Delivery at NAMC?

august8080

Hopefully this will be my last post of the day--thanks for all your responses!

If you delivered at NAMC how was your experience? I'm specifically interested in their support of a med-free birth. Also, I didn't like how at Seton they had to take the baby away to bathe him. Any chance they do all of that in the room? How are the L&D and post-partum rooms? Do they have tubs or showers? Birthing balls? Wireless monitors?

Thanks!

AdamsKitten

I will be delivering at NAMC, but haven't yet so I can't speak to most of the questions... but the rooms we saw in the hospital tour were nice, we especially liked the birthing rooms - I believe they all have showers, not tubs.

Also, they did say that baby goes to the nursery with to be bathed once you are making the move from delivery to PP.  We were told that process takes about an hour.

Not sure about the balls - I know Dr. Seeker's nurse suggested we bring one if we wanted to use it.  So either she thought that we would like our own better or they don't offer them.

I know lots of ladies have delivered there and will be much more help than me

kiarox2002

I would get a doula.  Our L&D nurse was a b!tch about anything we wanted to do that was even slightly out of the norm.  

They can do wireless monitoring (or so I've been told) but we were not given that option. We were told that we could have intermittent monitoring as well, but then when I was in labor they never let me take off the monitors.  I guess I should have just done it myself, but I was tired of being yelled at.  They have showers, but no tubs or birthing balls.  They let you have an hour or two with your baby, but then you have to let them take them to the nursery to be bathed.

If I manage to get pg again, we are using the OBs with midwives as part of their practice, hiring a doula or going to the birthing center.   

FusionLMT

I thought the nurses were very nice and supportive. Not pushing meds, but there if you ask for them. I asked after 12 hours and it was me asking, not them pushing them. No tubs, yes showers. No birthing balls, but you can bring your own (I did). Yes wireless monitors. The L&D rooms are huge, and the post-partum rooms are pretty small, but there is a couch that pulls out into a bed for DH to sleep on. The food is decent (but probably anything would have tasted good after not eating for 2 days). Not sure about bathing the baby since I ended up w/ a c-section and had been passing meconium for 12 hours, so they had to take away DS for a bit anyways right after birth. The post-partum nurses were super sweet and followed everything I asked them to. For having had a terrible delivery experience (not their fault), the nurses and hospital really impressed me and DH.

chrastcky

i had a great experience at NAMC, and i had a med free birth.  I also had a doula with me the whole time, and everyone worked together very well.  Also, my intention was to have the baby stay with me the first day, and delay the bath until day 2.  At the hospital tour, they said that was fine.  However, our DD had to go to NICU for a few days, so my plans of 'rooming in' were shattered!  (btw, i can not praise the NICU nurses enough ~ they were amazing and comforting and wow... i could never do their job.)  there are showers in every room, and i did use it briefly during labor.  they allow birthing balls, but you have to provide your own.  I remember being concerned about having to be hooked up to monitors the whole time, but they did wireless monitoring so i was free to assume whatever positions i wanted   They would not allow me to go outside my room... i had to do all my "walking" inside the room.  They said they don't allow women in labor to walk the halls because the staff frequently has to run to an emergency on the L&D floor, and they don't want to knock down a laboring woman in the process.  Good luck!  i give my thumbs up.

MrsNole

I had a great experience at NAMC!  

@&$! I'm sleeping and please don't wake the baby!

 Every nurse and also my DR was very supportive of my birth plan to have a med free birth.  Make sure you write a birth plan.  I can share with you mine if you'd like, let me know. 

 They do take LO away to get a bathe but we asked to have that postponed until after DD had nursed and it was no problem. She actually didn't get a bath for a while bc once we got to our PP room the nursery was full of csection babies so we had to wait, which we didn't mind!

My L&D room was huge!!  I could have done a cartwheel in it! Even the bathroom!  It was twice the size of the room they showed us in the tour, maybe it was a handicapped room?  I don't know but I was in room 1 if that matters.  The PP room was small and quaint.  I wish the bathroom would have been a tad bigger. I felt cramped while I was taking care of myself.  

Pall rooms have showers.  Bring your own birth ball.  And yes there is wireless monitors...you have to ask though.

L L CG

I had my baby at NAMC.

They were fine with a med-free birth.  When you get there the day of, just hand your birthing plan to the nurse and have DH post it on the wall so that if things get crazy he can point to it.  He may have to remind them because I bet most people don't go med-free but they are very open to it.  I think since we are in Austin with a ton of mothers that would rather go natural they are used to it.

They did all baby prep in the room with me.  I shot her out, she went right to my chest and I held her for a few minutes.  Then they took her about 10 feet away to weigh her and assess her APGAR.  Then she came right back to me all wrapped up.  I would have rather her come back unwrapped for skin to skin but I just let it go.

They asked if I wanted them to bathe her and I said no.  DD didn't get her first bath until the morning we left.  I just said no and they said ok.

They do have wireless monitors.  They have showers but no tubs (I was in the shower for an hour or more, it was very helpful).  They have birthing balls but I would bring my own.

The L&D and post-partum rooms are great.  I loved my stay there.  The L&D beds aren't very comfortable but the PP room beds are like heaven.

 

aimlessone

I don't have much to add to this.  I gave birth about a month ago.  I didn't know they had wireless monitoring, but I asked if they could take me off the monitor and they did for 30-45 minutes at a time.  I'm not sure what the monitor is for because half the time, I was sitting in a position that screwed up the numbers anyways.  As far as I know, they don't have birthing balls (mentioned during the tour), but I brought my own.  The shower has a shower bench in it so you can sit down.  The labor room was huge.  My L&D nurses (who were great) did not push drugs on me at all.   They also wanted to pump me full of fluids, but I asked that they not do that so they didn't.  They did have to put in the IV access, though.  They do take the baby away for a bath, erythromycin, etc, about an hour after delivery,  but my L&D nurse told my husband to go with them.  My PP nurses weren't as nice as the L&D nurses, but that's ok.  The PP was probably half the size of the room you labor in.  It was definitely a tight squeeze esp with the baby in her crib.  A couple of visitors and the room is packed.  I thought the size of the bathroom was fine, not too small.  Also, if you like ice cream, make sure to send your husband to look in the refreshments area, they have those little cups of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

BoxerMomma

two amazing experiences at NAMC. there are no tubs, just showers. you can bring in your own ball and choose how you want to be monitored though. i was only monitored intermittently with #1 and a little more with #2, but that was b/c i had pitocin.

birth #1 was totally med free, no one offered me an epidural or asked about it once i said i was planning to go med free. birth #2 started with pitocin but i explained that was the only intervention i wanted, and my doc let me stop it after the contractions started. no one ever asked me about an epidural that time either, as i had made it clear when i came in that i did not want one. i didnt feel the need to have a doula, but i had my husband and mom in there, so i knew people would speak up for me if i wasnt able to myself. i also had a great nurse with #1 and the world's greatest nurse with #2. i would have taken nurse #2 home with me, i liked her so much.

post partum nurses are just ok and the rooms are kind of small. food is good. parking is super easy for guests and family.

both of our babies stayed with us for two hours after birth, were placed directly on my chest, breastfed right away, all that jazz. when they went away to be cleaned, DH went with them and they were only gone a little while. i didnt mind, as it gave me a chance to pee (which takes awhile), get cleaned up a bit, eat something and transfer to my pp room. then, they bring you back your husband and your sweet, clean little baby to cuddle.