Maternity Tours
All Childbirth Education classes and orientation sessions are being offered virtually. There are no in-person classes being offered at this time. Please visit Events.Sibley.org to register.
Welcome to Labor & Delivery
An orientation of Sibley Memorial Hospital's childbirth department's facilities.
Sibley Labor & Delivery: What to Expect
Preparing for your new baby is exciting and there is so much to learn before the big day. Knowing what to expect and knowing that you have a team of experienced and dedicated professionals by your side will help ease your mind and ensure both you and your baby have a positive birth experience.
Learn more about delivering at Sibley Memorial Hospital below. You may also download this information as a PDF to print and reference as much as you need throughout your pregnancy.
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To streamline your admission to the hospital, please pre-register by completing a pre-registration form before your eighth month of pregnancy.
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Childbirth classes are more than just "funny breathing." They are designed to help educate pregnant women and their families about options during childbirth and how to support women during labor.
Classes are taught by certified childbirth educators (CEE). There are many choices for first-time and repeat parents. You will have an opportunity to learn how to prepare for labor and birth and how to care for your newborn in the first weeks of life. If you are planning to breastfeed your baby, we offer education and support. We recommend attending a class during the seventh or eighth month of your pregnancy. Register for a childbirth class here.
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Our birthing rooms combine a comfortable environment with advanced medical technology. You and your partner will labor, give birth and recover in one location. Amenities in each room include a birthing bed, rocking and reclining chairs, telephone, television and a shower with water massage.
Our dedicated nurses work alongside your physician to help you stay comfortable and to offer expert guidance and support during the labor and birth of your child as well as during recovery. Right after your baby is born, the nurse will put your baby on your chest. The first hours of snuggling skin-to-skin let you and your baby get to know each other.
Learn more about our family centered care units.
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We encourage you to breastfeed your baby; skin-to-skin snuggling gives you and your baby the best start.
Sibley’s international board-certified lactation consultants will visit you during your stay and offer specialized support. Breastfeeding classes are offered daily. Commercial health care providers are required by law to allow breast pumps as a covered expense for lactating women. There is some variation with co-pays depending on your insurance carrier and plan. Please contact your health insurance provider before you deliver and ask what pump is covered and where you can get it. Insurance companies have contracts with durable medical equipment (DME) providers. Sibley Lactation Services is not a DME. You may schedule a bra fitting, purchase supplies or rent a breast pump from our breastfeeding educators.
For questions that arise after you go home, you may contact the Lactation Services Warm Line at 202-242-2321 or sibleylactation@jhmi. edu.
If you need further hands-on help after discharge, call and schedule a private visit with one of our lactation consultants.
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If your baby should require specialized medical care, our Special Care Nursery has a team of experienced neonatal nurses and neonatologists who are here 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.
The Special Care Nursery is equipped with advanced technology and is able to deliver optimal around-the-clock care to babies with special medical needs. Parents are welcome in the Special Care Nursery 24-hours-a-day and are encouraged to spend as much time as possible with their baby.
Neonatologists and neonatal nurses attend all complicated deliveries and complete an initial assessment on all newborns in the first hours of life.
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Before you are discharged, you will be asked to complete a request for your baby’s birth certificate and an application for your baby’s Social Security Number. If you have any questions after you are discharged, please call Health Information Management at 202-537-4088.