Delivering Your Baby at Desert Regional Medical Center

At Desert Regional Medical Center, our goal is to provide you with a birthing experience that is healthy, safe, and fulfilling. For more than 50 years, we have served mothers in our community during every stage of their delivery. With our team of Loma Linda University Health pediatricians and services like our Maternal Fetal Medicine Center or Level III NICU, we are here to help you and your baby every step of the way.

Why Choose Us?

Doula-Friendly Delivery
Doulas are becoming more and more popular as members of the birth team. Expectant moms see the value in hiring a “birth coach” who can help them through many aspects of the labor and delivery process—from their home to the delivery room and then back again. Doulas can help provide mental support, physical coaching, and even massage during key parts of the labor process. At Desert Regional, we welcome doulas as part of the birth team. Our nurses have great respect for the support that doulas provide and good working relationships with local doulas in our area. That’s why even in the time of COVID-19, we welcome expectant moms to bring both a family member/support person as well as their doula.

If you would like your doula to be present during your birth, your doula’s credentials must be reviewed and accepted by the hospital prior to the delivery date. To submit your doula’s credentials for review, please email [email protected].

Pediatricians from Loma Linda University Health
Loma Linda University Health pediatricians provide care to all of our newborns and pediatric departments. Some of their services include caring for newborns, consulting with pediatric patients in the emergency room, admitting and treating pediatric patients in the hospital, and caring for boarder babies – those non-Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies who remain in the hospital after the mother has been discharged. The pediatricians also serve as teachers for DRMC’s Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine Residency Programs.

Low C-Section Rates: Desert Regional Medical Center has lower C-section rates than the national average, achieving a 20.5% rate for 2018, compared to the national average of 31%. We work hard to ensure a vaginal delivery, unless mother or baby are in danger.

Level III NICU: As the only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Coachella Valley, we provide the highest level of infant care available in the valley. To learn more about the NICU, click here.

During Pregnancy

• Classes and Preparation: Our Healthy Beginnings program offers classes, breastfeeding support and other tools to make you feel more confident about parenthood. To learn more about Healthy Beginnings, click here.
• High-Risk Pregnancies: Our Maternal Fetal Medicine Center is available for high-risk pregnancies. This team of specialized doctors will monitor you throughout your pregnancy to help ensure a healthy outcome for you and your baby. To learn more about this specialized program, click here.
• Scheduled Inductions: Your doctor may schedule an induction date for you. Please be aware that unscheduled and emergency procedures take priority over scheduled inductions—so your induction may be delayed if patient rooms and resources are full. First-time moms must be scheduled at 40 weeks.

During Delivery and Your Stay at Desert Regional

COVID-19 Information: Click here for an FAQ about how we are keeping you and your baby safe in the time of COVID-19. Or watch this video to hear directly from one of our patients about the experience of delivering during COVID-19.

LDR Rooms: Our 25-bed unit offers spacious, private rooms to maximize comfort for mom and baby. COVID-positive patients are in a separate location with specialized isolation rooms and have separate staff to maximize safety.

Breastfeeding and Lactation Consultants: You will be seen by one of our International Board-Certified Lactation Nurses during your stay. As a Certified Baby-Friendly hospital, we are committed to educating new mothers on the importance of breastfeeding and taking all necessary steps to ensure successful breastfeeding has occurred prior to discharge from the hospital. Your lactation nurse will:

• Observe feedings 
• Assist with latch and position
• Educate on milk production, baby behavior, pumping and adjusting to newborn life
• Suggestions on how to handle any physical discomforts while breastfeeding
• Educate on making milk for babies who are in the NICU
• Help with feeding multiples
• Answer any questions or concerns you may have

Award-Winning Care

Desert Regional Medical Center is an award-winning hospital when it comes to caring for mothers and babies. We are committed to ensuring the best possible birthing experience for mothers.

Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care by Blue Shield/Blue Cross
Rated on our quality, cost, and accessibility. We consistently demonstrate low incidences of episiotomies, achieve low C-section rates, and help moms to deliver no earlier than full term unless medically necessary.

Perinatal Care Certification by The Joint Commission
We meet and exceed strict standards of care for maternal, fetal and newborn health. Some of these standards include commitment to reducing maternal complications, unnecessary induction of labor, elective deliveries, prematurity rates, and costs associated with lengthy hospital stays.

Baby-Friendly USA Hospital
This certification is given to hospitals with consistent use of evidence-based practices for breastfeeding initiation and duration. This also ensures that we do not encourage or promote breast-milk substitutes throughout our facilities or to new mothers.

Newborn Hearing and Screening Program
We participate in California’s state program that aims to identify hearing loss in infants and guide families to the appropriate services needed to develop communication skills. Early intervention is key in communication development.