Rush Foundation Hospital is pleased to announce its new online childbirth education class. Rush is the first hospital in the region to offer the custom online education program. The online class is an interactive, web-based program that includes animated illustrations and videos.The program is offered at no cost to moms who are delivering at The Family Birth Center at Rush

Dr. Joseph Acosta, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rush Foundation Hospital said, “The course is especially beneficial to those who cannot attend conventional prenatal classes due to bed rest, scheduling conflicts or time constraints. It may also be used as a refresher course or to reinforce what you learned in class.”

 

“Patients can learn about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, postpartum care and how to care for a newborn. We are so pleased about the launch of this program because expectant parents can now get great information from the comfort of their own home. We believe educated patients will be more confident and have a positive delivery experience. The classes also encourage our patients to communicate with their caregivers during prenatal visits so they are asking more and better questions, which is also very beneficial,” said Dr. Acosta.

Dr. Acosta had high praise for the nursing leadership who championed this new service. “We have a very dedicated, experienced nursing staff at The Family Birth Center at Rush, and they work hard to provide the most caring environment possible for parents, babies and families. Members of the nursing leadership team brought the idea for online childbirth classes to administration because they want new mothers to have access to childbirth education in more than just the traditional class setting, which doesn’t always work with everyone’s busy lifestyle,” Dr. Acosta said.

Casey Bland, Director of Nursing Services at Rush Foundation Hospital said a multi-disciplinary team at Rush worked to customize the program content saying, “Our program development team made up of nurse leaders and managers from Labor and Delivery, Neonatal Intensive Care, and Lactation Specialists as well as our marketing staff worked very hard to incorporate customized information that will be helpful to the patients and visitors of the Family Birth Center at Rush. We are proud of this new tool which gives parents-to-be access to great educational material in a user-friendly format that is accessible anytime.”

Bland also said that the Family Birth Center at Rush will continue to offer “in-person” childbirth classes for their patients several times throughout the year.

Expectant parents may sign up by visiting The Family Birth Center website at www.rushhealthsystems.org/fbc. They can also get more information by calling 601-703-9630.

Rush Health Systems is headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi with healthcare facilities in East Mississippi and West Alabama. The organization includes Rush Foundation Hospital, Specialty Hospital of Meridian, Medical Foundation, Inc., Rush Medical Group, Laird Hospital in Union, H. C. Watkins Hospital in Quitman, Scott Regional Hospital in Morton, John C. Stennis Memorial Hospital, DeKalb and Choctaw General Hospital in Butler, Ala.