Birth Center

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's - Sioux City

Siouxland’s Premier Birth Center

Our state-of-the-art birth center offers suites for comfortable labor and delivery, along with northwest Iowa's highest rated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to offer critical care for babies who need it, right when they need it. Meet our NICU providers at St. Luke's.

Siouxland's Premier Birthing Center

Our state-of-the-art birth center offers suites for comfortable labor and delivery.

Preparing for Baby

Our birth center is preferred by four out of five moms-to-be in Sioux City and the surrounding area, and it's easy to see why. As the only Level III Regional Obstetrical facility in Sioux City and the region, we provide a contemporary, home-like setting where a mother can labor, deliver and begin recovery with all the safety of the hospital's modern medical care.

Expert Care

Modern Amenities
Our multimillion dollar birth center not only offers comfortable private rooms, jet tubs and wireless Internet; it features modern amenities to put your mind at ease, like WatchChild fetal monitoring and a comprehensive security system.
Safe and Secure Birth Center

For the safety of you and your baby, our birth center is a locked unit. This means all visitors, including support persons, need to press a call button to be buzzed in by a team member.

High Risk Pregnancy Care
UnityPoint Clinic Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center is lead by the area's only full-time perinatologist, an ob/gyn physician with additional education to care for high-risk pregnancies. Our labor and delivery staff is also experienced in monitoring both normal and high-risk pregnancies with specially designed antepartum rooms and private outpatient rooms for moms who need testing and observation before they give birth. The only center in Siouxland dedicated to the special needs of high-risk maternal patients, we provide peace of mind, close to home.
Additional Resources

Remember, Iowa law requires children to be secured in a car seat. St. Luke's Partners offer safe, portable infant seats at wholesale prices for St. Luke's moms. Call 712-279-3220 for more information, or visit with your nurse when you deliver.

Labor & Delivery

The Ann & Ray Greenberg Family Center

The Ann & Ray Greenberg Family Center for Labor & Delivery offers secure, private state-of-the-art birthing suites, patient rooms for women with high-risk pregnancies requiring specialized care and rooms for outpatient monitoring and other tests. These suites offer amenities for maximum comfort, including spacious floor plans, special lighting, relaxing jet tubs and portable monitoring.

Childbirth is a special event so St. Luke's encourages family support and involvement. A support person is welcome to remain with you in your birthing suite during labor, baby's birth and after delivery. After delivery while you are bonding with your new baby, you'll hear Brahm's Lullaby played throughout the hospital to welcome the new addition to your family. A neonatologist or neonatal nurse practitioner is available to attend high-risk deliveries to care for your newborn immediately.

The Gleeson Center for Mother & Baby Care

After delivery and recovery, you and your baby will move together to our secure Gleeson Center for Mother & Baby Care for the remainder of their stay.

  • Each private suite is furnished with a rocking chair, personal refrigerator, pullout couch, wireless Internet access and updated décor.
  • Down the hall, a kitchen and family lounge are available.

Each shift, a specific nurse partners with you and your baby to provide personalized care and help you learn more about your newborn including the safest sleeping positions, holding, diapering, dressing, bathing and more in the privacy of your own suite. In addition, if you choose to breastfeed, our lactation consultants are available to educate and support you. Before leaving, you and your baby will be seen by your doctors to help ensure that both of you are ready for dismissal.

Providing Personalized Care

Breastfeeding Support

We encourage you to breastfeed your newborn for your baby's best health and nutrition needs. If you choose breastfeeding, we have professionally trained, board certified lactation consultants on staff. These dedicated breastfeeding experts help mothers with positioning, pumping and latching on, as well as breastfeeding the preterm infant.

UnityPoint at Home - Sioux City, located in the Marketplace Shopping Centre offers a wide range of breastfeeding pumps and supplies for purchase or rent.

