Mother/Baby Care
After you deliver
About two hours after you deliver you will be moved to the mother/baby department where you will be assigned one nurse to meet the health needs of you and your newborn(s).
Meals
We have a dining option where you will be able to choose your meal. Once your doctor has ordered a regular diet for you, you will be given a menu to order a meal of your choice. Snacks are available at your request. New fathers and visitors may choose to eat in the hospital cafeteria located on the first floor
(view and print floor map). Fathers may also order a tray from the cafeteria for a $5 charge.
New Parent Guide
Rapid City Regional Hospital has developed a guide for new families:
Celebrating the Family (pdf).
Paperwork - prior to discharge
Birth Certificate: After you deliver, the Birth Certificate Worksheet will be filled out by you and returned to staff before you are discharged from the hospital. The hospital cannot automatically send your birth certificate to your home. We simply submit it to the State Vital Statistics Office. You will need to obtain a copy of the Birth Certificate on your own after you are discharged by going to any courthouse in South Dakota or sending in the appropriate paperwork that is attached to the worksheet. The Birth Certificate will be available from the State of South Dakota approximately two weeks after you are discharged.
Social Security Card: If you want your baby to have a Social Security Card, you must request this by checking the box on the Birth Certificate worksheet. If you request this on the Birth Certificate Worksheet, it will arrive in the mail approximately eight weeks after discharge.
Baby Pictures: We will put your baby's photo on the internet for free. If you choose to have this done, you must fill out a consent form and return it to the nursing staff. We deliver about 2,400 babies each year and we do everything we can to help you share the news. Each baby (with proper parental consent) has his or her picture taken and the photograph is placed on our website for relatives to view.
Baby photos can be found here.
Mobile baby photos
If you choose to have your new babies' photo and information on our public website, friends and relatives with a mobile phone can view your new arrival at
www.regionalhealth.com and clicking on "Baby Arrivals." This qr code will lead them directly there:
Paternity Affidavit: If you are single and want the father's name listed on the birth certificate, mother and father must sign an affidavit with a notary present. Both parents will be required to show photo identification. Information for this process will be explained by staff and a video is available for you to view when you are admitted and/or after your baby is born. Sometimes, if the Health Information department is not here or a notary is unavailable during your hospital admission, you will need to return to the Medical Records department after you are discharged to complete the necessary paperwork with the Records notary.
Proof of Birth: If this is required we can provide you with one prior to discharge. Please discuss this with the nursing staff.
Visitation
We strongly suggest that you limit the number of visitors to allow you and your baby as much time as possible to get to know one another. Your nurse will need this time to teach you and your husband/support person how to care for your little one.
Quiet Time
For our new mothers and fathers, quiet time is
between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily. During this time frame, we encourage new families to rest. We try and limit care during this time frame to provide you this opportunity.
Discharge Preparation
Discharge is based on doctor's orders and patient's condition. Newborns are required to stay a minimum of 24 hours. Patients that request to leave at this time can be discharged at 26-28 hours post delivery with a physician's order. In order for you to be discharged we will need a discharge order from mother's doctor and baby's doctor. Once both orders have been given, we will be able to review the discharge instructions with you.
Items to complete prior to discharge:
- Watch instructional video at the hospital
- Provide a car seat for baby
- Complete birth certificate worksheet
- Complete paternity affidavit if applicable
- Complete photo consent and turn in to nursing staff if photo is desired to be on public internet baby pages
- Once baby has reached the age of 24 hours a neonatal screening test will be drawn from baby's blood