NORFOLK, Va. — Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (SNGH) staff hope the new unit will bring their patients comfort as they wait to welcome their little ones.
Some expecting mothers could spend days, weeks, or even months in the hospital due to pregnancy challenges. That’s the story for these soon-to-be moms at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (SNGH).
“When I went to lay back down, my water broke,” said Ivory Bishop, a patient at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital's Antepartum Unit.
At just 24 weeks, Bishop said she raced to SNGH.
“As soon as we got here, they was like ‘Yeah, you’re definitely ruptured and you have to be here for the next nine weeks. So hearing that, I broke out crying,” she said.
For Keltie Bransford, it’s a different story.
“I recently went to a visit with my OB and they found that my baby boy’s femur bone measurements were a little bit on the small side,” she said. Bransford said that news carries a lot of emotions.
“Your initial thought is: ‘is my baby going to be ok? You know, what’s wrong?'” she said.
Doctors admitted Bransford into the Antepartum Unit Tuesday. It’s the same day the newly renovated unit inside Sentara Norfolk General Hospital opened.
“Antepartum is where we take care of patients that are still pregnant that are not ready for delivery yet,” said Antepartum Unit Clinical Nurse Manager Angie Moore.
Over the last decade, hospital administrators saw the unit reach maximum capacity. It turns out the unit sees about 900 patients a year. The unit cared for 1,736 pregnant women in 2022 and 2023.
“We have more growing needs for our pregnant population," Moore said. "We have a very underserved community here.”
A $1.2 million improvement project provides more resources for staff on the floor. It includes six additional rooms with new amenities, private bathrooms and showers, and an improved air conditioning system. Bishop said the renovations helped boost her spirits.
“Everything is new," she said. "So, it just gave me a new attitude and a new outlook and perspective on how I feel about the Antepartum unit.”
In 2014, Antepartum split from the traditional Labor & Delivery Unit to provide more targeted care for high-risk pregnant women who experience a pre-term rupture of membranes (early water break) or develop complications during pregnancy due to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or other pre-existing conditions.
"Our goal is to help women stay pregnant and safe until the baby is a little bit older. We buy time to get the baby more stable,” Moore said. “The unique thing is that patients don't stay one or two days – they stay up to six months. The Antepartum Unit is a neat little gift that Sentara Norfolk General offers the community."
Moore said the unit has more than 30 employees but they plan to hire more.