Hospital Child Birth
You Have Birthing Options
Child Birth - Choosing a Hospital by Dawn Pirrie
Hospital child birth and the considerations you need to make when choosing a Hospital
Information about the hospitals in your area is available from your doctor, antenatal clinic, social worker, friends and acquaintances. However, the only way to find out what a hospital can offer you and whether you feel that it is right for you, is to visit it and to ask questions. Take a list of questions with you and make sure you get satisfactory answers so that you can come to a confident and wholehearted decision. Only you can decide what will suit you best.
Types of Hospitals
There are various kinds of hospitals, most of which provide maternity care. Without question, the most modern facilities are found in teaching hospitals. Here, doctors are always on duty so if you run into any complications one would attend you. As a rule, doctors at teaching hospitals are usually more experienced in dealing with complicated births. Although there may ht limited pain relief available, the smaller community hospitals tend to be more friendly and flexible with less red tape because there are fewer staff and fewer patients its easier to meet the people who can help you, and yea will be able to arrange a more personalized childbirth.
Visiting your Hospital
To help you make your choice, the first thing to do is to tour one or more hospitals with your birth assistant. There may be a formal maternity tour, often as part of the hospitals antenatal classes, but if not, ask for a personal tour accompanied by a member of staff who knows the hospital well. If the hospital will not allow you to see the facilities, ask questions. If they're rigid in their approach to visitors, they are likely to be equally rigid in their approach to maternity care.
The Hospitals Approach
Once you have decided, it is a good idea to visit the hospital of your choice again so that you can meet the staff who will be looking after you, and become familiar with the delivery room and other facilities. If, after discussion with your health care providers, you find that your hospital is not living up to your expectations, remember that a hospital is there to serve you, and you do have the right to refuse certain procedures. If the hospital is unwilling to listen to your point of view, you can arrange for a transfer to a different one, or opt for another type of care such as a family-centered hospital. If, however, your midwife is part of the domino or team midwife schemes, she will come into the hospital with you and deliver your baby there; the hospital staff are only rarely involved. If all goes well, you are discharged within a few hours and need have little to do with the hospital's routines.
A Birthing Room
Quite a few hospitals now have birthing rooms that are non-clinical and more like your own home, with comfortable chairs, low lighting, soft music, piles of cushions on which you can arrange yourself and even a television and drinks and snacks available.
The whole aim of a birthing room is to help the mother relax, overcome fears and relieve tension. A normal routine prior to birth makes for a normal delivery, and once you're in a birthing room you will not be moved unless an emergency occurs that requires immediate attention. This ensures there are no uncomfortable breaks with a jarring change of movement, mood and surroundings. It's not necessary to lie down to have your baby, or to be surrounded by rather intimidating technological paraphernalia. In a birthing room you can take up whatever position you want to have your baby.
For many women, a birthing room provides the ideal compromise between home and hospital births because it provides similar surroundings and facilities to home, but with emergency expertise on tap if the need arises.
Maternity Care Units Family-centered maternity care is offered by some of the more progressive hospitals and larger medical centers. It is a philosophy aimed at nurturing the family unit during labor, delivery and after birth. It should offer the optional elimination of certain routine procedures and the addition of others, such as low lighting during delivery, non-separation of parents and baby unless medically necessary, rooming-in and early discharge.
About the Author
Jellybabys sells boys and girls baby clothes, soft soled shoes and accessories from its friendly site. The company offers 'baby products with a difference' and in doing this offers customers a good selection of top quality products which are fairly priced. Also find articles on your babies health, parenting and pregnancy advice and much more.
Thanks Dawn for the information about hospital child birth. It's all good and relevant.
Other related pages at Parenting Magic
Babies And Toddlers :
Prenatal And Newborn :
General Parenting
Solving Parenting Problems :
Natural Child Birth :
Cloth Diapers
Baby Strollers :
Mommy Guilt :
Bath Time Magic
