Breastfeeding Support

Breastfeeding can be challenging for some women, and having the right resources can make all the difference. At Natividad, we want to give you the tools for success, whatever your breastfeeding goals may be. Whether you simply have a question or concern, or need more in-depth support, we are here for you.

Natividad Women & Children’s Services has the only Lactation Clinic in Monterey County that offers breastfeeding support to expecting and new mothers, regardless of where the baby was born. We take appointments seven days a week, and are here to support and educate any mother needing breastfeeding assistance.

We have a team of six internationally board-certified lactation consultants  who offer private, one-on-one consultations for breastfeeding support, including pumping and storing milk.

For appointments, call (831) 796-1652. If there is no answer, please leave a message and we will return your call within 24 hours.

Natividad is a Baby-Friendly® Hospital

Natividad has been designated as a Baby-Friendly birth facility by Baby-Friendly USA®. Natividad offers the best possible level of care for breastfeeding mothers, giving them the education, confidence and skills to successfully breastfeed their babies.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Affiliated with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospital and certified by the California Children’s Services, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Natividad is devoted to the newborn infant requiring specialized care. It provides stabilization of the initially ill newborn and intermediate intensive care and continuing care for growing newborns.

Two UCSF neonatologists/pediatricians – highly trained physicians in the care of ill newborns – oversee the NICU, offering families the security of knowing their infant receives the highest level of newborn care.

At Natividad’s NICU, we provide aggressive care when needed but eliminate ventilators, central lines and laboratory work as soon as it is safe to do so. We remove invasive support earlier than most NICUs, and as a result, discharge our smallest infants home earlier than the “average” NICU in California (per CPQCC data)*.

Our highly skilled neonatal nurse practitioners are in the hospital 24/7 in order to provide emergency care until our board-certified neonatologist arrives. Their presence adds an extra level of safety not found in any other NICU in Monterey County.

There is no need to transport any infant to a higher level of care due to birth weight or gestational age. We transport infants away from our NICU only for services/expertise not available in Monterey County. Our experienced neonatal transport team is capable of routine and emergency transports. We transport infants to our NICU from other Monterey County hospitals who need a higher level-of-care or for recovery care from our Tertiary Center, UCSF.

Our strong commitment to family, as part of the healing process, keeps parents and their children united throughout the treatment and recovery process.

We have a parent room so parents can stay and care for their infant as discharge draws near.

*Accounts for babies weighing less than 1500 grams (3 pounds, 5 ounces) or less than 30 weeks gestation- 45.6 days (2007), 38.2 days (2008), and 39.4 days (2009).

Retinopathy Screening

Premature and very low birth weight newborns receive the added attention of our four highly-skilled and trained staff members who administer retinopathy screening thirty days following birth. Results are sent to Stanford Medical Center for reporting and diagnosis, and consultations are done weekly.

NINOS

The Natividad Interdisciplinary NICU Outpatient Services (NINOS) ensures the follow-up of high risk infants. The NINOS program tracks an infant for 3 years following discharge to assess developmental and physical needs, assuring that the children are meeting cognitive and physical milestones. Assessments include: developmental, family psychosocial, hearing, ophthalmologic, nutritional, and home assessments.

For 11 years, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Natividad has held a Level III designation
from the California Department of Health, the highest designation in Monterey County. Our facility meets the strictest criteria and is staffed and equipped to care for critically ill infants. We have become known by other NICUs across the region as the place to which they refer their most seriously ill newborn patients.

Multi-Disciplinary Care

The newborn care team provides care to babies in the unit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our team includes:

Specialized Services

Experienced Transport

Our neonatal transport capabilities allow us to bring infants to our NICU from other Monterey County hospitals.
Our experienced neonatal transport team is capable of routine and emergency transports. We transport infants away from our NICU only for babies that need advanced cardiac care, surgical intervention, or sub specialty services not available in Monterey County.

Quality and Safety

Through our Program for Patient Safety and Quality, we continually monitor and improve the care we provide to our patients.

At Natividad, we believe that patients and families deserve to know whether the hospital where they have chosen to receive their care meets the highest standards and is committed to excellence.

Family Services

Our strong commitment to family, as part of the healing process, keeps parents and their children united throughout the treatment and recovery process; parents are welcome 24/7.

We recognize the stress having a sick baby places on families, and our team of physicians, nurses, social workers, respiratory therapists, lactation consultants, and others work to provide a family-centered experience for patients and their families. As a commitment to family, parents and their children are kept together throughout the treatment and recovery process.

We understand a baby’s illness is a challenging and sometimes frightening experience, and we do everything we can to support the family:

Pediatrics

The Pediatric Department is certified by California Children’s Services and has pediatricians in house 24/7 caring for pediatric patients. The nursing staff is specially trained to care for pediatric patients. Cheerful, bright playrooms offer patients a healing environment for all of our pediatric patients. Hospitals can be full of unknowns for children, and our compassionate staff works hard to make sure each child is as comfortable as possible.

The 12-bed Pediatric Department is located on the third floor of the inpatient building. The department provides a full range of acute nursing care for all children, newborn through 17 years of age, with a variety of medical and surgical problems. A kitchenette area allows parents to prepare favorite foods for their child.

Labor & Delivery

We are so excited that you have chosen Natividad for the birthplace of your baby! We are here for you, every step of the way. Remember to honor this time. Make it count for you and your family.  Take the time to enjoy your baby/babies and yourself.

We are proud to be a Baby-Friendly Certified Hospital, which means that we support breastfeeding. All of our staff have been trained to help moms with breastfeeding. If at any time you have a question regarding what it means to be “Baby-Friendly,” please feel free to ask.

Here are some suggestions of things to pack for your hospital stay:

For You

For Your Baby

Honoring Your Labor Options

Our team of highly skilled professionals at Natividad Women & Children’s Services believe the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth are to be embraced with deep respect, in the safest environment possible. Read about the many labor options we support below.