came back from NSUH Manhasset tour today for those birthing there...

the labor, birth and recovery rooms are small and the old ones. i was told you're in recovery for about an hour there and then go to the newly renovated postpartum rooms which are really nice but on the small side (i'm comparing with my friends who have a spa and huge l&d rooms in spa like hospitals out in arizona/cali haha). the new rooms have a fridge, dining menu, marble bathrooms and even nice sheets on the beds. i wish they'd use the new rooms for labor, birthing and recovery too! haha there are apparently talks of renovating the old l&d rooms.

i also asked a nurse about rumors about women laboring in the hallways because rooms were full. what i was told was it really depends on the day. it's not that the hospital overbooked their rooms but women who come into the hospital in late labor, never pre-registered but want to use the nicer facilities of NSUH and just plan it that way. that is, because these women plan to come in late in labor deliberately, the hospital have to accept them as patients and can't turn them away. apparently, some women trek all the way from the city just so they can deliver at NSUH! when i went today though, there were a lot of empty rooms. when i passed by the nursery, there were no babies inside! the nurse said that all the babies with the mom and the hospital is promoting that the baby be with mom as much as possible.

for those looking to birth naturally, it's a challenge. the nurses said that no birthing balls are allowed, no food or drink once admitted, mandatory IV and continuous fetal monitoring unless your ob allows for intermittent monitoring. the epidural looks like it's also highly promoted and used... you might want to prepare yourselves for more intervention (pitocin, cervadil) if you're admitted too early in labor and not dilated enough or progressing fast enough unless you really speak up. so overall, it seems like the best thing to do if you want natural birth is to labor as long as possible at home before getting admitted. also pre-register with the hospital's pre-registration packet so that you don't have to break your concentration during labor to fill out registration forms.

hope that was informative!

Message edited 11/19/2011 7:16:21 PM.

Re: came back from NSUH Manhasset tour today for those birthing there...

Bump for weekday day crowd

Re: came back from NSUH Manhasset tour today for those birthing there...

Very informative! Thank you.

And I can't believe hospitals in CA and AZ have spa like rooms. How amazing is that!

Re: came back from NSUH Manhasset tour today for those birthing there...

Posted by Loveme

Very informative! Thank you.

And I can't believe hospitals in CA and AZ have spa like rooms. How amazing is that!