Maternity Tour
Yesterday was our maternity tour at the hospital. It was supposed to be 2 hours, but it ended up being only about 1 hour. And it was free.
We started off in the conference rooms and watched a video about the stay at the hospital. Then she explained what to do when we go into labor and come into the hospital. I'm glad she did explain that because I was under the impression I have to go into the emergency room entrance no matter what time of day. But found out that I only have to go through the emergency room doors if it's during the night. Between like 8pm and 6am or something like that. Otherwise I can use the main entrance. When I go in, I'm supposed to use the elevators and go straight to the maternity floor. Once there I have to pick up the phone, tell them I'm in labor and they will let me in and check me in and all that.
As long as I KNOW I'm in labor, I will go straight to my room where I will deliver. If it's possibly false labor I will have to be taken to a shared room for an hour or so until they can figure out what is causing whatever symptoms I'm having. I will be in the delivery room I believe they said up to 1-2 hours after she comes out. Then I will be moved to the other side of the maternity floor, the post partum unit, the mother and baby unit, in another private room. They recommend for first time moms who are breastfeeding, that they stay 48 hours. With a csection and breastfeeding it's I think 3 days.
We got to take a tour after we watched the video, and we started off on the delivery side. We got to go in one of the rooms and see just how big they are. They really are big rooms. They have a little nook looking thing off to the side in the room with all the baby materials they will need after birth, the warmer and all that. There is also a private bathroom for each room, including a shower. And I found out that I am able to have three people in there with me when I deliver. One of course is James, two is my mom, and three will be James' mom.
Then we went back out to the waiting area and got to look through the window to the nursery (but there was no babies in there at the time). James will get to go with Mackinley to the nursery after the first hour or two, probably while I'm getting moved to the other side, for her first bath. He will get to be in the nursery with them while she's getting bathed, and everyone else can watch from the waiting area through the windows.
After that we went to the post partum unit to see one of the rooms. They aren't as big as the delivery rooms, but still big enough for visitors. There's a bed for me, a bed for James too, and then seating area and all that. Plus another private bathroom with shower just in my room. Both the delivery room and post partum unit have a tv with dvd player and so on. After the delivery of the baby, we get a special meal for just James and I, supposed to be like a resteraunt, we get to sit at a special table in our room with candles and nice food.
As for visitors, we found out there is really no set visiting time, but if it's during the night especially to just make sure our visitors are respectful and quiet of what is going on in the rest of the floor. And I had thought that it was going to be a pain for visitors (mainly the ones who are there most of the time like my mom and James' mom), to be coming in and out. I thought they would have to pick up that stupid phone in the waiting room each time they were coming back in to see us and go through the whole thing of telling who they are, who they are there to see and so on. But I learned that we will get a code each day that we can give out to our visitors to get them in to see us just using the keypad and not have to pick up the phone each time. That will be very helpful. Especially for my mom who will be in and out smoking a lot!
Before we left, I also asked a question I've been wanting to know the answer to. From what I was understanding from my other classes is that right after birth, Mackinley will be on my chest for up to an hour and breastfeeding and so on right away. So I wanted to know when she would be getting weighed and everything. Apparently like I understood, they will do that after I'm done holding her and everything. But she did say that if I want her weighed right away, I just have to ask for that. So I've gotta decide if that's what I want to do. It just seems weird to wait, because we won't get a completely accurate number of her birth weight. It would be her birth weight, after the first hour, after she has breastfed, possibly gone to the bathroom, so it could change a small amount. So I've gotta decide if that's what I want to do, or if I wanna ask them to weigh her soon. They said they usually don't, because it's more important for baby to bond with mom right away. Which I understand, I just didn't think that taking a minute or two to weigh her would be that big of deal.
They had lots of food there, but we didn't eat anything (other than James grabbed a cookie to go). But they had lots of other free stuff. We got a book about bringing home baby, from birth to reality. Then I got a size one diaper, a baby spoon and fork, a sticky note pad, a pregnancy calendar (which we thought was a baby's first year calendar so it will be saved for a future pregnancy lol), and then a little sample bottle of lotion.