  • After baby is born and your are released, you can call our breastfeeding consultants with questions about breastfeeding at (712) 279-3329 or (712) 279-3371
  • At our Baby Weigh Clinic, lactation and breastfeeding consultants can answer any questions you have and provide support to give you and your baby the best start on breastfeeding.
Early Bonding
We know the importance that early bonding plays with a newborn's development. We encourage families to "room-in" during their stay - meaning the baby stays with the mom in their suite. The comfort of knowing Siouxland's most experienced staff is close by, makes these first days together as a family comfortable and memorable. Our nurses and staff take pride in making baby's "firsts" special for the whole family.
Mental Health Support

We provide support into your "fourth trimester." Women go through a lot of emotional, physical and hormonal changes when having a baby. Being a new mom is difficult and comes with a lot of different emotions. Now, more than ever, it is important to take care of yourself. If you have been feeling down, anxious or overwhelmed, we have partnered with UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's Outpatient Behavioral Health, New Beginnings, to provide you with additional support.

For more information about the program call (712) 279-3906 or contact Brianna Sommervold, LMSW, Director of Behavioral Health Services at Brianna.Sommervold@unitypoint.org.

Baby Weigh Clinic

Our Baby Weigh Clinic is open to breastfeeding and formula feeding families to check your baby's weight. There is no charge for this service. Masking is required, and only baby and parents are allowed at this time - siblings will not be permitted. 

Location and Hours
  • The clinic is located on the hospital's 3rd floor. Please check in as a visitor at the front desk and make your way to the Baby Weigh Clinic.
  • The clinic is open every Monday and Thursday from 2:00 - 5:00 PM for walk-ins or by appointment.

Call 712-279-3329 to schedule a private consultation.

Breastfeeding FAQ's

What's the most important thing about breastfeeding?

The latch. Set yourself up for success by getting into a comfortable position and bring baby to you. It's important to get baby to stretch out their mouth and and reach. Their top lip should be up and bottom lip down. Also, keep in mind that you should be feeling a tug, not a pinch.

Remember: the more you nurse, the more milk you make!

How do I know if baby is getting enough milk to eat?

A baby's tummy only holds about 1/4 of a teaspoon at first and grows as your milk comes in. At first, they're getting what is called colostrum. Colostrum is the first stage of breast milk. It's much thicker than the milk that is produced later in breastfeeding. You may only hear a couple of swallows at first, because baby is learning to suck, swallow and breathe.

Ways to know that your baby is getting enough to eat is if they are content between feedings and if they are making wet and dirty diapers. As your milk comes in, they should have 5-6 dirty diapers and 4-6 wet diapers in 24 hours.

TIP: Sometimes baby will get sleepy during a feeding, but taking their clothes off will help keep them awake.

How often do babies need to eat?

Babies need to eat every 2-3 hours or 8-12 times in 24 hours. One feeding is 10 to 20 minutes per side.

What is power pumping?
Pumping for 10 minutes and stopping for 10 minutes for 3 rounds. That tells your body that baby ate and rested and it helps increase your milk supply.

Northwest Iowa's only Level III NICU

Highest Rated NICU

UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's knows some of our littlest patients can need the biggest care. As the area's only Level III NICU, We care for nearly 400 babies per year in our NICU utilizing technologically advanced equipment. We employ three neonatologists and five neonatal nurse practitioners to provide in-hospital 24/7 coverage. Facility amenities include:

  • Private rooms to promote family bonding
  • Special rooms to accommodate multiples
  • Advanced, video-monitored security
  • Breast pumps and milk warmers in each room
  • Sound inhibiting floor tiles
  • White noise distributors
  • Twinkling light technology, known to soothe and aid in the development of babies
  • Ronald McDonald House kitchen
NICU Providers

Our staff is committed to maximizing every baby's healthy outcome after birth. UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's team also includes Sioux City's only three neonatologists and five neonatal nurse practitioners which allows for 24/7 in-hospital provider coverage for the NICU.

Ronald McDonald House
For out-of-town families with an infant in the NICU, St. Luke's works with the Ronald McDonald House of Siouxland to offer a comfortable place to stay close to the hospital and your baby. Accommodations are available for families under any financial circumstances, with a suggested donation of $5 per night.
Cuddler Program

Our NICU Cuddlers are a vital part of our team, providing comfort and care to our tiniest patients when their families can't be with them. These dedicated volunteers hold babies or practice gentle holding techniques to soothe infants in the NICU or Pediatrics unit. In addition to cuddling, they assist with tasks like restocking supplies and folding laundry to support the smooth operation of our units.

If you'd like to become a NICU Cuddler and make a meaningful difference in the lives of these precious babies, please complete a volunteer application.

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