3rd Trimester
Babybear70
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L&D tour tonight...what questions should I ask?
Babybear70
member
DH and I are going on our L&D tour tonight and I have a few questions that I want to ask, but I know there are a ton more out there I should ask. What kinds of questions did all of you ask on your tours? My first is going to be "what does the hospital provide us that we don't have to bring?" but what are some others?
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Re: L&D tour tonight...what questions should I ask?
What items are provided for you & baby in the hospital?
What 'going home' items are provided for you & baby, what are you allowed to take?
What is their policy on pacifiers, should you not want one if baby is learning to Breast Feed.
What kind of pain relief does the hospital offer, aside from epidural? i.e. do they allow birthing balls, tubs, etc. (mine doesn't & was p/o'd to learn this)
Who is their baby dr. if you haven't picked one.
Do they have lactation specialists?
PP hit the nail on the head with most, but here are a few more:
What is their rooming-in/nursery policy?
How many people can be in the delivery room?
What's the policy for renting breast pumps (if you're doing that)?
Then came a miscarriage March '11
Then came a baby in the baby carriage May 16, 12
Waiting on our second little peanut!
Some of these things may be covered without you asking:
What is your guest visiting hours? Will the nurses help with "crowd control"/ guests overstaying the set visiting hours? Are children allowed to visit?
Are we allowed/encouraged to use birth balls, squating bars, tub/shower, (I.E. to labor in whatever position will be most comfortable for you)?
Overnight guests? Accomodations for overnight guests?
Security system for newborns and the maternity ward?
If you prefer no continuous monitoring so you can get out of bed- ask about how they monitor.
Do you labor in one room and recover in another? How does that work? Are the rooms different for C-Sections?
What is the percentage of C-Sections vs. vaginal birth?
--I would also use your birth plan to help you with questions. If you haven't made a birth plan, The Bump has a generic one you can print out that will give you an idea of questions to ask. Good luck! I really enjoyed my tour!
I would add:
What are the visitor rules (including while you're in labor, etc.) - is there time after birth when visitors aren't allowed? (SOme hospitals give you an hour or two).
Will baby be rooming in?
Security, what is it? Including visitors, baby, you, etc.
DS - 7.2006 - C-Section b/c Breech
DS2 - 4.2008 - Successful Vbac
DD - 5.2012 - Successful Vbac
Honestly, pretty much all of the questions here were directly answered by the tour without having to ask them. Possibly that's because the hospital had opened about 8 days before? Not sure.
I would ask if there are hospital policies that impact things like scheduled c-sections or inductions. Apparently my hospital will not schedule either for prior to 39 weeks without clear medical indication that has to be reviewed by the hospital's chief OB. Which I think is sort of awesome, but it surprised me. They also do not allow anything other than liquids while in labor - and that's important to know as well, because it's not up to the doc, it's the hospital policy.
One thing I didn't ask and wish I had was what the policy was regarding use of the shower/tub and being out of bed if you have an IV (either for Pitocin/fluids or pain relief). They have all these awesome laboring tools in the l&d rooms, but what good is that if you are confined to bed because you are being induced, you know?
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
My Blog
Do they allow rooming in?
How often/what times will baby be taken away? Can Daddy accompany baby when baby goes?
Can you eat or drink once you're checked in?
Do they do intermittent monitoring or constant monitoring on baby?
Can you get a hep-lock instead of regular IV?
Is there a max # of visitors at once?
Billing Question: (Just because my DH and I ran into this with our DS)
Is the LDR prorated for the length of time you are in there, and same with the Postpartum rooms?
Many hospitals will charge you for a full day to even two days for being in the LDR even if you are in there for three hours (9:00 p.m.) to let's say four hours the next day (4:00 a.m.). They will try and say that it depends on your insurance when it is how the hospital bills most of the time. It doesn't matter what type the insurance is.
You and the previous posters have nearly everything covered, I think. One thing that I was surprised by was the in-room photography service that greeted us the morning after LO was born. I had no idea they would be showing up, hadn't showered, didn't have anything I wanted to be photographed in, etc. We ended up taking photos with me in the hospital gown and while they turned out lovely, if I had known this even existed, I would have planned ahead.
So - I would ask if they have someone that will come in to do this and when so you aren't surprised.
What time do the pedi's usually come around? And where do they do the exam? (its usually either early morning or in the evenings, and in the nursery- but its something to be prepared for if you room in- that they come an take the baby, DH went with DS)
Make sure you also know the afterhours policy to get in- a special door, a bell to ring, go to the ER...