Whoa, Baby! Advances in Maternity Care at LifeBridge Health

At Sinai Hospital and Carroll Hospital’s birthing centers one thing is clear: this is not your mother’s maternity care. 

“From our nurses to our residents to our collaborations with LifeBridge Health’s Innovation Department, we are working on all fronts to do whatever we can to advance care for women,” says Elizabeth Zadzielski, M.D., chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Sinai Hospital. 

Among those advances: a “trial of labor” treatment protocol that allows women who have had a prior C-section to safely give birth vaginally if they meet the protocol’s criteria; a pilot program to deliver free breastfeeding consultations to new moms via telehealth; and a new nurse navigator program to support moms in their “fourth trimester”—ensuring that they’re getting expedited care for often-neglected postpartum issues like hypertension and depression. 

Of course, state-of-the-art maternity care has long been a hallmark for LifeBridge Health. Sinai Hospital—which also serves as a centralized birthing center for Northwest Hospital and Grace Medical Center patients—is home to the Institute for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and a nationally ranked Level 3 NICU, a combination that ensures the highest level of support for high-risk pregnancies and critically ill newborns. And, in 2019, Carroll Hospital became only the second hospital in the nation to offer Neonatal Couplet Care Suites, which allow moms to room with babies who are born prematurely or require specialized care, even after the mom is discharged. “The couplet care approach is clinically proven to deliver shorter hospital stays for the baby and stronger bonds for the whole family,” says Cynthia Roldan, M.D., chief of pediatrics at Carroll Hospital. “We’re able to care for babies as early as 32 weeks, with the added peace of mind that Sinai’s Level 3 NICU is on call in the unlikely event that a case escalates.” 

LifeBridge Health’s commitment to elevating maternity care hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2021, Sinai Hospital was one of only five hospitals in Maryland to earn the top High Performer rating in U.S. News & World Report’s first-ever Best Hospitals for Maternity Care rankings. And, in 2022, Sinai was one of just three Maryland hospitals honored in the elite Five Ribbon category in Newsweek’s Best Maternity Hospitals list. Carroll Hospital has built a similar track record of success, earning 11 Gold Certificates of Achievement from the Maryland Patient Safety Center’s Perinatal/Neonatal Learning Network since 2007.

“The recognition is fantastic, but in the end, we’re 100percent focused on striking a balance between the latest evidence-based medicine and the art of patient-centered care,” says Dr. Zadzielski. “We strive to make new moms feel safe and supported, and I believe that’s why so many families come back to us, generation after generation.”

Get ready for baby: Visit lifebridgehealth.org/maternity (Sinai Hospital) or lifebridgehealth.org/familybirthplace (Carroll Hospital) to explore our calendar of parenting classes, birthplace tours and more!

Photo: Labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum room at Carroll Hospital