did my hospital tour!

[Nerdy]

Originally was meant to go on Sept 29th, but wound up napping and waking up a half hour after it was meant to start and went "GAH!" and pouted. Immediately booked their next available tour date as they only tour twice a month, and made sure we went last night. So much love! Very small unit, only 14 post partum suites and those suites are HUGE. We were only able to see an L & D room as every single one of the PP suites were taken. Good news? The L & D suites are the exact same as the PP suites, just the PP suits have a hospital bed instead of a birthing bed. LOVE the awesome convertible table/couch/beds they have for your stay over person. Every husband was groaning about those old convertible couches and making jokes about needing blow up mattresses and sleeping bags until they tried the new ones out. Super spiffy. Of course my husband can sleep anywhere after spending 14 years in a rack thanks to the US Navy

They also now have TWO C-Section rooms which makes life so much easier, AND they offer in room post partum massage!!!! YAY!!!! Of course they have Mom365 and a quiet hour and and and... Over all? Very happy!

Really excited. March needs to be here soon.

 

[Indi84]

Haha wow, sounds lovely and very different to the UK hospital I'm going too!
Mine is a very good one but l&d rooms are just rooms with a bed and medical equipment and the ward sleeps 6/8 ladies and babies (can't remember which) curtains separate us all. There were two private rooms with a sink in. I'm glad for the nhs, but do love the sound of where you are!

 

[winterbabies3]

Sounds great!! Glad you got in sooner than later=)

 

[MichCuc]

That sounds really lovely! A good hospital tour does wonders for impending labor. With my daughter I was actually excited to give birth after my tour at 37 weeks. I had a great l&d and look forward to this one too! I'm due in March also

 

[sk1ttle]

Ours is mainly shared rooms-which I don't mind but partner can't stay after wards in a shared room so that will suck. Your place sounds amazing!

 

[Nerdy]

Private rooms seem to be a big deal and very standard here in the States and more hospitals are redoing the maternity wards to accompany that "demand". When I had my son in Arizona, the rooms were smaller, but adorable and quaint. Everyone has their own private bath, and that's the same at the new hospital. Mom365 was an option at the other hospital as well, and we took advantage of it and plan on doing that here because the photos are INCREDIBLE!

Super happy I got in when I did, and I was actully very surprised to see such a large group of women. I wasn't all that amazed that I was the youngest by way of gestational age, but I'm an early planner and like to know what I'm doing in case I need to shift gears and check into other options.

 

[Eleonora]

ha! I'm the one who must be in outer space considering how far away my first hospital experience was: Shared bathroom down the hallway....light didn't work in one of them. Door and sink too close together to open wide enough to let a pregnant woman in without lifting tummy over sink. Mosquitos everywhere. Loud call bell ringing all night at irregular intervals. Rooms with up to 6 women, not even a curtain. No overnight visitors unless you had a c-section. You had to bring your own cup and silverware. No tv or wifi or anything like that. Mandatory three night stay. People off the street selling things during visiting hours. No kidding. I hear they've renovated since then.

 

[Disneymom1129]

I'm excited to do my hospital tour too! Although they won't let you reserve a tour until you are after 30 weeks. So I've gotta wait until December or later. Either way I'm excited, it definitely helps it feel more real!

 

[Nerdy]

I'm excited to do my hospital tour too! Although they won't let you reserve a tour until you are after 30 weeks. So I've gotta wait until December or later. Either way I'm excited, it definitely helps it feel more real!

We can't pre-register for OB services until a minimum of 26 weeks, but time is seriously flying by. They'll let alone who registers for a tour go on through, same with their parenting/birthing/cpr/lactation classes.

Can't wait for you to go on yours!!!!!

 

[Nerdy]

ha! I'm the one who must be in outer space considering how far away my first hospital experience was: Shared bathroom down the hallway....light didn't work in one of them. Door and sink too close together to open wide enough to let a pregnant woman in without lifting tummy over sink. Mosquitos everywhere. Loud call bell ringing all night at irregular intervals. Rooms with up to 6 women, not even a curtain. No overnight visitors unless you had a c-section. You had to bring your own cup and silverware. No tv or wifi or anything like that. Mandatory three night stay. People off the street selling things during visiting hours. No kidding. I hear they've renovated since then.

Wooooow. That sounded like a REAL special experience! That doesn't sound quite legal, at least by standards here. Hopefully they've really renovated and updated policies!

 

[Eleonora]

The actual labor and delivery areas were very modern, it was just the ward with all the moms and babies that was so shocking. And zero security. I called it the "factory of pain" partly because they did totally unnecessary things like giving us pitocin shots everyday after the birth for no clear reason. They also wouldn't give me a second ice pack when my first melted, saying the swelling wasn't that bad. No other pain relief offered. Is that normal? Now, apparently, they have all rooms for 2 with a spacious private bathroom presumably with working lights so a thousand times better. I will still have to bring my own spoon and fork and knife though! (But of course, here in Italy you also walk out of the hospital without paying a cent so I can't complain too much). I like hearing stories of women in the UK who leave the hospital the same day and stop at the supermarket on the way home.

 

[Nerdy]

The actual labor and delivery areas were very modern, it was just the ward with all the moms and babies that was so shocking. And zero security. I called it the "factory of pain" partly because they did totally unnecessary things like giving us pitocin shots everyday after the birth for no clear reason. They also wouldn't give me a second ice pack when my first melted, saying the swelling wasn't that bad. No other pain relief offered. Is that normal? Now, apparently, they have all rooms for 2 with a spacious private bathroom presumably with working lights so a thousand times better. I will still have to bring my own spoon and fork and knife though! (But of course, here in Italy you also walk out of the hospital without paying a cent so I can't complain too much). I like hearing stories of women in the UK who leave the hospital the same day and stop at the supermarket on the way home.

YIKES!!!!! That's so not normal!!!! But... You get to live in Italy so maybe it all balances out? Heard the same about women in the UK and find that totally crazy as well seeing as recovery does take time and I'd so much rather be under the eye of a physician! Here's hoping they're super awesome for you this go around. Do they allow for tours at all? You may want to bring citronella candles and mosquito netting this time