Obstetrical Emergency Department
Norman Regional HealthPlex has an Obstetrical Emergency Department (OBED) to elevate the standard of care in its Labor and Delivery triage area.
During the course of a pregnancy, a woman (16 weeks gestation or above) may be referred to or seek care at the OBED for evaluation and/or treatment of potential urgent medical conditions. This elevated level of care allows for a patient and her unborn child to be evaluated by a physician who is a board-certified, OB hospitalist 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The OB hospitalist will work closely with a patient’s primary physician and the nursing staff to assess her condition, discuss her care options and provide appropriate treatment.
All unscheduled labor and delivery patients should use the Emergency Entrance located at the east side of Norman Regional HealthPlex.
Please note that insurance carriers will process any visits to the OBED as an emergency room visit, subject to any co-pays, co-insurance or other applicable fees under a patient’s policy.
Postpartum Concerns
The OBED also treats postpartum patients and has two post-birth inititiatives to treat women up to six weeks postpartum.
The first postpartum initiative
This initiative focuses on the prompt treatment of post-birth warning signs. Knowing the post-birth warning signs is important and can mean the difference of life or death for postpartum women.
There are multiple post-birth warning signs. Some require calling 911 while some may just require a call to your healthcare provider.
Call 911 if you’re experiencing:
- Chest pain
- Obstructed breathing or shortness of breath
- Seizures
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
Call your healthcare provider if:
- You’re bleeding, soaking through one pad/hour, or blood clots the size of an egg or bigger
- Have an incision that is not healing
- Have a red or swollen leg that is painful or warm to the touch
- Have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher
- Have a headache that does not get better after taking medicine, or a bad headache with vision changes
If you cannot reach your healthcare provider, go to urgent care, the emergency department, or call 911.
When calling, be specific. Tell the 911 dispatcher or your healthcare provider “I had a baby on [this date] and I am having [these specific warning signs].”
The second postpartum initiative
The Blue Band Program is a program where labor and delivery patients who are diagnosed during their hospital stay with preeclampsia, gestational hypertension or chronic hypertension are given a blue wristband they are instructed to wear up to six weeks postpartum.
The labor and delivery staff has worked closely with the emergency department to ensure all staff are familiar with these initiatives and any patients presenting with post-birth warning signs symptoms or who are wearing a blue band are fast-tracked to the OBED.