What to look for in a hospital for childbirth?

You’ll have to consider many things when it is time to choose the best hospital for your delivery. 

Here some things to consider while selecting the hospital for delivery.

Doctor and midwife
It is important to consider who your obstetrician or midwife is, and whether you’re comfortable with her or him. You can also consult your family doctor for an opinion. If you don’t already have friends who can recommend a good doctor or experienced midwife, you can book appointments with several potential candidates before picking the one you like. If you don’t trust your doctor or feel uncomfortable with your midwife, try to change.

Approach to delivery
Some hospitals pride themselves with a high rate of natural birth and offer various pain relief options and specialized tools to support mom’s that want to give birth the natural way. Others are specialized in c-section delivery. If you are particular about a certain style of delivery, talk to your hospital about their ideas for a healthy delivery.

Facilities
If you’ve had a difficult pregnancy, a complicated past delivery or any preexisting health condition that may affect your pregnancy, choose a hospital that can manage any complication that may arise. For example: Does the hospital have a blood bank? Is there an ICU and NICU? These facilities are not usually needed, but people who have high-risk pregnancies do need to be somewhere with appropriate care.

Budget
Though hospitals may provide detailed price lists of each delivery plan, the prices may vary depending on some factors like multiple pregnancy or possible complications. Check your insurance plan and see if it involves maternity care as well.

Distance from your home
Generally, the distance between your home and the hospital bears no overall effect on birth outcomes, but you don’t want your hospital to be so far that you’re worried about traffic when Your Child is on the way. It’s better to pick a hospital that is close to home, especially in the case of a high-risk pregnancy.

Lactation support
While some mothers decide to breastfeed from the moment they know they are pregnant and take classes on lactation, others make the decision to breastfeed after the baby is born. For the latter, in house lactation support is essential to make the connection between mom and baby a bit less stressful.

Once you feel comfortable with a hospital and confident with your doctor, great, if not, don’t feel bad about looking for an alternative. Picking a special place to bring little Your Child to this world, makes sense. After all, this happens only once.