Hospital

Hospitals provide the medical care for a high risk birth and a baby born with special needs. The hospital birth can be very beneficial to a high risk mother, a mother carrying twins or expecting a breech baby or a mother who experiences complications in her last part of the pregnancy. The biggest key to the progression of a pregnancy is the practitioner. Feeling comfortable with asking questions and having the mother’s best interest at hand is more important than we realize.

The biggest draw back is the routine interventions that are used that are not necessary. The biggest one being continuous fetal monitoring. We know from decades of research that continuous fetal monitoring does not improve the health outcome for mothers and babies. We know it increases the cesarean rate. The drawback is that it doesn’t allow the laboring women to move, try different positions, and listen to her own body. When we decrease the mother’s movement we increase her pain. The other things that are part of the hospital birth experience is an I.V. which we know is not necessary in low risk births. Mothers don’t necessarily need I.V’s, especially when they have access to food and drink of their choice.

Valuable Questions to Answer Regarding a Hospital Birth:

• At what point do you recommend that I come to the birth center?
• How soon after I come to the birth center will my primary healthcare provider see me?
• How much time can I expect my healthcare provider to spend with me during labor?
• Will my birth plan be honored?
• How often are vaginal exams performed during labor?
• Are showering and bathing allowed during labor?
• Does this hospital allow water births?
• Can my family including my children be present during the birth?
• Are eating and drinking allowed during labor?
• How long will I be able to stay at the hospital after giving birth?
• Can my partner cut the cord?
• Will my baby stay in the room with me at all times?
• Are any labor positions not permitted?

*Excerpts from this page were taken from Creating Your Birth Plan: The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth. by: Mardsen Wagner, M.D., M.S.