So overall I'm glad we went because I did learn a few things I didn't know.
We started off in the conference rooms and watched a video about the stay at the hospital. Then she explained what to do when we go into labor and come into the hospital. I'm glad she did explain that because I was under the impression I have to go into the emergency room entrance no matter what time of day. But found out that I only have to go through the emergency room doors if it's during the night. Between like 8pm and 6am or something like that. Otherwise I can use the main entrance. When I go in, I'm supposed to use the elevators and go straight to the maternity floor. Once there I have to pick up the phone, tell them I'm in labor and they will let me in and check me in and all that.
As long as I KNOW I'm in labor, I will go straight to my room where I will deliver. If it's possibly false labor I will have to be taken to a shared room for an hour or so until they can figure out what is causing whatever symptoms I'm having. I will be in the delivery room I believe they said up to 1-2 hours after she comes out. Then I will be moved to the other side of the maternity floor, the post partum unit, the mother and baby unit, in another private room. They recommend for first time moms who are breastfeeding, that they stay 48 hours. With a csection and breastfeeding it's I think 3 days.
We got to take a tour after we watched the video, and we started off on the delivery side. We got to go in one of the rooms and see just how big they are. They really are big rooms. They have a little nook looking thing off to the side in the room with all the baby materials they will need after birth, the warmer and all that. There is also a private bathroom for each room, including a shower. And I found out that I am able to have three people in there with me when I deliver. One of course is James, two is my mom, and three will be James' mom.
Then we went back out to the waiting area and got to look through the window to the nursery (but there was no babies in there at the time). James will get to go with Mackinley to the nursery after the first hour or two, probably while I'm getting moved to the other side, for her first bath. He will get to be in the nursery with them while she's getting bathed, and everyone else can watch from the waiting area through the windows.
After that we went to the post partum unit to see one of the rooms. They aren't as big as the delivery rooms, but still big enough for visitors. There's a bed for me, a bed for James too, and then seating area and all that. Plus another private bathroom with shower just in my room. Both the delivery room and post partum unit have a tv with dvd player and so on. After the delivery of the baby, we get a special meal for just James and I, supposed to be like a resteraunt, we get to sit at a special table in our room with candles and nice food.
As for visitors, we found out there is really no set visiting time, but if it's during the night especially to just make sure our visitors are respectful and quiet of what is going on in the rest of the floor. And I had thought that it was going to be a pain for visitors (mainly the ones who are there most of the time like my mom and James' mom), to be coming in and out. I thought they would have to pick up that stupid phone in the waiting room each time they were coming back in to see us and go through the whole thing of telling who they are, who they are there to see and so on. But I learned that we will get a code each day that we can give out to our visitors to get them in to see us just using the keypad and not have to pick up the phone each time. That will be very helpful. Especially for my mom who will be in and out smoking a lot!
Before we left, I also asked a question I've been wanting to know the answer to. From what I was understanding from my other classes is that right after birth, Mackinley will be on my chest for up to an hour and breastfeeding and so on right away. So I wanted to know when she would be getting weighed and everything. Apparently like I understood, they will do that after I'm done holding her and everything. But she did say that if I want her weighed right away, I just have to ask for that. So I've gotta decide if that's what I want to do. It just seems weird to wait, because we won't get a completely accurate number of her birth weight. It would be her birth weight, after the first hour, after she has breastfed, possibly gone to the bathroom, so it could change a small amount. So I've gotta decide if that's what I want to do, or if I wanna ask them to weigh her soon. They said they usually don't, because it's more important for baby to bond with mom right away. Which I understand, I just didn't think that taking a minute or two to weigh her would be that big of deal.
They had lots of food there, but we didn't eat anything (other than James grabbed a cookie to go). But they had lots of other free stuff. We got a book about bringing home baby, from birth to reality. Then I got a size one diaper, a baby spoon and fork, a sticky note pad, a pregnancy calendar (which we thought was a baby's first year calendar so it will be saved for a future pregnancy lol), and then a little sample bottle of lotion.
So overall I'm glad we went because I did learn a few things I didn't know.
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