Choosing the right maternity hospital
Going on a tour of the maternity ward can be both scary and exciting for expectant parents. While visiting the ward, take notice of how you feel in the ward. If you are uncomfortable in any way, then that is not the right hospital for you.
When it comes to choosing a hospital to give birth in, it is important to base your decision after being well-informed as to what each hospital offers.
What to take into consideration
• Medical aid. If you are not able to pay cash or a portion for the hospital bills then you will need to choose a hospital your medical aid will pay for. Medical aids normally have a network of hospitals. This does give you a few choices of which hospitals you can use.
• Distance from your home. Although the distance between your home and the hospital will not affect the birth at all, you don’t want your hospital to be so far that you’re worrying about traffic when baby is on the way.
• Partner accommodation. Some private hospitals offer the opportunity for partners to stay overnight. So, if you’d prefer your partner to stay with you, this is a question you might want to ask.
• Where will the baby be? Find out if there is any reason why your baby will be taken out of your room without you, or if you will be separated at any point. It’s so important to be as close to your baby as possible during this crucial bonding period.
• Breastfeeding. As a new mother you’ll likely be craving that skin-to-skin contact with your baby and want to start breastfeeding as soon as possible. Find out if there are lactation consultants available to coach you through this process.
• Visiting hours. You’ll likely want to know visiting hours to pass on to any friends and family. Make sure you’re ready for visitors in your own time and don’t feel obligated to pack visitors into every minute.
There are lots of things to remember and since getting your questions answered is the whole point of taking a maternity ward tour, planning out your questions beforehand is definitely a good idea.
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