Boone Family Birthplace

Family Friendly Care to Meet Your Needs

The Family Friendly philosophy is one where each individual’s needs are respected and we celebrate family centered births. There are 10 core principles of Family Friendly Care that we follow:

1. Labor, birth, postpartum, and newborn care are viewed as normal life events involving dynamic emotional, social, and physical change.
2. Prenatal care is personalized according to needs of each woman and her family.
3. Comprehensive perinatal education prepares families for active participation through preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. 
4. The hospital team helps the family make informed choices for their care during pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, and newborn care and strives to provide them with the experience they desire, including low-intervention births. Expert resources are available to handle unexpected complications and high-risk pregnancies and deliveries.
5. The mother's support person is actively involved in the educational process, labor, birth, postpartum, and newborn care.
6. When the mother wishes, family and friends are encouraged to be present and provide support as much as possible during the hospital stay, including labor and birth.
7. Labor, birth care, postpartum, and newborn care are all provided within the Boone Family Birthplace. Skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding are encouraged as soon as possible after delivery.
8. Nursing care focuses on teaching and role modeling while providing safe, quality care for the mother and baby together. 
9. The same person cares for the mother and baby couplet as a single-family unit, integrating the whole family into the care. Rooming in is encouraged and a nursery is available for those times when the mother chooses to rest while her infant receives attentive care from the nursery staff. 
10. Parents have access to high-risk newborns in our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at all times and are included in their care to the extent possible based on the newborn's condition.

Every family wants a healthy baby and the security of knowing that the hospital and staff are prepared to deal with the unexpected. But they also know that the foundation of a great birthing experience rests upon the ability of staff to support families as they experience the miracle of birth and new life. The Boone Family Birthplace at Boone Hospital understands your need for both, and we are known throughout the mid-Missouri region for our highly skilled yet caring staff. We encourage you to discuss your birthing expectations with your physician, and to contact our Family Life Education coordinator for more information about how you can begin to plan this very important event.

Even before your baby is born, Boone Hospital's Ultrasound Lab can provide the screenings and images that your doctor needs to make sure your pregnancy is progressing as planned. The lab also offers 4D images that allow you to truly see what your baby looks like.