Picking the Delivery Venue
Every woman has the right to choose where and how to give birth – birth at a medical center or birth at home, birth under epidural anesthesia, birth in water or birth at a nature birth center in a hospital. If you have decided to give birth at a medical center, there are a range of options available to you and hospitals make efforts to ensure that mothers choose them for childbirth. It is important for you to know that every woman giving birth has a right to choose where to do so, regardless of where she lives or the HMO she belongs to.
How to choose a medical center to give birth
Everyone has issues that are important to her in relation to childbirth that will influence her choice of where to give birth. If you are preparing a birth plan, you should add these issues to it too. When you start finding out about a medical center you may want to come too, you should consider a few questions and issues, some of which are technical (such as the hospital’s location), some dealing with the options available in the delivery room and some relating to the stay in the obstetrics department after delivery.
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1Geographic location
Would you prefer to give birth close to home? Close to your parents’ home?
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2Childbirth preparation course
There are hospitals in which you can take a childbirth preparation course for free if you choose to give birth there.
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3Labor room
When the delivery rooms are busy, is there a labor room or interim department at the medical center? What accessories and options are available to you at the medical center for coping with the pain of labor?
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4Delivery room
Is the delivery room spacy? Does every room have private shower or bath? Is there wireless fetal monitoring? Is there a place for the companion to stay in?
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5Companions
How many companions can be with you at the same time in the delivery room?
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6Delivery room team
How many mothers does a midwife attend to at once?
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7Birth plan
Try to find out how the delivery room staff treats a birth plan at the moment of truth.
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8Coping with pain in the delivery room
Which pain relief means are available besides epidural anesthesia? Are there supporting accessories – such as a physio ball, wireless monitor or option for intermittent fetal monitoring? Does the midwife offer optional support? Are there alternative medicine therapists and are they available 24 hours a day? Does every room have laughing gas? Is there an option for pain medication in the delivery room? How available is an anesthesiologist? Is there apical (epidural anesthesia that permits walking) available?
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9Natural birth
Is there a “natural birth center” at the medical center? Is there an option for water birth? What are the conditions for such births? Are there midwives especially trained to work at a natural birth center? And if these options are not available, to what extent does the staff help and support natural birth in the delivery rooms?
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10Eating and drinking during childbirth
Is it possible to eat and drink during birth or are there any limitations to doing so?
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11Cesarean section
If you are supposed to give birth by scheduled cesarean section, it is a good idea to find out about the procedure from the admission to recovery stage, to get guidance before the operation and find out about options for zero separation (i.e., the newborn child stays by you at all times). Can a companion be admitted to the operating room? Where is the recovery room? Is there a “friendly c-section”?
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12Zero separation in the delivery room
Do they allow for zero separation? In what conditions is this not an option?
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13Breastfeeding
Does the delivery room team support breastfeeding and help you with it immediately after birth? Is there lactation counseling available during the hospital stay?
What you should know about the maternity ward
Besides the existing options in the delivery room, it is worth checking the conditions of the obstetrics department where you will be staying after delivery.
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Inpatient conditions
It is worth checking in advance how many mothers stay in each room, whether each room has a shower and toilet, what the visiting hours in the department are, whether a partner can stay with you at night, whether there is instructing in the department, whether a nutritional solution is provided for you (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, kosher types, etc.).
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Zero separation in the maternity ward
Does the maternity ward support zero separation? Is there a “zero separation department”? Is there flexibility in this regard and can you change your choice on zero separation? In what cases would you not be able to choose zero separation?
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Neonatology department
Is the neonatology department near the maternity ward?
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Maternity hotel
Is there an option for a maternity hotel after delivery? What is the cost? What are the conditions to moving to a maternity hotel? How many days can you stay in it for and how many guests can stay with you in the hotel?
Special situations
- Specializing in irregular situations: if you know in advance that your delivery needs special attention because it is defined as a high risk birth or the pregnancy is defined as a high risk pregnancy or the fetus may be born with a need for special attention owing to complications in a previous birth – it is important to choose a medical center that has a professional solution for this specific state. It is a good idea to consult your gynecologist during your pregnancy on choosing a suitable medical center.
- Attention to previous trauma: if you have had previous traumatic childbirth, or another traumatic experience that could influence the birth, or you have fear of childbirth or another medical condition warranting attention, you should contact the medical center before the upcoming birth to find out whether it provides support and a solution of the type relevant to you.
Gathering of information about the delivery room and maternity ward
Information is abundant today, and sometimes there is too much. How can you gather the information that you need to choose the place that is right for you?
- Visiting delivery rooms: most medical centers host visits to their delivery rooms. It is worth joining such a visit at medical centers that interest you. The visits are free of charge but require advance registration.
The visit will usually be held by a delivery room midwife, during which she will show the delivery room, will answer any questions that visitors may ask, and she will take the group through the delivery rooms, neonatology department and obstetrics department. It’s worth asking any question that interests you during the tour. - Recommendations and personal stories: you can hear birth stories from other mothers and learn about the experience that suits you the most, but it’s important to remember that childbirth is a subjective experience. Because the experience differs between women and births, it’s difficult to get a whole picture from personal stories.
- Delivery room website: usually, medical centers have a website containing detailed information about delivery rooms, procedures for birth options and more.
Home birth
If you choose to give birth at home, it is important for a qualified midwife with a license to provide you support during the delivery to make sure it goes as safely as possible. The Ministry of Health has criteria for home birth, and it’s worth learning about the subject in advance and making the necessary preparations.