birth and postpartum floor tour

Yesterday morning I called the birthing floor at the hospital I will be giving birth at to see if there were any vacant birthing rooms that we could tour, so I could familiarize myself with the birthing environment. There was one vacant, so we jumped in the car and headed out on the 1.5 hour drive.

By the time we arrived Eliana had fallen asleep, and so Judge stayed with her in the car while Leona came with me.

(I thought about taking pictures to show Judge, but then figured 'nah').

They have a relatively new 'friendly birthing' room, with a regular bed, a birthing tub that one can give birth in if a midwife with water-birth knowledge is there (not all of them have received the training and experience yet), a great shower, and just really homey and comfortable decor. Unfortunately I am not allowed to birth there, due to the complication of having to manually extract the placenta last time...but I can use the tub during the opening phase if I wish (as long as there are no medical reasons for me not to).

So I will be giving birth in a regular birthing room, where they have a birthing bed set up. There is a good sized shower there too though, and of course there are options of a birthing ball, birthing stool, bean bag chair, etc. The decor isn't as homey, the bed makes it also feel more 'sterile', and so I am a bit bummed, but know that being able to adjust the bed has its benefits as well.

We're hoping to head home about 4 hours after the birth (after an oxygen-test has been run), but if for some reason we have to stay the night, then there are 4 four-person rooms (that usually don't have four people in them) and 3 single-person rooms that one can get to stay in, as well as one family room (and with family they mean husband). Usually moms stay 3 days I think, if they haven't had a c-section. We could also ask to be moved to a postpartum floor at the hospital closer to home (about an hour's drive) - this hospital doesn't have a birthing floor anymore. We'll see what our needs are, but the plan is to just head home.

After, we went shopping, and stumbled upon an amazing and free play area at the mall. And when I say amazing I mean A-mazing. It has a climbing wall, giant lego blocks to build houses with, a jungle gym area, and brain teasers, both four along a wall as well as a triangle 'station' where one side has a touch screen with various games or activities like drawing, popping bubbles that come up off the ocean floor and will kill the fish swimming across the screen, etc.

[starting on the foundation] 

[E helping out for a bit]

[almost finished house in the background] 

[while E has found a new focus]

 

After playing for a long time we hit up the Asian food store (an absolute must) and then headed home again.

Of course both girls fell asleep in the car on the way back, which lead to a looooong evening of them not falling asleep. Ah, the joy ;)



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