastfeed)
• Camera and batteries
• Car seat
• Food for support person
• Hat and booties (depending on the weather)
• Lip balm
• Loose-fitting underwear and clothing to wear home
• Lotion, aromatherapy or other supplies for labor
• Nursing pads
• Phone numbers of people to call after the birth
• Robe, slippers and warm, brightly colored socks
• Water bottle for mother and partner

Please leave your car seat and baby belongings in your car until after delivery.

The hospital will provide:

• A small tube of lanolin or comfort gels
• Baby T-shirts
• Disposable diapers
• Hair dryers
• Maxi pads and disposable underwear
• Nightgowns, although you may bring your own (If you’re planning to breastfeed, you may want a nightgown that opens in the front)
• Receiving blankets
• Washcloths

All our hospitals are dedicated to providing new moms, dads, and babies the utmost care and maternity amenities.

All our facilities feature access to warm and relaxing private rooms. Additional amenities can include:

• Aromatherapy
• Birthing ball
• Refrigerator
• Room service
• Sleeping accommodations for partner
• Soaking tub
• Television
• Wireless internet

Schedule your childbirth tour at one of our hospitals to learn what amenities are available at each of our unique facilities.

Where you need to go depends on your individual situation, your chosen hospital's policy, and the time of day you go into labor!

In some cases, you'll come through the main hospital entrance, and the staff at the front desk will direct you to the labor and delivery unit. This may be the case day or night.

In other cases, you might arrive after hours, and you'll enter through the emergency room entrance at some of our facilities. From there, our staff will direct or transport you to where you need to go.

If you aren't sure of the process, be sure to ask when you take a tour of your chosen hospital.

Once you get to the labor and delivery unit, head for the nurses' station to get checked in and finish up the necessary paperwork.

You can take advantage of our pre-registration process and get much of the paperwork out of the way early.

Don’t forget to bring a list of medications and supplements you’re taking, a photo ID and proof of insurance.

Contact your insurance company about your maternity stay and newborn coverage. If your insurance requires a copayment, you’ll be asked to pay that when you’re admitted.

Labor usually begins within two weeks before or after your estimated due date, but no one knows exactly when babies will come. If you’re approaching your due date, you’ll want to watch for these signs of labor:

• Bloody show. A small amount of mucus, slightly mixed with blood, may be expelled from the vagina.
• Contractions. Contractions, or uterine muscle tightening, that occur less than 10 minutes apart are usually a sign that labor has begun. They’ll become more frequent and severe as labor progresses.
• Rupture of the amniotic sac. Labor sometimes begins when your “water breaks,” or when amniotic fluid gushes or leaks from the vagina. If this happens, go to the hospital immediately and contact your doctor or midwife.

Learn more about the signs and symptoms of labor.

If you’re not sure whether you’re in labor, call your care provider.

When your contractions come regularly every four to five minutes and last for about a minute, it’s time to call your doctor or midwife. They will ask questions to determine when you should head to the hospital.

You may not need to go to the hospital if you’re experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions (sometimes called practice or false labor).

If you’re scheduled for a cesarean section or an induction, we’ll give you information ahead of time about when to go the hospital.

Braxton-Hicks contractions are described as:

• Irregular
• More uncomfortable than painful
• Don’t increase in frequency or intensity
• Go away when changing positions or activities

Depending on your preference, your health, your baby’s health, and your doctor or midwife’s recommendation, you have four general types of pain management:

• Nonmedicated measures. Techniques to promote comfort and relieve stress, such as breathing, meditation, imagery, and movement. This approach is also known as natural childbirth.
• Analgesics. Medications, such as meperidine, to relieve pain are commonly used with very few complications.
• Anesthesia. Medications that cause loss of sensation, such as a local block or epidural anesthesia.
• Nitrous Oxide. An inhaled anesthetic gas that may help reduce anxiety and makes patients less aware of pain.

Learn more about how we can help manage your pain during birth.

Some women may choose or need to have labor started medically. Your provider will refer you if this is needed.

Yes. Park City and Heber Valley Hospitals have 24/7 access to Critical Care or NICU telehealth services. Families giving birth in any of our facilities can consult with neonatologists via video and receive expert care for newborn conditions such as prematurity, breathing problems, infections, and other serious complications.

If you have a scheduled or unexpected cesarean section, operating rooms are nearby to deliver your baby as quickly and safely as possible.

Yes. Rooming-in is a practice in which newborn infants stay in the same room as their mothers in the hospital, rather than being cared for in a separate nursery.

This allows mothers and babies to bond and spend time together. It also allows mothers to learn to care for their babies in a more natural setting.

Yes. Families participating in Intermountain Simply Birth™ Program at Layton Hospital are welcome to bring a doula to their labor and delivery.