It’s normal to be nervous about being admitted to the hospital. Please know you’re not alone. Your entire health care team is focused on delivering high-quality care, and your safety and well-being is our top priority.
Based on conversations with previous patients, we’ve put together a hospital admission checklist to assist you.
Admission Checklist
What Should I Bring?
- List of current medications, complete with dosages, reason for taking and the provider who placed you on them.
- Copies of your living will and durable power of attorney for health care (if you have them).
- Any physician orders.
- Any pre-admission paperwork.
- Slippers.
- Toiletries.
- Sleepwear, if you would like to wear your own.
- Any equipment you require on a daily basis, such as eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids etc. Please note that it can be easy for these items to get lost. Put them in a brightly colored containers, or leave them at home if you can.
Should you need any additional personal care items, please ask any caregiver for assistance.
What Shouldn’t I Bring?
- Large sums of money: Please do not keep more than $5 in your room.
- Jewelry or watches:If you are admitted without advance preparation, ask family members or friends to take your jewelry home.
- Other valuables: For safety reasons, electronics, laptops, iPods and iPads should not be kept in your possession while in the hospital. Monument Health is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
When Can My Family and Friends Visit Me?
Monument Health encourages all family and friends to visit. These visits help you feel more comfortable and actually speed your healing. However, there might be times when we have to limit visitation. Also, we ask visitors to be mindful when a patient is sharing a room with another patient. The space for visitors is limited in semi-private accommodations.
Your big day is nearing, and there are so many things to remember. Monument Health wants you to have the best possible childbirth experience. The following information will help you feel prepared when your baby is ready to arrive.
Parking
Rapid City Hospital: Free parking is available in the parking lot at the hospital’s main entrance. You can also go to the parking garage at the south end of the hospital campus, which offers parking for visitors and significant others. The entrance is off Fifth Street. Complimentary valet parking is also available at the front entrance of the hospital.
Spearfish Hospital: Free parking is available along the east side of the hospital and in the large parking lot to the north.
At either hospital, if you are in active labor, please ask your driver to pull into the Emergency Department entrance and request a wheel chair, parking the car elsewhere once you are checked in.
What to Bring
Be sure to bring only what you need for the first part of your birthing journey, and leave other items in the car until you are ready for them. Here’s what you will need right away:
- Insurance provider card.
- My Birth Plan (if completed).
- A list of allergies you may have and a list of medications or supplements that you take at home.
- Prenatal records: If you have not received prenatal care in the area, please bring your prenatal records with you. If you have received care locally, your provider will have already sent your records to us.
- Important phone numbers such as the pharmacy where get your prescriptions filled, your new baby’s doctor (pediatrician or family practitioner), family and friends you want to keep updated.
- Advanced directives and living will, as desired.
- Glasses and contact lenses.
What to Leave in the Car for Later
You won’t need the items listed below until you are recovering in the Mother-Baby Unit. Keep them in your car, and have your support person bring them when needed.
For Mom
- Robe and slippers.
- Loose clothing to wear home.
- A comfortable support bra and, if breastfeeding, a nursing bra with pads.
- Snacks.
- Books or magazines.
For Baby
- Car seat.
- An outfit to wear home.
- Receiving blankets, warm blankets and other cold weather gear
Where to Check In
Check in at the Emergency Department. All expectant patients are evaluated in the Labor Room triage area. Women who are in active labor or are having complications are evaluated first. An expectant mother is allowed to have one support person accompany her to the triage area. We make this request to ensure the comfort and privacy of all patients who receive care in this area. If you are transferred to a Labor Room, you can have more visitors.
Planned Induction Birth: If your doctor has scheduled a delivery date through induced labor, you should check in to Emergency Department at least 30 minutes before your procedure. You will be taken to a Labor Room for your procedure. After you recover in your Labor & Delivery room for 2-3 hours, you will move to the Mother-Baby Unit where you will rest for 24-48 hours before being discharged. (Spearfish patients will remain in the same room during labor and recovery.)
Planned Cesarean Section Birth: If you are having a C-section, you should check in 2-2 ½ hours before your procedure. After your baby is born, you will move to recovery (either in your own postpartum room or in the main recovery room) for about 2 hours. During this time, visitors will be limited to one person. After that, you can have more visitors and you will need to rest up for 48-72 hours before being discharged.
Natural Onset of Labor: If you come unscheduled to the hospital with labor pains or if your water has broken, you will be evaluated in the Labor Room. After giving birth, you will remain in Labor & Delivery for 2-3 hours to recover. You will then be transferred to a room in the Mother-Baby Unit where you will rest for 24-48 hours before being discharged. (Spearfish patients will remain in the same room during labor and recovery.)
Emergency Situation: If you are experiencing a medical emergency or your doctor instructs you to come to the hospital for immediate care, please check in at the Emergency Department. From here, you will be transported to the Labor Room for assessment and care. If your emergency is not related to your pregnancy, you may be seen in the Emergency Room.
What to Expect After Delivery
Your beautiful baby is here. If there are no complications, you’ll have time for skin-to-skin cuddling with your baby immediately after the child is born.
All newborn care including bathing will be done in your suite throughout your stay. After your baby’s birth, you can expect:
- A daily examination by your nurse and doctor.
- Education on feeding and caring for your new infant.
- Detailed discharge education to help and support you when you go home.
- Time to care for your baby, who will be rooming with you. Your nurse will be on hand to assist or answer any questions.
Rapid City Hospital mothers:
Visitors to Monument Health Rapid City Hospital Women’s and Children’s Services will need to use a four-digit passcode to reach the Labor & Delivery, Mother Baby, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Pediatric departments on the second and third floors near the hospital’s West Entrance elevators. The Children’s Miracle Network funded the project to keep our most vulnerable populations safe.
Upon check-in, the patient or their guardian will be given the passcode. They can share the passcode with friends and family members for visitation. The visitors will use the passcode to enter the Labor & Delivery, Mother Baby, NICU or Pediatric departments.
Going Home
New babies and birth mothers are usually discharged 24-48 hours after a vaginal delivery and 48-72 hours after a cesarean delivery. Before you leave, a nurse will go over your discharge instructions. You’ll receive information about follow-up care for you and your baby. We will also tell you about help you might need or questions you might have when you’re home.
You’ll complete your birth certificate worksheet before you leave the hospital. Before heading home, you will need to have:
- An infant car seat with you at the hospital
- An appointment scheduled with a pediatric doctor to check your baby within two days of discharge. This will usually be done by the discharge staff person except on weekends.
Once you’re back home and settled, we likely will check on you to see how you are doing. Additionally, our survey partner Press Ganey will call you to ask you about your experience at Monument Health. Thank you for choosing Monument Health, it is our pleasure to take care of you and your baby.
