D.C. Area Babies

Inova Fair Oaks and Visitors During Labor

Hi there! I am fairly new to the board, and had a question for those who have delivered at Fair Oaks. Unfortunately, I never took the tour.

I am wondering how much control I will have over who is in the room while I am laboring. Is the waiting room outside of L&D? Will visitors be allowed to just walk in or is there a nurses station that they have to check-in to?

I have a very strong-willed mother and MIL. Even though they know I would like to labor with just my husband, I worry that they will come in anyways if the someone in the hospital doesn't stop them.

Thanks in advance!

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Re: Inova Fair Oaks and Visitors During Labor

  • I delivered at Inova Fairfax, not Fair Oaks, but you should have total control over who is in the L&D room. I suppose a particularly wily mother or MIL could always get through, though. One way to avoid the issue: Don't tell them that you're in labor until the baby is born. Sure, they may be pissed, but it's OK to put yourself and your new little family first on delivery day. Besides, what better time to show that you're setting boundaries about what you want for your child?

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  • imageLMH1209:
    One way to avoid the issue: Don't tell them that you're in labor until the baby is born. Sure, they may be pissed, but it's OK to put yourself and your new little family first on delivery day. Besides, what better time to show that you're setting boundaries about what you want for your child?

    This is probably what I would have done, but we didn't have this issue as all of our family is out of town...

  • L&D is behind locked doors with an intercom. The waiting rooms are outside of the locked doors.  All of the rooms are beyond the nurses' station. You also can request no visitors. Should they somehow barge in anyway, they wouldn't know what room you were in and should they figure that out (like from the board) the nurses could make them leave.

    We told our families that we did not want them at the hospital and we would call when we were ready for visitors, which would likely not be the day of the delivery. The pressure of having people in the waiting room was just NMS--which was good since I had a multi-day labor. Our families were wonderfully respectful. I hope your family affords you the same courtsey and if not, now--as PP said--is a great time to practice setting boundaries in healthy ways.

  • I delivered DS during the H1N1 scare so thankfully it was just me and DH...no questions asked.  I do know from a friend that you can tell the nurses who you want in the room, and they can get rid of people for you pretty quickly.
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  • imagefatjavacat:
    I delivered DS during the H1N1 scare so thankfully it was just me and DH...no questions asked.  I do know from a friend that you can tell the nurses who you want in the room, and they can get rid of people for you pretty quickly.

     Ditto this exactly...I was so upset when I first found out no one could be with us, but I am SO glad it was just DH and I. Even if we have the option in the future we will just do the two of us again. They did stress to us on the tour, which I did right before the restrictions went in to place, that they will get whoever you want out of the room and make up an excuse for you, so it seems like it is on them, not you! Hopefully it won't come down to that and they will be respectful of your wishes, but just in case! 

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    imagemommmyz:

    imagefatjavacat:
    I delivered DS during the H1N1 scare so thankfully it was just me and DH...no questions asked.  I do know from a friend that you can tell the nurses who you want in the room, and they can get rid of people for you pretty quickly.

     Ditto this exactly...I was so upset when I first found out no one could be with us, but I am SO glad it was just DH and I. Even if we have the option in the future we will just do the two of us again. They did stress to us on the tour, which I did right before the restrictions went in to place, that they will get whoever you want out of the room and make up an excuse for you, so it seems like it is on them, not you! Hopefully it won't come down to that and they will be respectful of your wishes, but just in case! 

  • s00zs00z member
    Thanks everyone! It makes me feel a little better knowing there is some sort of procedure in place there. And, delaying telling them whats going on is a good idea. It might not go over too well with them, but oh well! They will just have to deal! Thanks again.
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