Hospital Tour

Yesterday we went on our hospital tour. I'm actually really really glad that we got around to doing it. Overall, I found it to be quite the surreal experience. Going to the maternity ward and getting a glimpse of what will happen when I go into labor was an eye-opening experience.

There were 3 other couples with us. Our tour guides were hospital volunteers. The first took us to the pre-natal (?) triage room. That's where they assess you for 4 hours when you first go into labor. I'm guessing that this is where they also turn you away if you're not far enough along in your labor. I really hope that I don't get turned away...otherwise, I'll be spending an awfully long time at the Starbucks downstairs. There's no way that I'd drive back home with the hospital being a 30-minute drive (on a good traffic day) from home.

Once you start going into active labor, you're taken to the labor room. The labor room looked a bit '90s ghetto. Considering that it was a hospital room, it could've been much worse. Cheesiness aside, the labor rooms are quite nice. They have the labor bed, some monitoring equipment, a private washroom with single-person Jacuzzi, a phone (no cell phones allowed), and some other equipment which was tastefully hidden away in what appeared to be hotel-like cabinets. That was a nice touch, because one of the things that the HypnoBirthing classes mentioned is how birthing nowadays is such "medical" process. This setup certainly made you feel less like you were in a hospital.

Another thing that I REALLY liked is that, while the bed we saw in the room looked like a regular flat bed, it converts into some crazy setup where you're practically squatting during labor. This is definitely a plus, as the squatting position is one of the most optimal birthing positions, since it opens up your pelvis nice and wide and shortens the birth passage. It also supposedly reduces/eliminates the need for an episiotomy (not that these are done that often anyway). BONUS!

I also found out that even though the hospital doesn't have birth balls anymore, they certainly allow them in the birthing rooms. That's good, since I picked up a birthing ball this weekend specifically to take to the hospital when I go into labor.

After the baby is delivered, you stay in the birthing room for about 2 hours, and then are taken to the "mom and baby" center - i.e. your accommodations for the remainder of your hospital stay. We were told that there are 6 private rooms, 14 semi-private rooms (2 beds to a room), and one room which houses 4 beds. Although I put down a private room as my first choice, it remains to be seen whether or not I will actually get one. I'm hoping for one, because spouses/birth companions are only allowed to stay overnight in the private room. Otherwise, it's buh-bye to the spouse at 10pm, since you need to be considerate of the privacy of the other new mom(s) in the room. That also means no telephone calls after 10pm. I find this thought a bit freaky. Odds are that I will most likely end up sharing a room with at least one other person, and the thought of being in there in this room with another person, and with my baby and no support from the hubby is positively FRIGHTENING!

The thought of spending my first night with PK alone made me extremely emotional, and I was on the verge of tears throughout the remainder of the tour. While taking the tour was a very positive experience, it suddenly made this parenting thing seem all the more real. It was a "holy crap, I'm really having this baby" moment. As if the squirmy little creature kicking at my bladder wasn't indication enough, eh? ;-)