Women’s Health

Maternity Care

Our experienced obstetricians, skilled midwives, and specially-trained nurses oversee vaginal births in each of our 15 labor-delivery-recovery rooms. These rooms are private and professionally decorated. Cesarean sections are performed in one of our two operating suites, located in the Labor and Delivery department. We support mom’s choice for natural or anesthesia-assisted childbirth. We look forward to playing Brahm’s Lullaby throughout the hospital after every daytime delivery!

After your baby arrives, you will move to the Mother-Baby Unit when you and your caregivers decide it is time. This is a modern, 29-bed area where specially-trained nurses practice family-centered nursing. We encourage “rooming-in” with your new baby. Your baby will stay in the room with you, allowing time for bonding. With the help of the staff, you will learn to care for your baby’s needs and wants. Family bonding time is offered daily from noon until 2 p.m. to make sure your new family has quiet time together without unwanted interruptions.

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital is dedicated to providing the best care for you and your baby.

• The first in the region to be designated as a Baby-Friendly USA hospital.
• The first in the region to be certified as a National Safe Sleep Hospital by Cribs For Kids.
  • To learn more about Safe Sleep for your infant, click here.
• In collaboration, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Labor & Delivery team and Tennessee Donor Services are saving and improving lives through placental tissue donation.

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and West Tennessee Healthcare Volunteer Hospital are committed to reducing infant deaths and have been granted the BEST for Babies Award by The Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Hospital Association. The BEST award stands for breastfeeding, early elective delivery reduction, and safe sleep for Tennessee babies.

We also have in place a strong security system to protect you and your baby as another means to provide you with peace of mind.

For more information on the BEST award, visit the TDH website. 

Ready to find a hospital to deliver your baby near you? West Tennessee Healthcare has three locations in the region so you can receive the maternity services you need, close to home.

• Jackson-Madison County General Hospital (Jackson, TN)
• WTH Dyersburg Hospital 
• WTH Volunteer Hospital (Martin, TN)

Maternity Center Tour

Storking

After the fifth month of pregnancy, it is recommended that you pre-register or (Stork).  Doing this in advance will allow immediate check-in when it is time to deliver.  You do not have to make an appointment and can stork in the admitting department of each hospital during regular business hours.

Safe Sleep

Each year approximately 3500 infants die from sleep related deaths. You can lower your baby’s risk by following the ABC’s of Safe Sleep.

Alone: A baby should sleep in the same room as an adult but in their own crib, with nothing but a fitted crib sheet.
Back: A baby should be placed on their back to sleep until their first birthday.
Crib: A baby should sleep in a safety approved crib for every nap and at bedtime.

Help keep your baby sleeping safely by following these guidelines to create a Safe Sleep Environment:

• Babies should sleep alone in the same room as an adult but in their own crib, portable play yard or bassinet that conforms to the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Never put a baby to sleep on a couch, chair or any other soft surface. Devices such as car seats, carriers, swings or strollers should not be used for routine sleep.
• A firm mattress and a fitted sheet should be the only thing in the baby’s crib. Keep toys, bumper pads, blankets, pillows and other objects out of your baby’s sleeping area. Wedges and sleep positioners should not be used.
• Put your baby on their back to sleep for naps and at night until their first birthday.
• Don’t make the room your baby sleeps in too hot. Dress your baby in no more than one more layer than you are wearing. Avoid over bundling or covering the face. Weighted swaddling clothing or weighted objects are not recommended. Swaddling is no longer appropriate once your infant starts trying to roll over.
• Don’t allow smoking or the use of illegal drugs around your baby.
• Breastfeeding your baby is recommended.
• Follow health care provider guidance on your baby’s vaccines and regular health checkups.

For more information about infant safe sleep visit:

American Academy of Pediatrics

Cribs for Kids

Infant Safe Sleep and SUIDS

Lactation Services

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital promotes breastfeeding as a baby’s best start in life! Lactation services are offered by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and Certified Lactation Counselors, who are trained in the techniques and science of breastfeeding. They will assist mothers in learning skills to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding. Once back at home, mothers may call the lactation consultant — at no charge! For more information, call 731-541-BABY (2229).

Additional Lactation Services

• Breastfeeding classes
• In-house hospital assistance and support. For more information, call 731-541-BABY (2229)
• Information and assistance for new parents with sick or premature babies in NeoICU.
• At-home information and support available.
• Electric breast pump rentals and sales, as well as other maternity supplies are available through Medical Center Medical Products. For more information, call 731-664-4305.

