PROGRESS: Mercy renovates birth center

"I'm in love with the colors and the updates," registered nurse Sirena Sigears said. "Patients are loving the more modern feel."

Existing flooring and carpeting was pulled up and replaced with laminate flooring. The laminate, which has a wood-like look, was added to match other areas of the hospital.

"You get that new modern, updated wood look, but with the durability of medical-grade equipment," Sigears said of the flooring.

Paisley wallpaper with a hint of pink was removed. The walls are now painted beige. Shades of light green accent the labor and delivery area, while light purple adds a hint of color to the postpartum wing.

Sigears said patient rooms have some new features including sconces behind the bed.

"To give the patients a little bit less of a hospital and more of a family environment, we've gone to a quieter, softer light," she said.

Special software allows providers to monitor mothers and babies from the nurses station or their own offices. Sigears said this type of monitoring gives patients more quiet time to rest.

"(Doctors) can actually pull it up, see what their baby is doing, see how everything looks and not have to physically come here," she explained. "If we have a concern about a fetal heart tone, it's not just on this computer anymore or this paper strip, it actually feeds up into the network."

Other additions include a couch that pulls out into a bed for dads to sleep on and side tables where patients can charge their mobile devices.

The nursery window is bigger than it used to be and lower to the ground, which Sigears said allows younger siblings and family members in wheelchairs to get a better view of their "little person."

"Siblings want to see their brother or sister get a bath," she said. "This makes it so much easier for them to take a peek."

Ergonomic chairs, which were added to the nurses station; new window treatments and a stainless steel kitchenette counter round out the updates.