Norton County Hospital provides a great place to be born, as it is home to state-of-the-art, family-centered obstetric and newborn care in a caring and supportive atmosphere. At our hospital, expectant couples and their families can be at the mother's side while awaiting the birth of the baby. Our spacious yet private labor and delivery suite allows families to spend the entire labor and delivery process in one location.
We have two birthing rooms. Each suite has a private bath, shower and other amenities. We have a nursery workroom so our staff remains next to you at all times. Our facility is fully equipped for emergent cesarean section procedures, if necessary. While in a birthing suite, every patient and her family will experience specialized one-on-one nursing care for labor, delivery and recovery. Newborns are tenderly cared for by nurses certified for neonatal resuscitation. Postpartum care features baby rooming-in with mother, while receiving care and support from our experienced nursing staff. This experience provides yet another reason to have your baby at Norton County Hospital—our certified obstetric nurses have helped deliver many babies, and we have the equipment and facilities to get mother and baby get off to a great start.
Our Labor and Delivery department is ready to help our patients, both before and after the baby arrives. A few weeks before their due date, all expectant mothers will need to set aside a time for pre-admission paperwork and an optional tour of the birthing suite.
During pregnancy, the expectant mother will receive a prenatal packet from her physician at the Norton Medical Clinic. This packet is full of important information to help make decisions for when the baby arrives. Other information included in the packet includes a birth certificate worksheet, visiting policies, breast and bottle feeding options, and where to get the car seat inspected.
We have several breastfeeding educators and advocates to offer any help or information needed prior to delivery and after the baby has arrived. We also have an in-house lactation consultant on staff.
Prenatal classes are offered bi-monthly and remain FREE as a part of the patient's Labor and Delivery package. Each family will be encouraged to attend a prenatal class taught by our birthing and breastfeeding educators.
Before discharge to home, a newborn hearing screening is performed to catch early hearing and speech problems.
We are here to help moms after their baby is delivered as well (such as well child visits, circumcision, regular car seat checks, etc.). Don’t forget the Norton County Health Department can also do all the infant vaccinations in Norton. No appointment is necessary.
Car seats are required for babies and young children and are a vital tool in reducing traffic injuries and deaths. However, getting them properly installed and adjusted can be complicated. Before delivery, please have the car seat inspected; this is to ensure the baby's safety and correct installation when it is time to go home. Car seats outdate, could have a current recall and install differently in each vehicle. Please call 785-877-3351 to schedule an appointment with one of our certified child passenger safety technicians or for more information.
The purpose of the Period of Purple Crying® is KEEPING BABIES SAFE. Shaken Baby Sydrome (SBS) affects tens of thousands of people every year and costs billions of dollars in care. Understanding increased crying in early infancy, and its connections to abuse, can help prevent this tragedy. Norton County Hospital is one of the hospitals in Kansas implementing the Period of PURPLE Crying program. While in the hospital after the birth of their baby, parents watch the program’s 10-minute DVD. Parents are able to take the DVD home along with an informational booklet to review at a later time and to share with anyone who may be potentialy caring for their baby.
Period of PURPLE Crying is the phrase used to describe the point in a baby's life when they cry more than any other time. The initiative is a way to help parents understand this time in their baby’s life is a normal part of every child's development. PURPLE is an acronym for Peak of crying, Unexpected, Resists soothing, Pain-like face, Long-lasting and Evening crying. Misunderstanding normal, early infant crying can lead to frustration and escalate to anger. It’s common for parents to feel irritated with seemingly endless bouts of screaming, but learning appropriate actions during crying bouts, including comforting and coping techniques, are key components of the program. The excerpt below explains more:
When their fifth child, Max, was born, Justin and Karen felt confident in their ability to care for him. Dirty diaper? Middle-of-the-night feedings? No match for these seasoned parents. But shortly after they brought Max home from the hospital, he began to cry. And he cried a lot. His crying bouts happened more often and sometimes lasted for hours.
“The crying started almost as soon as we brought him home from the hospital. It would progress throughout the day and would get worse in the evenings and throughout the night,” said Karen. “By evening time, we would be so exhausted from constantly soothing him. We had to hold him and walk and just move around with him all day.”
Like most parents, Justin and Karen felt frustrated, tired and just wanted the crying to end. “Sometimes, it seemed like nothing worked. I thought, ‘I can not do this anymore.'” But then, they learned about The Period of PURPLE Crying.
“It was reassuring to know that it's ok to put the baby down for a few minutes to calm down—and that taking a short break doesn’t make you a bad parent.” Eventually, the crying did end. Now, at 6 months old, Max is a thriving, happy baby. Justin and Karen say they are relieved to know they are not alone. They want other parents to know about the Period of PURPLE Crying so they, too, can make it through the difficult time and not harm their children.
“It was a real eye-opener,” added Justin. “Just knowing that a baby can cry that much. Knowing that what we were going through was normal.”
For more information on the Period of PURPLE Crying program for the education and prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome, visit these links: National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome and Period of PURPLE Crying
Complimentary gifts are given to new mothers and infants such as blankets, booties and bonnets. Such items are handmade and donated by the Norton Quilt Club and other individuals. An infant CPR kit is also given at discharge for home if the couple has not received one when attending our prenatal class. A free book, “Birth to 5 years,” is given as a gift to help aid parents with the many questions that arise as they learn to become new parents.
With written consent, during the hospital stay, a photo may be taken and posted on our Hospital Baby Board at the Nurses' Station, social media pages and/or on the Online Nursery.
Open 24/7
Patients will be seen throughout their pregnancy at the Norton Medical Clinic. The clinic is located at 807 N. State Street and has its own entrance and parking lot. When delivering, come to the hospital's east main entrance (look for the long covered walkway), turn left after the first set of doors to go to the main lobby, and follow directions to check in at the Nurses' Station. Feel free to park in the hospital's main lot adjacent to Hwy 36.
For more information, contact:
Bethanie Ellis, RN
Obstetrics Supervisor
Phone: 785-877-3351
Fax: 785-877-4075
Email: bellis@ntcohosp.com