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Preparing for Your Delivery

Congratulations on the pending arrival of your new little one. Bringing new life into the world is a joyous time which we are privileged to be a part of for more than 300 families a year. A little planning on your part before your delivery will help make the experience as smooth as possible.

Choosing a Physician

Finding a physician early in pregnancy is important. Regular check-ups are needed to evaluate the growth and development of your baby as well as maintaining a check on the mother’s health and well-being. To find an obstetrician who delivers at HRMC, visit our Find A Doctor page.

Your Birth Plan

A birth plan is an outline of your wishes for your labor and delivery. You should discuss and develop a birth plan with your physician. The birth plan will include choices of pain management, birthing methods, family involvement and more. At HRMC, we will do our best to follow your plan. Our number one concern is to do what is best for both you and baby. Changes from your birth plan may occur if something unexpected happens during the birth process. Your birth plan will not be altered for our convenience.

Prenatal Classes

Our experienced maternity staff provides training and education before and after you give birth to your newborn. Prenatal education classes are offered and recommended during your third trimester – whether it’s your first or fifth child.

Our certified childbirth educators will provide helpful information on labor and delivery, breathing and relaxation techniques, pain relief techniques, the role of the support person, feeding methods and postpartum experiences. Classes begin at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room located on the southwest end of the Birthing Center. During the second or third session, there is a special class on breastfeeding. A tour is also available during these classes to familiarize expectant parents with the maternity department. For more information on the classes, please contact the instructor, Lisa Kranzler at 605-350-0098.

Attendees are asked to meet in the please enter through the emergency room door. Masks are encouraged, but not required. The staff at the door will direct you to the meeting room.

Session Dates
(Dates for classes are subject to change and will be communicated to you prior to your class month via email.)

September 9, 16, 23, 2025
November 11, 18, 25, 2025
January 13, 20, 27, 2026
March 10, 17, 24, 2026
May 12, 19, 26, 2026
July 14, 21, 28, 2026

Prenatal Class Sign Up

Who Will Care for Baby?

Choosing a physician for your newborn is an important pre-delivery task so that you don’t have to worry about that detail once the baby is born. When you are admitted, inform your labor and delivery nurse who your baby’s healthcare provider is. For a list of caregivers, visit Find a Doc.

What About Insurance?

Because insurance coverage varies, it is a good idea to check with your insurance carrier, clinic staff or our business office to be sure your benefit plan covers the delivery and care of you and your newborn and whether preauthorization is required. Feel free to call us at 605-353-6233.

Preparing for the Big Day

You’ve made it this far and soon your new bundle of joy will be in your arms! Here are a couple more items to get ready for delivery day.

What to Pack

It is a good idea to pack your bag at least two weeks before your scheduled delivery date. During labor, you may want to have favorite snacks for your coach (we will also provide snacks and beverages as needed), your MP3 player loaded with relaxing music and a list of phone numbers to call. You may also want to bring comfortable clothes, a robe, slippers, a favorite pillow and your camera to get lots of pictures of your newborn (Please note, videotaping is not permissible during the delivery). You will also want to pack an outfit for baby’s first photo and to wear home, as well as a blanket and hat suitable to the weather.

Taking Baby Home

You will need a car seat to take your baby home in. To help make sure that your car seat is adjusted properly for your infant and fits correctly in your vehicle, HRMC has certified car seat technicians to help. Have someone bring the car seat up to your room the night before you go home and make any necessary adjustments. HRMC participates in South Dakota’s Child Safety Seat Distribution Program, which provides new car seats to income eligible families. For more details, call the maternity department at 605-353-6251 or visit www.dss.sd.gov.

Day of Delivery

This is it – the day you’ve been waiting for! However, as parents through the ages have discovered, babies have their own schedule as to when they come into the world. In many cases, your physician will schedule or direct your arrival to the hospital. If you begin to experience labor pains during office hours, contact your physician. If it is after hours, call your provider or HRMC at 605-353-6200. If you think you are going into labor, do not eat a heavy, fried or spicy meal, as this may cause nausea later.

Where Should I Go?

Parking is located on the north side of the hospital near the main entrance. See our campus map for additional parking areas. Enter HRMC through the main hospital entrance located on 4th Street. Our admissions staff is available 6:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. to check you in and direct you to your service location.

If it is after 5:00 p.m., please come to the emergency department entrance and someone will assist you to the third floor maternity unit. Visitors of maternity patients and newborns are welcome anytime. Please advise friends and family that all entrances to the hospital are closed from 8:30 p.m.-6:00 a.m. except for the emergency department entrance.

What Should I Bring?

It is important that you bring everything necessary for your appointment:

The bag you packed for delivery
Photo ID, such as a driver’s license
Social Security number
Insurance, Medicare or Medicaid card
Cash, check or major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover) to pay for co-pays and applicable deductibles
An Advance Directive serves as an important guideline for the medical staff to follow in the event of an emergency or critical illness. If you have completed advance directives or have a living will, bring a copy with you. To learn more, visit our Advance Directive page.

On arrival, you will be given an identification bracelet to wear during your stay. You will then be directed to the third floor maternity unit. Our nursing staff will get you settled into the delivery suite and provide instructions on how to prepare for the birth of your new little one.

If you are having a scheduled cesarean delivery, visit our page on preparing for your surgical procedure.

Other Information

Tobacco use is prohibited at HRMC. For more details, view our tobacco policy.
We provide persons with disabilities, including persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or persons with low vision who have other sensory or developmental disabilities an equal opportunity to access care and treatment. Please ask if you need assistance.
We also provide interpreter services at no cost to all patients and their relatives. We make every attempt to provide an in-person interpreter in Spanish and Karen languages. We also have interpretation of many languages available by telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.