Maternity Unit Visiting Guidelines

Stanford Children’s Health believes that family and friends have a critical role in your and your baby’s care. Our Maternity Unit visiting policy supports our family-centered care philosophy, safety, patient confidentiality and your need to rest.

  • Maternity unit visiting hours are from 8 am-9 pm.
  • All visitors must wear identification badges or stickers to ensure our patients’ safety. These can be obtained at the hospital entrances.
  • All visitors will be screened for infectious diseases to protect your and your baby’s health. People who display signs of contagious diseases or have been exposed to measles or chicken pox should delay their visits. All visitors will be notified about hand washing and other precautions while visiting you and your baby.

The visiting policy for the Labor and Delivery unit is slightly different.

Waiting Areas

Maternity Unit visiting hours are from 8 am-9 pm. Up to two people are welcome to visit you in your room at the same time. Additional visitors may wait in the parent lounges or waiting areas on the first and second floors of the hospital. These are close to the Labor and Delivery and Maternity Units. Visitors are asked to wait in these areas for safety and confidentiality reasons.

Spouse / Partner / Designated Support Person

Staying overnight in private rooms: One adult spouse/partner/support person may stay overnight. Sleep chairs or cots are provided for overnight stays.

Staying overnight in semiprivate rooms: One adult spouse/partner/support person may stay overnight if your roommate agrees. The right to decline a visitor’s overnight stay is given to your roommate to protect her privacy. Sleep chairs are available for overnight stays.

Siblings and Children

All children age 12 and older may visit. Siblings are the only children under the age of 12 who may visit. Our staff is happy to assist you in helping new siblings understand the hospital.
 
We ask that you:

  • Closely supervise and support siblings during their visit
  • Screen siblings for illnesses or contagious diseases (including chicken pox, measles, mumps and rubella) to protect your and your baby’s health. Children should not visit if they have been exposed to any of these in the three weeks prior to the visit.

We regret that we do not have facilities for siblings to stay overnight with you and your new baby.

Phone Calls

Making calls: Calls placed within the (650) area code are free. Toll, long distance and international calls can be charged to a calling card, home telephone or credit card. Calls cannot be charged to your hospital bill.

Receiving calls: Patients may receive phone calls until 10 pm. Collect calls cannot be received.

Patient privacy laws prevent us from sharing any details about your baby’s birth with anyone over the phone. We are happy to connect callers to your room so you can share your news directly.