What to Expect
Admitting Information
Birthing Center Forms
Get a head start by completing these forms:
Your pre-admission form should be completed and returned as soon as possible. A Frye Regional representative will notify you by mail as to the status of your application.
If you have any questions, please call 828.315.3162.
A Birth Certificate Work Sheet is used to complete the birth certificate for your baby. Please fully complete this form as accurately as possible. This information will be used on a legal document - your child’s birth certificate.
Mother's Worksheet for Child's Birth Certificate
If you have any questions, please call 828.315.3162.
Downloaded forms that have been completed may be sent to:
Frye Regional Medical Center
Attention: OB Admitting
420 N. Center St.
Hickory, NC 28601
When You Arrive
When you come to the hospital on weekdays between 5 am and 12 pm, come to the same day surgery entrance and utilize our free valet parking service.
After 12 pm and on weekends, you may be dropped off at the Same Day Surgery entrance and have a family member park your vehicle. If you have an emergency, please go directly to our emergency department (ED) and we will escort you to the labor and delivery unit if needed.
When You Are Admitted
When you are admitted to labor and delivery your nurse will review with you some of our hospital policies, your medical history, allergies, current medications, and your preferences for an ideal birthing experience. She will also ask you how you plan to feed your baby and who you have chosen to be your baby’s doctor. Then she will place the fetal monitor belts around your abdomen to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and to check your contraction pattern.
At this time, any necessary lab work will be performed, your nurse will start an intravenous line (IV), and she will perform a vaginal exam. We ask that you bring a list of any medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements that you are currently taking. If possible, please bring in your medication bottles.
Visitor Parking Instructions
For your visitors’ convenience, valet parking is available free of charge from 7 am - 4 pm. Visitors should use the valet off North Center Street, or use the main parking lot or deck, and enter the front of the building. After 9 pm, any visitors must enter through the emergency department entrance. For the safety and confidentiality of all our patients, visitors are not allowed to wait in the halls or outside of patient rooms in labor and delivery. For more information about visitor parking and valet hours of operation, visit our parking webpage.
Waiting Areas
The family waiting room is located down the hall from the nursery, and visitors are encouraged to wait there. You may dial 5680 or 6680 from your room to reach visitors in the family waiting room. Please advise your family and friends that, due to privacy regulations (HIPAA), our staff will be unable to give specific information about you or your baby over the telephone.
Labor & Delivery
You will labor, deliver, and bond with your baby in a birthing room in our labor and delivery unit. We encourage you to bond with your baby immediately after delivery. If you plan to breastfeed your baby, this is the ideal time to begin breastfeeding. Your labor nurse will assist you with any needs during your immediate postpartum recovery time.
Having a C-section
If you need a cesarean section (C-section), your surgery will be performed on the unit and your recovery room is outside the C-section operating room. A neonatologist and/or neonatal nurse practitioner is present to attend your infant at a cesarean section. As your condition allows, you may be able to hold and bond with your baby in the recovery room and have visitors.
Hospitality House
Frye Regional's Hospitality House is located across the street from the Same Day Surgery entrance. It is available for parents of neonatal intensive care nursery (NICU) babies or for out-of-town visitors. Your nurse can assist you to make arrangements for this service if needed.
Nursing Teams
During your stay in the Birthing Center, you and your baby will be cared for by a specially-trained nursing team, who will check on both of you often, especially in the initial hours after delivery.
Pain Management
Please inform your nurse when you begin to feel pain, so that she may obtain the medications that your doctor has ordered for you. Effective pain management is always our goal.
Your Doctor
Both your obstetrician and your baby’s physician will “round” or meet with you regularly during your stay. We encourage you to write down any questions you may have for them.
Discharge Planning
When it is time for you to be discharged, please have someone from your family wait for you at the valet station in the Frye Regional Birthing Center. Your baby will ride in a car seat on your lap as a nursery employee takes both of you down in a wheelchair. Please familiarize yourself with your car seat before coming to the hospital if possible.
Your Feedback
We look forward to serving you and the newest member of your family. During your hospital stay, your recovery, care, and satisfaction are always our top priority. We want you to be 100% satisfied with your care at Frye Regional. If we do not meet this goal, please contact the director of Women’s and Children’s Services at 828.315.5287. We want to know how to better serve you and your family.