Neonatal Intensive Care

Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provides highly specialized care for babies born prematurely or those who require extra medical attention after birth. Our neonatal team includes board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, a highly skilled nursing staff, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and certified lactation consultants, all of whom provide these special babies with the highest level of care.

The neonatal unit, which is located on the third floor of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, is a Level III 42-bed unit. Last year, we cared for more than 650 babies in the unit.

Learn More

Perinatology

Special care for at-risk moms and babies is provided through Mid-South Perinatal Associates, P.C., located inside Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. Nathan Hoeldtke, MD, along with a highly qualified staff, provide care for women at the in-hospital clinic location.

Services Include:

• Routine and high-risk obstetric ultrasound
• Preconceptional care
• Genetic counseling
• Prenatal diagnostic procedures
• Targeted sonographic evaluation of fetal anomalies and growth disorders
• Fetal echocardiography
• First-trimester nuchal translucency evaluation
• Fetal transfusion
• Antepartum fetal surveillance
• Consultative or primary management of medical complications in pregnancy
• Inpatient consultation and management
• Management of diabetes in pregnancy

Beneficial features include:

• Routine and high-risk obstetric ultrasound
• Preconceptional care
• Genetic counseling
• Prenatal diagnostic procedures

Appointments are available by referral from your OB/GYN or primary care provider. For more information, ask your doctor or call 731-541-6939.

Learn More

Perinatal High-Risk Unit

This unit is designed for the high-risk pregnant patient.  Located within the Mother/Baby Unit, highly trained nurses will be there to help give you and your baby the special care that you need if a complication arises with your pregnancy.   We work closely with Labor & Delivery and your physician to provide the same level of expertise and care, so you can feel confident that you are in great hands.

OB-Ed Triage

Our OB-ED Triage is an emergency department solely for pregnant women.  Located close to the Labor & Delivery unit, we are here around the clock to ensure expectant mothers receive timely, specialized care.  We work with the OB Hospitalist Group, who will see you in the OB Emergency Room, manage any problem/complication that you may have, and consult with your physician when you are admitted to the hospital for delivery.

OB Hospitalists

The West Tennessee Women’s Centers at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, and Volunteer Hospital in Martin operate an OB/GYN hospitalist program which allows hospital-based physicians to focus on providing care to patients in the hospital, as well as those arriving in the OB-Ed Triage or Labor and Delivery department. To support this program, both hospitals work with Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG), the largest dedicated OB/GYN hospitalist provider. This company agrees with our desire to make certain that every expectant mother is afforded the basic privilege of consistently and unconditionally seeing a physician when presenting to the Labor and Delivery Department.

Patient Advantages

• OB/GYN hospitalists are available on-site 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.
• If your physician is not available, the OB/GYN hospitalist can examine and evaluate the progress of your labor. They are available to review test results and fetal heart tracings. The OB/GYN hospitalist can provide you and your baby a safe delivery.
• If an emergency occurs, the OB/GYN hospitalist is ready and available to respond.

Highly Skilled

• If your personal physician is unavailable, please know that the OB/GYN hospitalist can provide their medical expertise and optimal care, as well as answer any questions that you or a family member may have.
• They are highly skilled in a variety of different delivery methods.
• Our OB/GYN hospitalists are required to maintain high levels of clinical performance and professional standards. In addition to being board certified in OB/GYN, they are required to have additional, more specialized training.

Communication

• OB/GYN hospitalists will be familiar with every key player in the hospital regarding your care. These may include medical and surgical consultants, discharge planners, social workers, clergy, and others.

We all want the best care for you and your baby. Your physician will make sure the OB/GYN hospitalist has access to your medical record and birth plan. If the OB/GYN hospitalist cares for you in your physician’s absence, we will make sure that a report is sent to them. Everyone at JMCGH, including your nurses, physician, and the OBHG hospitalist team has your safety and the baby’s health as their most important priority.

OB/Gyn Services

The West Tennessee Medical Group Women’s Health is staffed by caring and compassionate healthcare professionals who monitor and care for the health of both mom and baby with quality prenatal, delivery, and post-natal services. They assist women in having satisfying pregnancy and birthing experiences while placing a strong emphasis on education and patient choice. Pregnancy healthcare through a licensed Nurse Midwife is one option available for the women of West Tennessee. For more information, call 731-541-8425.

