he Department of Anesthesiology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center maintains anesthesia service on the Labor and Delivery floor 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week. Two attending anesthesiologists are exclusively assigned to Labor and Delivery at all times. Over 6,000 babies are born at the Medical Center each year. Several types of anesthesia are available for labor, vaginal delivery and Cesarean section.

For those patients who do not receive anesthesia, an anesthesiologist will be present in the delivery room during the birth to monitor the mother's vital signs and to administer medication as needed. The anesthesiologist also evaluates the newborn, assigns an Apgar score and manages any problems that may arise, including resuscitation of the newborn. For this service patients will receive a bill for professional services rendered.