Jan 28, 2021
When you are pregnant, you can’t leave anything to chance. This goes for your delivery hospital as well.
Labor and delivery is a stressful experience in itself. But, with the right professionals at the right maternity hospital, it can get slightly easier. In this article, we have laid down a few tips that will help you make the right decision for yourself and your baby.
1. Start with the basics – You cannot select any maternity hospital that you want. You have to consider the cost and health insurance policies. The insurance carrier will dictate what doctors it covers and what maternity hospitals to go to. There are some other factors as well that will help narrow down your choices:
1. Travel distance – Usually, the distance between your hospital and your home doesn’t have any effect on the outcomes of birth. However, your hospital shouldn’t be so far that you are worried about traffic while your baby is on the way. That is why many people opt to have birth at a local hospital.
2. Insurance coverage – Look for hospitals that will take your insurance. Check what will be covered and what will be not.
3. Facilities – If you have had a complicated past delivery, a difficult pregnancy, or a pre-existing medical condition that could affect your pregnancy, you need to find a maternity hospital capable of accommodating you during the worst-case scenario. For instance: Does it have an ICU? A NICU? Even though these are rarely used, it will be comforting for you to know that your hospital is taking the right care of you and your baby.
2. Look for the COVID-related policies – Labor can result in the development of anxieties and when this happens during a pandemic, you might have additional questions. It is important to know that even during the pandemic, hospitals are a safe place to give birth. However, before selecting a hospital, here is what you need to ask about:
1. Safety measures – The risk of exposure is something that you can’t ignore these days. You have to ask your hospital about their testing policies and how they deal with the patients who have been tested positive.
2. Hospital’s policies for birth support partners – In order to reduce the level of exposure, some hospitals are limiting the number of people allowed with you in the delivery room. You should find out beforehand about whether the partners are allowed or not and what criteria are in place.
3. Safety procedures – Learn about how the pandemic policies of the hospital can impact you like whether you are supposed to wear a mask during labor or not. And if you were tested positive for coronavirus, what procedures will the hospital take for maternal/baby separation?
3. Get a tour – Many hospitals offer a tour of their maternity wards. This will help you in confirming all the information that you have collected so far. However, because of the pandemic, this might not be possible. Some hospitals have been offering virtual tours. But, if you can’t get them either, you can still call them and ask about the following:
1. Adequate staffing – You don’t want to give birth in a congested hospital that has too many patients and not enough staff. By getting an idea of their staff, you will know how well a hospital is managed. Ask about the staff-to-patient ratio during weekdays, weekends, and off-hours. Also, you must ask about the nurse assignments. Whoever is in charge can set the tone for something different than what you might have expected.
2. Efficient management – When your OB is taking care of you during labor, the staff might be taking care of four or five other patients. There is a lot of stuff happening outside of your room that can have an impact on your care. An efficient management system will be able to ensure that you have the right nurse at the right time.
3. Comfort – When you are researching different maternity hospitals, it is not about good or bad, but about finding the hospital that you feel comfortable with. The doctor and staff that will be handling your delivery should make you feel in control.
If you prefer a luxurious stay at the hospital, you can choose Rosewalk Hospital, a center for premium birthing in Delhi. It is the best hospital for delivering babies, which will ensure that you have a safe and comfortable delivery.
ROSEWALK TEAM
Consultant - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Panchsheel Park