We provide care for all women—in every stage of their journey. The physicians and nurses at West Tennessee Medical Group Women’s Health provides prenatal, maternal, and women’s healthcare. We work with each patient toward staying healthy, making healthy choices, and providing education.

Find a Location Our Providers

Birth Certificate

After the baby is born, you will be given a birth certificate worksheet to complete during your stay in our Mother/Baby Unit. This worksheet will include personal information about yourself and your new baby. This will include baby’s name, mother’s full name, mother’s maiden name (the name before you were married), date and place of birth, and Social Security number. You will also need the father’s full name, date and place of birth, and Social Security number. Please have this information available and know that it is absolutely necessary for you to correctly spell all names. After the Birth Certificate Specialist enters the data into the computer, the birth certificate will be brought to you to obtain approval and appropriate signatures. You will be given two copies of a “Mother’s Copy” of your baby’s birth certificate before you are discharged from our care. If you must leave the hospital before signing the birth certificate and obtaining your Mother’s Copy, please contact the Birth Certificate Specialist at (731) 541-7819 within five days of the birth to arrange for verification and signatures. It is difficult and costly for you to make corrections or changes after a birth certificate has been completed therefore, the accuracy of the information given is very important.

Official State of Tennessee Birth Certificate Copy

For an official copy, you can visit your local County Tennessee Health Department. The official copy is available approximately 30 days after birth for a fee of $15 per copy. Prior to going, you may want to contact their office to verify ID requirements.

In Madison County, visit Jackson Madison County Regional Health Department https://www.madisoncountytn.gov/310/Birth-Certificates  (731) 423-6020.

Information for Unmarried Parents

If the baby’s mother and father are not married, you have the option of completing a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity Affidavit (pending certain requirements).

• For unmarried couples, a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity Affidavit must be completed for the name of the baby’s father to be included on the birth certificate. Both parents must be age 18 or above, otherwise, their parent/guardian must be present and sign their consent as well.
• For paternity affidavits, both parents and/or parent/guardians must be able to show a valid photo ID.
• All signatures on the Paternity Affidavit will be witnessed and notarized as an official state document by the Birth Certificate Specialist.

Social Security Card

After obtaining the birth certificate information and getting appropriate signatures, our computer system automatically applies for your baby’s Social Security card. The card will be mailed to the
address you provided on your birth certificate worksheet. This process can take up to eight-ten weeks. You may visit this website for more information or call 1-800-772-1213.

Lullaby Lane

This program offers a way to honor your baby with a personalized ceramic tile of your design, created by a professional artist and placed on our Lullaby Lane wall, located on the hallway near the well-baby nursery. Funds from the sale of the tiles help to provide new programs and equipment for the Center. For more information or to purchase a tile call 731-541-6448.

Infant Loss

Serenity Garden

The Serenity Garden offers a place of remembrance for families who have lost infants. This hopeful place is located in a serene, grassy setting near the entrance to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and the Hospital’s Labyrinth and Meditation Garden.

Often families who lose babies due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or newborn death, do not have a place to grieve or a grave to visit. The Serenity Garden gives them a place to grieve and a place to find peace. The garden consists of a commemorative wall with etched names of babies and families. A path flanked by benches for meditation, prayer, and thought, leads to two statues–a grieving angel and an angel of hope. To make a donation, click here.

Butterfly’s Embrace Memorial Service

A memorial service of remembrance is held in October, which is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month, to honor the memory of the approximately 870,000 babies who die each year through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or newborn death.

Heaven’s Cradle

The fund’s mission is to provide comfort and assistance to families suffering perinatal loss. Funds raised will be used to create private waiting spaces for families who have lost a baby, facilitate special training for clinical staff that work with bereaved families, and provide keepsakes for parents and families. To make a donation to Heaven’s Cradle, call West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation at 731-984-2140 or donate online.

Perinatal Bereavement

The loss of a baby due to miscarriage or stillbirth is a traumatic life event. The Perinatal Bereavement Program at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital offers a compassionate type of care for families grieving the loss of a baby at any age. Families are supported at time of delivery, during their hospital stay, and throughout a period of bereavement. Care is provided by Certified Bereavement Counselors with a focus on memory-making and grief support. During a 13-month period of bereavement care, families receive monthly contacts, in the form of mailings, emails, phone calls or home visits. A private online support group is also available to help families connect and feel supported through their grief journey.

Contact the Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator