Maternity Classes
The Car-Freshner Center of Women and Children at Samaritan welcomes expectant mothers to learn all the important details about pregnancy, birth and care after the baby is born. This free series is offered every month for moms-to-be and their partners.
Prepared Childbirth Class
The Childbirth Class is an educational experience to show mothers and support persons what to expect during the birthing experience while in the hospital. This FREE class should ideally be taken near the seventh month of pregnancy (after 28 weeks) and is designed to give an overview of relaxation techniques, pain management options, the laboring process, when to come to the hospital, and understanding how all of this works together with your expectations during birth.
An experienced maternity Registered Nurse hosts the class and offers a lot of guidance, plus a special tour of the beautiful Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children unit at Samaritan to help decrease the anxiety of navigating through the unknown of childbearing and where to go for patients and visitors. Feel free to bring your 28-week paperwork; we can also help you fill that out. Plus, we are here to answer your questions and concerns.
We also discuss Caring for New Families. Learn about the mother and baby unit at Samaritan Medical Center. Topics include how to care for yourself and your newborn, bathing and diapering, circumcision care, safety, when to call the doctor, the difference between baby blues and postpartum depression, and more.
We encourage expecting mothers and their support person to attend the class.
The class is from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children, located directly off Sherman Street in Watertown, on the back end of the hospital campus. You will enter the main doors and hit the intercom button to tell the staff you are here, then proceed to the elevators to the 3rd floor. There is another locked door with an intercom before entering the unit. Safety is a priority for our newborns, and we are a secure unit.
We are excited to be part of your journey and show you all the reasons Samaritan is the best choice for you and your baby with a fantastic staff, beautiful and spacious rooms, and unit, plus the only Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the region. We are a Children’s Miracle Network hospital.
For Local Breastfeeding Resources:
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County – Breastfeeding Support
North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council – Breastfeeding Support
To attend any or all of our classes, call Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children at Samaritan Medical Center at 315-785-4050.