In the past hospitals didn’t offer much choice at all beyond old style delivery rooms.
These had the typical operating room décor and very medical feel.  Today’s modern “birthing pavilions” provide a wide range of amenities and services designed to create an atmosphere of comfort and a degree of luxury previously unknown.

At some hospitals these pavilions can take up to an entire floor of large individual rooms
where the woman goes through labor, delivery and recovery in the same room.  These rooms are decorated much like a fine hotel room, only bigger.  They can contain a private bathroom with shower, TVs with DVD and CD players.  They have refrigerators and enough seating with a couch and soft chairs for several people to comfortably stay with the woman during labor.  These hospitals also typically allow as many as three or even more people to be with you at all times through labor and delivery.

There will be no need to move a woman experiencing a normal birth as all the equipment monitors and supplies to support the doctor’s needs are stored in the room.  These rooms are also set up for cleaning and assessing the baby’s stability and for recovery of the woman.  So the baby isn’t immediately separated from mom.

This is why it’s really valuable to take the time early in your pregnancy to explore the kind of amenities, services and atmosphere available at local hospitals to see how they differ and find out which one feels best and most comforting to you. 

Many hospitals offer tours of the birthing rooms where they show you the rooms and
describe the services that come with having your birth at their hospital.  You will want to
know what their procedures are in terms of whether they provide a nurse assigned individually to you or shared.  They will also explain how they handle a pregnancy that develops any complications and what their system is for caesarian births.

You’ll also want to find out if they have or are affiliated with a dedicated children’s hospital and where that facility is located. These are specialized hospitals equipped with a neo natal intensive care unit providing services after complicated deliveries, services for special needs babies and also including emergency obstetrical care. 

So begin by talking to your doctor about which hospitals they have relationships with and then make up your list and start contacting them about a visit or checking their websites.

»Hospital provided childbirth and prenatal information and educational services