Postpartum Care

COVID-19 Maternity Visitor Restrictions >>

Welcoming your new baby is an experience unlike any other. At Riverview Health, we want to make sure you're able to cherish every moment. Our caring maternity team will be available through it all to address any concerns and support you, so you can spend the time getting to know your new little one. After the excitement of introducing your new baby to friends and family, we're here to focus on you to ensure you're feeling your best or to help if you think you may be experiencing postpartum depression.

The Golden Hour and Breastfeeding

Riverview Health Maternity encourages a program called the Golden Hour. The Golden Hour provides one hour of quiet skin-to-skin bonding time between mother and baby immediately after birth. During this time, staff members provide privacy and encourage family and visitors to do the same.

Certified lactation consultants at Riverview Health provide guidance and assistance to help establish a healthy breastfeeding relationship between mother and baby. More than 75 percent of new moms at Riverview Health breastfeed, and of those new moms, more than 80 percent exclusively breastfeed without giving their infants any formula while at the hospital.

In effort to further support breastfeeding, Riverview Health is an official Indiana Mothers’ Milk Bank (IMMB) drop-off location where screened breast milk donors are able to drop off their donations. Donations are pasteurized through IMMB and help nourish babies whose mothers aren’t able to breastfeed due to medical reasons.

For those experiencing breastfeeding difficulties after going home, the certified lactation consultants are available for outpatient appointments. For more information, call Riverview Health Maternity at 317.776.7200. In addition, we offer a weekly breastfeeding support group.

Cord Blood Donation

Did you know cells collected from umbilical cord blood can be used in children and adults to treat more than 75 life-threatening diseases, including leukemia, anemia and lymphoma? In fact, thousands of Americans affected by such diseases search through donation registries on a daily basis, hoping to find a match.

Riverview Health has partnered with Lifeline Stem Cell to offer public cord blood donation collection services to all new moms. Donating or saving this valuable resource is done with your consent only after the safe delivery of your baby. More importantly, this process poses no risk or pain to you or your baby. Speak with your Riverview Health OB/GYN physician to learn more.