Feeling at Home During One of Life’s Major Events

In the newly renovated David and Jackie Jaindl Family Birth and Newborn Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, part of Jefferson Health, the goal is for patients to feel at home while having their baby in a safe and supportive hospital environment.

The unit – already ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation for maternity care – has had a makeover from top to bottom. 

“These renovations will be transformative for our patients, their families, for colleagues and for our communities,” says obstetrician Amanda Flicker, MDh,  Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN).

There are 10 labor rooms, 10 perinatal rooms for expectant mothers who need extra medical care, two operating rooms and seven triage rooms, all equipped with the latest technology. A bereavement room has also been created to enhance the already well-established Perinatal Loss Program to provide continued support to our families at life’s more sensitive and difficult moments. 

There’s a new birthing suite with a hydrotherapy tub for laboring. Certified nurse-midwives are available around the clock.

“Everyone’s needs are different,” says Cathy Jacobs, RN, MSN, Director, Clinical Services. “No two people are the same. Our goal is to give each patient the expert care they require, along with the compassion and support they need,” Jacobs says. 

“We are well aware that our patients and their families are in the middle of a major event in their lives,” she says. “It is an honor and a privilege for us to be part of each patient’s life story.”

The renovations also include a redesigned nurse’s station that is more welcoming to patients, as well as upgrades to staff locker rooms, clinician call rooms, resident learning center and a new wellness room for staff. “We too experience many of life’s demands,” Jacobs says, “and the better we can take care of ourselves, the better we can care for and support our patients.”

The phased renovations began in September 2024, and there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the newly dedicated David and Jackie Jaindl Family Birth and Newborn Center in September 2025, made possible by the family’s generosity. A few months later, staff members were completing the finishing touches by choosing art for the walls and creating bulletin boards that show not only the family-oriented team in the labor and delivery and perinatal areas, but also their exemplary safety and quality records.

In a way, Jacobs says, the welcoming and friendly feel of the new renovation means that the facility now matches the caring and compassionate approach that the staff has always had. 

“We made it feel like home here,” Jacobs says, while enhancing even further the safe and supportive hospital environment for families experiencing the many different elements of labor and delivery and perinatal care.  

“Our entire staff is focused on giving families the most warm and welcoming atmosphere that we can,” she says. “We’re very compassionate, and we’re very strong advocates for our patients.”