We learned about this in our birthing class last week and I am so pumped about it!
My husband and I have 2 dogs - both rescues, but one was clearly abused before we got her, so she will probably be a bit too skittish to come to the hospital. The other dog though, is like our best friend and we're definitely going to arrange for him to come by as soon as it's convenient.
Definitely something only a pet-person will understand, but having my dog come to visit me in the hospital and getting to meet his "little sister" for the first time there is something I am so looking forward to about delivering this baby.
Curious to find out if anyone else's hospital/birthing center/whathaveyou allows their family pets to come visit???
Re: My hospital allows pet visits!
I think that's so awesome your hospital allows that. I bet it's going to make the transition home so much easier!
If my cat had the right attitude, it would be nice to have him in the hospital room with me since I'd only be there 2 nights for a vaginal birth (or 3 for a c section). He's like my husband and I's first 'child' together, haha. We play and roughhouse with him and he's a ton of fun.
I can't do a tour of the hospital since they only do it on Wednesdays during the day and my husband and I both work, but I found a virtual tour of it online and am impressed with what I've seen!
There is a hospital near us that allows this BUT they have an "outside" area for the dogs to visit you...you go outside and sit with them. Are you sure thats not the case here??
Im a huge animal lover but not all dogs are kept clean by their owners and it just wouldn't be sanitary.
This exactly, and I am an animal lover.
Cooper: 11/20/11
Julian: EDD 8/1/16
PCOS & Endo. w/ DOR
Good to know! Obviously our LO will be exposed to animals. However, I would never want animals present in a hospital/recovery setting. There could be other women who are in the midst of active labor and others in recovery. While laboring the last thing I would want to hear is the barking of a dog.
Cooper: 11/20/11
Julian: EDD 8/1/16
PCOS & Endo. w/ DOR
Like everyone else I am super surpirsed they are letting your "babies" come visit you and the new baby in the hospital.
I love and trust my girls fully but when they see people they've never seen before or go to a new place they get super excited and sometimes dont act very behaved - they like to jump a little and my one dog gets so excited she tinkles some times which would be very unsantitary in the hopsital.
And what if a dog/cat/whatever got off their leash? I know my heeler will stay with me and wont go more than a foot away but my great pyrenese/dane hybrid mix will visit the whole hospital before you catch her (she's very sociable lol) You know they might take off running then you gotta try and catch them and what if they knock someone down or get into something they shouldnt.
And what about the people who might be allergic to animals and the dog/cat/or whatever family pet they have hair everywhere. I think overall it just sounds like a bad idea on the hospital's part. And barkin/meowing from animals all the time could get annoying after you just delivered your baby and all you want to do is sleep...
I am a big furbaby fan. I love my girls and they are my babies but still I just think overall its probably not the best of the ideas that a hospital allow animal visitation.
DH was just joking around tonight saying he wished he could take the dogs to the hospital with us. For hospitals that allow non-therapy/non-working dogs would expect owners to only bring dogs that could handle the situation.
And that's odd about the allergy thing. I've always heard as long as the baby is being breastfed the baby will have no allergies in the first year.