I had the pleasure of interviewing Brandy Rhinelander, the manager of the Mother-Baby Care Unit at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children. She is a wealth of information and her interview is below. But first, here is some helpful information about what happens after you give birth at Kapi’olani.

Ninety minutes after delivery, you will be transferred to your postpartum room on the 4th floor in the Mother Baby Care Unit. Baby will get their initial exam and a bath right there in your postpartum room. If your baby needs additional monitoring – or if you request it – baby may get this done in the nursery as well. If you wish to have circumcision or immunizations done, they will also be done in the nursery. Neither of those procedures are done without your prior consent. Sometime during the shift, baby will also be taken to the nursery to be weighed.

The Mother-Baby Care Unit is a 52-bed private room unit on the fourth floor with 120 dedicated staff. During your stay they will be teaching you a lot of stuff! There are educational videos, classes, lactation consultants, a baby kit that you can download, a maternity folder with information & resources and nurses provide one-on-one education as needed. The nurses will also be checking in on you every hour during the day and every 2 hours at night. There is a quiet time from 2-4pm daily (in case you need a nap – trust me, you will). Kapi’olani encourages 24/7 mommy-daddy-baby bonding but don’t worry, the nursery is also available for families if you need some time for yourselves. An extra bonus? There is a new triage lactation nurse that sees every mom within the first 24 hours after delivery.

For a tour of the maternity area and everything you need to know about delivering at Kapi’olani (including parking, directions, financial information, birth certificates, food, tech questions, admissions, drugs, guests and more – click HERE for my full blog and vlog.