Business is Booming in Labor and Delivery

Business is booming on the second floor of NorthBay Health Medical Center, with patients coming from OLE Health, La Clinica, Great Beginnings, Community Medical Center, Alpha Clinic, Sutter Health and David Grant Medical Center to give their babies a hearty start in a Baby Friendly facility.

“In 2019, we delivered 1,118 babies, and that was fairly average from previous years,” explained Heather Troutt, Director of NorthBay Health Women’s Hospital Services. “In 2020, the number grew to 1,208. In 2021, it jumped to 1,480. And in 2022, we hit 1,629 deliveries. Yes, 2023 continues to be very busy as well.”

NorthBay has become the hospital of choice for many new moms to deliver for an array of reasons, noted Stella Huang, D.O., Medical Director for NorthBay Health Women’s Hospital Services.

“In addition to being a certified Baby Friendly hospital, we have always stressed having a safe delivery for moms and babies at NorthBay,” Dr. Huang said. “Parents-to-be, physicians, nursing staff — we all work well together to assure that common goal.”

“In addition to being a certified Baby Friendly hospital, we have always stressed having a safe delivery for moms and babies at NorthBay. Parents-to-be, physicians, nursing staff — we all work well together to assure that common goal.”
Stella Huang, D.O., Medical Director for NorthBay Health Women’s Hospital Services

“We’ve been a Baby Friendly designated facility for nine years, and all the principles that come with it are just part of the culture here,” Heather added. “We promote family bonding, breast feeding, and skin-to-skin contact. The baby stays with mom in her room the whole time, and if interventions such as immunizations must be given, mom holds the baby when it happens. We don’t whisk them away. That’s just how we do things now.”

“Another reason NorthBay Health is often chosen as the delivery destination is because we can offer vaginal births, even if a mom has had prior C-Sections, as long as it’s safe,” said Heather. “Not all hospitals offer these services.”

NorthBay Health Women Services team includes physicians specializing in obstetrics, gynecology and robotic surgery. Offerings include well-women visits, cervical cancer screening, women’s imaging, family planning, hormone replacement therapy, ablation, urogynecology, robotic-assisted hysterectomy and more. Offices are on the third floor of the Gateway Building, on the NorthBay Health Medical Center campus in Fairfield, and soon in the VacaValley Health Plaza on the NorthBay Health VacaValley Hospital campus in Vacaville.

To schedule an appointment, call (707) 646-4100, or go to NorthBay.org/WomensServices.

Volunteer Cuddlers are Coming Back

Now that volunteers are returning to NorthBay Health, one of the more popular volunteer opportunities is also being reinstated: the Cuddler Program for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Originally launched in 2019, the program was first developed under the guidance of two retired NorthBay Health employees.

Volunteers in the program undergo training that focuses on the benefits of human touch, learn the importance of hand hygiene and sign a confidentiality agreement.

There is a wait list for the Cuddler program but there are many other opportunities for potential NorthBay Health volunteers.

Learn more at northbay.org/volunteer.