Perinatal Health

For Providers:

Maine Hospitals Level of Maternity and Newborn Care Map with Contacts (PDF) (3/22/2022)
There were 12,300 babies born in Maine during 2018. There are 26 hospitals in Maine providing birthing services.

Levels of Care: In the first edition of Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy in 1976, the Committee on Perinatal Health of the March of dimes Foundation designated three levels of prenatal care: I, II and III. This perinatal regionalization demonstrated improved neonatal and post hospital discharge survival among very low birth weight and very preterm infants born in hospitals with organized, qualified neonatal intensive care units. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn published Levels of Neonatal Care, Pediatrics Vol. 130, Number 3, p.587-589 and along with American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology described updates in Guidelines of Perinatal Care, Seventh Edition.

Level III/IV NICUs care for the most critically ill infants.  They provide sustained live support, comprehensive care for infants born <32 weeks gestation and weighing <1500 grams and infants born at all gestational ages and birth weights with critical illness. They have ready access to a full range of pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists. Maine has two hospitals providing high risk subspecialty care for infants.

Bangor:

Portland:

Level II Special Care Nurseries care for infants born ≥32 weeks gestation and weighing ≥1500 grams who have physiologic immaturity or who are moderately ill with problems that are expected to resolve rapidly.  Maine has two hospitals providing this level of care for infants.

Lewiston:

Augusta:

Level I hospitals care for well infants.  They provide neonatal resuscitation at every delivery, evaluate and provide care for stable term newborn infants.  They stabilize and provide care for infants who are ill and those who are premature until transfer to a higher level of care.  The remaining 24 of the 28 birth hospitals in Maine have Level I nurseries.

Perinatal Outreach Education & Consultation is a contracted service between the Maine CDC and Maine Medical Center.  Education and consultation services are provided on request to all perinatal care providers in Maine, including physician, nurses, certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives and other individuals or groups with interest in healthy outcomes for pregnant women and infants in Maine.

Certified Professional Midwives, Public Law 2007, c. 669 AN ACT TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO CERTAIN MEDICATIONS TO CERTIFIED MIDWIVES authorizes pharmacists to sell certain medications, including oxytocin for intramuscular use, to certified professional midwives.  The Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Maine Board of Pharmacy, adopted Rules to outline responsibilities related to implementing this law.  The Rules, Chapter 33 Section 5, Subsection 3, describe a reporting requirement.

March of Dimes, Maine Chapter works to promote healthy mothers and healthy babies through research and education to reduce infant mortality, and to prevent prematurity and birth defects.  The March of dimes provides information for families and providers.