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The Birthplace

Where Nantucket natives are born!

Overview

Overview

Safe Care Commitment

Our dedicated physicians, nurses and staff are committed to providing the best possible care. The Birthplace at NCH and the Nantucket Cottage Medical Group have taken unprecedented steps to ensure office visits and procedures are welcoming and safe. Your health and safety is our top priority.

Learn more about Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s commitment to safe care and how we remain safe and ready for expectant families during COVID-19.

About The Birthplace

Imagine starting life on this little island! For approximately 140 babies a year, it wouldn’t be possible without The Birthplace at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Under the direction of Dr. Margaret Koehm, The Birthplace is a full service, fully equipped facility complete with three large labor rooms and both ante and post-partum rooms.

From holistic, natural births to epidurals, everything we do is in the best interests of mom and baby. For example, we place newborns on their mom’s chests the minute they arrive and leave them there for as long as Mom wants. Whether you choose to breast or bottle feed, we’ll make sure you’re comfortable with the process before you leave. Even after you’re discharged, we’re happy to make well-baby visits to your home and help you with any of the common challenges and concerns new parents often face.

Beyond the excellent medical care for expecting mothers and babies, there are a range of pregnancy and parenting resources available on Nantucket to help you prepare for and handle the challenges of parenthood. From childbirth education classes to certified lactation counselors available to moms, these resources can help ease the transition into this exciting new chapter of your life. Learn more about these classes and other pregnancy and parenting resources by clicking here.

The Birthplace programs and services include:

  • Prenatal care by dedicated, experienced on-staff doctors and clinicians
  • Department tours
  • Breast-feeding consultations
  • Jacuzzi, birthing bar and birthing peanut
  • Pre-discharge circumcisions
  • Post-discharge support
  • Annual Nantucket Native reunion for children 5 and under born on Nantucket!
  • Perinatology (high-risk pregnancy care) through our partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital

Every baby in our tight-knit community is welcomed into the world by an extended family of caregivers who delight in watching our little “Nantucket Natives” develop and grow. Even after they leave the hospital and go home, they never leave our hearts.

Updated Nantucket Cottage Hospital Visitor Policy | August 2020

Honoring Nantucket Natives

Since 1999, Nantucket Cottage Hospital has honored islanders who were born at the hospital on our Wall of Nantucket Natives. The Wall of Natives has become a beloved tradition for many island families with new babies. For a $100 donation, you can add your own Nantucket Native’s name to the Wall.

In the old hospital, the Wall included bricks engraved with the native’s name and date of birth. While the old bricks could not be relocated to this facility, the names of each native who purchased a brick in the old building were transcribed onto these tiles, and now we have room for future generations to add their names.

Click here to buy online. For questions, please call the Foundation at (508) 825-8250.

 

Meet our Team

Meet our Team

Pregnancy Resources

Frequently Asked Questions: Pregnancy

Click here for answers to common questions you may have about your pregnancy. 

Prenatal Diagnosis Information

Prenatal Screening Tests
Find information about prenatal screening tests we offer during pregnancy.

Chromosomal Disorders and Testing
Learn about birth defects caused by chromosomal disorders and tests offered by Nantucket Cottage Hospital to identify them.

Genetic Syndromes and Testing
Learn about birth defects caused by genetic syndromes and tests offered by Nantucket Cottage Hospital to identify them.

Structural Defects and Testing
Learn about birth defects caused by structural defects and tests offered by Nantucket Cottage Hospital to identify them.

Medications in Pregnancy

In general, medications that have been around longer have been tested more thoroughly and should be preferred over newer ones. We recommend avoiding any unnecessary drug or medication during pregnancy, especially during the first 20 weeks when your baby’s organ systems are forming. Learn more about what medications are safe during your pregnancy. 

Pregnancy Resources

Nutrition in Pregnancy: The Basics
Read a guide to some of the basic questions you may find yourself asking about nutrition in pregnancy.

Bleeding in Early Pregnancy
Bleeding is common during the first three months (12 weeks) of pregnancy and may or may not be a sign of a problem.

Minor Discomforts During Pregnancy & Their Remedies
Find tips to relieve some of the minor discomforts you may experience during your pregnancy including cramping, backaches, cold and flu symptoms, swollen feet and pressure under the rib cage.

Zika Virus Information
Learn about the risks associated with the Zika virus for pregnant women.

March of Dimes
Information from the March of Dimes for those thinking about getting pregnant, being pregnant and beyond.

Maternal Fetal Health

The excitement and anticipation of pregnancy can often turn to concern and anxiety over the health of your unborn child. Through our partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, we bring advanced maternal fetal medicine to expecting mothers on Nantucket. Every pregnant woman on the island is screened by Dr. William Barth, the chief of maternal fetal medicine at MGH, who assesses high risk pregnancies and conducts prenatal diagnosis for patients right here at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Through diagnostic ultrasounds and early risk assessments, we are able to screen for structural defects and Down syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities in the first and second trimesters. Counseling and education, both before and after tests, is an integral component to our approach. If we detect an abnormality, our clinical specialists work with parents to educate them about their baby’s condition and determine the best course of treatment both before and after the baby’s birth.

Meet Dr. Bill Barth, chief of maternal fetal medicine at MGH. “We provide obstetrical care to women and families who may face something out of the ordinary.”

Request an Appointment

Request An Appointment

Life Changing Care at The Birthplace

The Stover Family

"Nantucket Cottage Hospital is not only an integral part of the island community, but it is an equally integral part of our family as well. It has served as the “home away from home” where we gave birth and welcomed three of our four children into the world, most recently our son Charles on January 10, 2020. It is these life changing moments for which we feel forever connected and grateful to our community hospital."

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