Birth Place at UPMC Horizon

UPMC Horizon is proud to partner with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in our commitment to provide comprehensive maternity and infant care to mothers and their babies.

Located at the Shenango Valley hospital campus, Birth Place offers advanced maternity care in a comfortable, home-like setting, while wireless fetal monitoring allows our laboring patients more freedom to move around and seek comfort measures such as hydrotherapy. The labor and delivery area is on the second floor, while our mother-baby unit and level I and II nurseries are located on the third floor.

To ensure that mothers and their newborn babies are in the hands of world-class experts, our Birth Place nurses have received advanced education at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.

UPMC Horizon offers numerous classes for expectant families and new parents.

Virtual Tour of Birth Place

Click on the arrows below to view the virtual tour slide show.

The mother-baby unit is located on the third floor of UPMC Horizon–Shenango Valley. After getting off the elevator, you will be in the corridor outside of the unit. Because this is a secure unit, all visitors must check in at the intercom on the wall (located to the right of the doors at the end of the corridor) to request entry.

The patient rooms on the mother-baby unit include space for an overnight guest, if you would like your support person to stay with you.

The nursery is located directly across from the nurses' station. A viewing window allows visitors to see babies in the nursery.

Babies may stay in their mother's rooms or in the nursery.

The Level II nursery houses babies who need extra care after birth.

Babies in the nursery can be seen through the viewing window in the hallway.

A private breastfeeding room is available on the unit.

The nurses' station is located directly across from the nursery.

Our Services

Labor, delivery, and recovery rooms
Antepartum/triage rooms
Mother-baby unit
Level I nursery
Level II nursery
Couplet care (mothers may have their babies stay with them in their rooms)
Surgical suite for Caesarean sections
Epidural availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Telemedicine programs with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital (maternal-fetal medicine) and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (neonatology).
Certified lactation consultant and breastfeeding counselors
Certified car seat technician

Visitation

To keep our mothers and babies as safe as possible, visitation is limited in labor and delivery and on the mother-baby unit. The mother is permitted two designated support people, who may visit at any time and spend the night in her room.

For the safety of our mothers and babies, both the labor and delivery area and the mother-baby unit are locked 24 hours a day. Please ring the buzzer to enter either unit.

Breastfeeding

If you choose to breastfeed, our certified lactation consultant and breastfeeding counselors can assist you. Monthly breastfeeding support groups are available the first Wednesday of the month at the Children's Advocacy Center of Lawrence County from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the third Wednesday of the month at UPMC Horizon-Shenango Valley, Conference Room 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. Participants may register through UPMC Classes and Events or by calling 724-983-7962.

Other breastfeeding resources

Contact Information

UPMC Horizon Birth Place — 724-983-7193 or 724-983-7962
Magee Lactation Center — 412-641-1121
WIC Lawrence County Adagio Health peer counselor — 1-800-942-9467
WIC Mercer County peer counselor — 724-981-6154
La Leche League — 412-276-5630

Learn about the Keystone 10 breastfeeding quality improvement program.

Creating a Safe Sleep Environment for Your Baby

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death among infants between one month and one year of age. Help reduce your baby’s risk of SIDS by creating a safe sleep environment:

Always place a baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night, to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Use a firm sleep surface, covered by a fitted sheet
Your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch or on a chair alone, with you, or with anyone else.
Keep your baby’s sleep area in the same room where you sleep. Room sharing not bed sharing. Always place the baby in a safety-approved crib, bassinet, portable crib for sleep.
Sitting devices like bouncy seats, swings, infant carriers or strollers should not be used for routine sleep.
Keep soft objects such as pillows and blankets, toys and bumpers out of your baby’s sleep area.
Wedges and positioners should not be used.
Do not smoke during pregnancy or allow smoking around your baby.
Do not let your baby get too hot during sleep.
Breastfeed your baby.
Give your baby a dry pacifier that is not attached to a string for naps and at night to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Follow health care provider guidance on your baby’s vaccines and regular health checkups.