A birth center tour can alleviate many anxieties for expectant parents. It’s a great way to get to know the facility, meet some of the staff, and learn what to expect when it’s time to deliver your baby.
As a labor and delivery nurse and childbirth educator, I’ve seen how preparation helps pregnant patients and their birth partners feel more confident and in control of their birth experience. That’s why I encourage every expectant parent to tour their birth facility and ask any questions they may have.
When I conduct tours of Temple’s Labor and Delivery Units as part of our monthly childbirth preparation classes, I anticipate as much as possible what parents will want and need to know to prepare for their very special day. While every patient and pregnancy is unique, expectant parents often share some common concerns.
Here are the top five topics pregnant patients and their birth partners ask about — and why they matter.
1. Welcoming Loved Ones During Your Maternity Stay
My patients often want to know how many support persons can be present, both during labor and throughout their maternity stay, when friends and family members may want to meet your new arrival. Hospital visitation policies are designed to keep everyone safe, so it’s important to get up-to-date answers about visiting hours, the number of visitors allowed, and any guidelines they need to follow.
2. Exploring Your Pain Management Options
Ask what options are available — and when. Some pain management options, such as epidural anesthesia to numb the lower portions of the body, involve an anesthesiologist.
During Temple hospital tours and childbirth classes, I remind my patients that birth plans are never written in stone. Labor pain — and how you may choose to manage it — can change from moment to moment. At Temple, anesthesia teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And because they’re dedicated to maternity care, you won’t have to worry that they might be called to patients in other parts of the hospital. Other options for making labor more comfortable include both natural methods and pain-relief medications given via an IV (intravenous) line.
Your Temple team will explain the pros and cons of each option, but, as I tell my patients, this is your birth experience. Our goal is to help you have the best possible experience while ensuring you and your baby are safe and healthy.
3. Peace of Mind with Temple’s Level III NICU
It's rare that a newborn needs to go to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). But it’s common for patients to have concerns about the possibility that their child may need advanced care—and it’s important to know that your child will be in good hands.
Temple has a Level III NICU. It is staffed and equipped 24 hours a day to handle most critically ill newborn conditions.
My patients tell me it’s comforting to know that our NICU is just feet away so that if a baby is premature or critically ill, they won’t have to be moved to another hospital. Instead, our intensive care nursery allows more babies to stay closer to their parents.
4. Using Temple’s Free Wi-Fi to Share Special Moments with Loved Ones
It’s no surprise that many patients ask about this option. Not every family member can be there for the birth of your baby, but today’s technology can help to bridge the distance. Access to free Wi-Fi, which is provided at Temple, makes it easier to connect with loved ones via a video call from your device. If you want to log on to our Wi-Fi, we’ll help you get started.
5. Hospital Navigation Tips for a Smooth Arrival
Knowing where to park your car (or where to enter the hospital if it’s 2 a.m.) may not seem important when your due date is still months away. But planning for this type of detail ahead of time may mean less stress and anxiety when you do go into labor.
When I conduct tours at Temple, I walk expectant parents through the steps they’ll follow—showing them labor and delivery check-in, labor and delivery triage, our private, homelike birthing rooms, and other facilities—so they’ll know exactly where to go and what to expect on the big day.
Timing your maternity tour
When expectant parents ask me about the best time to plan their tour, I recommend scheduling one during the third trimester. That way, the information you learn from the tour will still be fresh in your mind when your baby arrives. Taking your tour toward the end of your pregnancy also ensures that your information stays up-to-date.
If you have a birth partner, bring them on the tour, too. Not only will they need to know what to expect during labor, but they may also learn useful information about cafeteria services, how and when they can enter and exit the maternity unit, and more.
Prepare for your childbirth experience
If you plan to have your baby at Temple, I encourage you to sign up for a free Prenatal Childbirth class. We offer one-day classes each month. They’re designed to help you prepare for labor and delivery. To register or learn more, call 215-707-3065.
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