Bridgette Rivera Shares Unforgettable Experience of Delivering her First Baby

Posted by Divya Sathyanarayanan

Bridgette Rivera chose CHA HPMC, LA’s largest and best maternity hospital, to welcome her baby. In addition to its reputation for providing an exceptional birthing experience, CHA HPMC’s highly specialized Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)—staffed by physicians from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—gave her the confidence that her baby will be in safe hands post-delivery. There was a second, more special, reason for choosing CHA HPMC–Bridgette’s husband was also born at our hospital.

“As a parent-to-be, I didn’t know what to expect. I read about the best maternity hospitals in LA and attended several maternity tours. At CHA HPMC’s maternity tour, I was happy to see the spacious maternity center and the highly skilled care team. Knowing I had these knowledgeable and trusted childbirth experts to rely on made me less nervous and more excited about my delivery,” she explains. CHA HPMC offers maternity tours in English, Korean, and Spanish for expectant parents to help explain the entire process of delivering at our hospital.

Bridgette spent 15 hours in labor. “The nurses constantly checked on me to see how far I was dilated. They also monitored my baby’s health, which made me less anxious,” she says. Bridgette and her husband were thrilled when the baby arrived. “It was a great feeling to be with my baby immediately. It made the whole 15 hours of labor totally worth it,” she says. From birth to discharge, skin-to-skin bonding, and mother-baby time together, are promoted and supported at CHA HPMC. All new mothers and their babies are provided private rooms in the postpartum unit.

During her two-day stay, Bridgette got help on caring for the baby—breastfeeding was a big part of that. CHA HPMC’s full-time lactation consultant provides expert advice and coaching to all new mothers. “I was uncomfortable with breastfeeding in the beginning. But the lactation consultant made me feel at ease and provided tips to help breastfeed,” she says. We are also recognized as a Baby-Friendly hospital, part of a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, in recognition of our efforts to promote breastfeeding.

During her discharge, the nurses presented Bridgette with a baby bag filled with goodies for the newborn. “The gift was really special. We were pampered during the entire stay and the nurses took excellent care of us,” she says.

For Bridgette, it was an unforgettable experience of becoming a first-time mother. “The comfort level, the preparation, the amazing physicians and staff, and the pampering by nurses made it the best delivery experience,” she concludes.
 
 
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