East Cooper Regional Medical Center
1200 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard (Hwy 17), Mount Pleasant
Main Phone#: 881-0100
Labor & Delivery Phone#: 881-0100

Directions from I-26:
Exit onto 526 East. Exit to Highway 17 South, towards Charleston and Savannah. Turn right onto Bowman road, then right again into hospital complex.

Parking Information:
Park in lot closest to main and emergency entrances. Parking is free.

Labor and Delivery Location:
Take public elevators up to second floor. You will immediately come around to a nurses' station. Pass it on either the left or right. The entrance to Women's Services is through double glass-paned doors into a dark family waiting room. Pass through this room and follow the hall to Labor & Delivery.

AMENITIES
What are the rooms like?
The rooms are all the same, all Labor-Birth-Recovery rooms. All rooms have good options for dimming the lights. Women are generally moved to a recovery/postpartum room within a few hours after the birth.
Cafeteria Hours: 7am-5pm
Vending machines? Yes.
Snacks for labor support team? Yes, in kitchen around the right corner from the nurses' station-juice, tea, coffee, soups, popsicles, crackers, soda, ice machine
Is a microwave available? Yes.
TV/VCR Available? There is a TV and VCR in each room.
Showers/Tubs/Jacuzzis in Rooms? Bathrooms have nice, deep tubs. One room has a Jacuzzi.
Is Waterbirth Available? No.
Monitoring by Telemetry Available? No.
Are birth balls provided? No.
Microwaving Heating Packs? Unscented Heat Packs only -- no aromatherapy. Are birthing stools available? No.
Squat bar? Yes. Ask a nurse or your doula to get it well in advance of pushing.
Mirror? Yes.

POLICIES
What may moms eat or drink in labor? This varies depending upon doctor or midwife's orders. Most limit women to clear fluids.
What is the policy about monitoring of low-risk mothers? Intermittent? Continuous?
Upon admittance, all laboring women are strapped to the External Fetal Monitor for an initial 15 minutes. Often you or your doula will need to speak up when the 15 minutes are over. The frequency of monitoring for the rest of labor depends upon individual doctor or midwife's orders.
Is a fetoscope or hand-held doppler available? Only a hand-held doptone is available.
Routine Hep Lock/IV? Placement of a Saline lock (at very minimum) is hospital policy.
What is the policy about microwaving heat packs? Some nurses are okay with this while others may discourage it. Unknown if there is an official policy.
Is breastfeeding promoted prior to newborn assessment? Some nursery nurses are more supportive of this option than others; certainly it can be done if requested. Be sure the nursery staff has a copy of your birth plan.
Can all newborn assessments be performed in room with baby's parents? Yes, if you request.
Is there any mandatory separation of mother and baby? No.
Can baby room-in? Yes, this is generally not a problem unless there is a medical reason for nursery observation. However one person in room has to be awake for baby to stay. The nursery nurses will check on mother/baby from time to time. Some nurses are uncomfortable when baby co-sleeps with mom and will try to place baby in plastic bassinet.
Is there a lactation consultant on staff? Yes; there are three lactation consultants available.
Does the facility staff Certified Nurse-Midwives? Yes.

STATISTICS
Medicated birthing rate: Approximately 90-94%.
Epidural Rate: One nurse reports that "almost all patients get an epidural."
Induction rate: Unknown.
C-section rate: at least 40%
Overall rates for Charleston County, 1998-2001*:
Total C-section rate: 23.5%
Primary C-section rate: 18.3%
VBAC rate: 16.9%

National C-section Rates 2005:
South Carolina: 32.7%
National: 30.2%