The Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals Group, will soon have state-of-the-art specialized maternity care centers in various parts of the country. The first such centre, called "The Cradle" was launched here on March 18, to help Indian mothers have the best birthing facilities all under one roof in line with global trends. The Cradle is a result of an extensive study of top-notch birthing facilities in western countries and blends personalized care with highly specialized medical technology, claims an AHLL press release.

"Apollo is planning to set up at least 8-10 birthing centres across Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and abroad, through joint ventures. The first joint venture for the birthing centre had already been signed with Sunrise Medicare Limited promoted jointly by the Burman family of Dabur India and the Talwar Group Company," stated Ratan Jalan, CEO, AHLL.

The Cradle will have the facility of private birthing suites - an all-in-one LDR (Labour, Delivery and Recovery) room, which will be fully equipped with all the medical facilities required for a normal delivery. Other facilities available include fully equipped Operation Theatres (for caesareans as well as gynaecological procedures), Central fetal monitoring, where the doctor can monitor the patient from a single location, Level III NICU, Blood Store and Out Patients Department.

The Cradle will have a range of accommodation options from spacious suites with attendant rooms, to super deluxe and deluxe rooms. Also in order to prepare mothers for baby birth or any needs that may arise during post partum period, the facility will have special classes and programs on childbirth preparation, Lamaze classes, parents and sibling education programs, antenatal exercises including aerobics, diet and nutrition counseling by trained personnel, and genetic counseling.