Yesterday Kevin and I took a tour of the St. Luke's Hospital in the Medical Center. All and all the tour went really well and it makes me feel better to know what to expect if we need to head into the hospital in a hurry. They do the tours weekly and there were about 20 couples there for the tour. Seeing all the couples made me realize parents come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds. It was really interesting to see. St. Lukes has a large number of patients that prefer to use midwives as opposed to an OB/GYN to deliver their babies. Many of them are very into the "natural" childbirthing process, so a large part of the tour showed the natural delivery rooms that use rocking chairs, a stability ball, music, and a jacuzzi to help with the labor process. Even if I was planning to give natural birth, I would take the epidural!
The tour started on the 3rd floor, which is the Labor and Delivery area. For the C-section, you check-in and then are taken to the triage room to be prep'd for surgery. We got to see the operating room and recovery area. They said normally c-section patients spend about 2 hours in the recovery area and they will bring the baby to you if you can ask for the baby two times. I guess they want you to be alert enough to realize what is going on. Most patients stay awake for the scheduled c-section, which we hope is the case for us. Kevin will be able to be with me through the whole procedure, too. So, all and all, it could be a lot worse.
Once your recover, you head upstairs to the 25th floor to the post-partum area. This area is very friendly. They encourage all newborns that are healthy to stay with their mom's. They can even treat for jaundice in your room. Also, the pediatrician visit, which occurs within 24 hours of delivery, takes place in your room. They said the baby will be taken to the nursery for the circumcision, but other than that, he will be with us (assuming he is OK on his own). The head nurse came out and spoke to us. She said the rooms at St. Luke's aren't as "posh" as some of the other hospitals in the Med Center, but all the nurses have a minimum of 5 years of experience, with many of them having been there for 15-30 years. She stressed that patients come there for the care, which is exactly what our doctor had told us during our first appointment with her.
If the baby has a "rocky start" as the nurse put it, the hospital has a satellite device that allows you to watch your baby in the NICU 24/7. Of course this isn't our preference, but it is nice to know they do everything they can to help you feel connected to the baby. You can also talk to the nurse watching the baby in the NICU via satellite. All babies that need NICU treatment are taken to Texas Children's Hospital, which is connected to St. Luke's via a sky way.
Another thing I found amazing was the security required to protect the babies. All the babies are required to wear these bracelets that have a device on them that will sound an alarm if they get too close to the exits. They take security very seriously because of some recent unfortunate events where babies have been stolen from hospital nurseries.
It is hard to believe our little one will be here in a few short months. Some days it doesn't seem "real" but on days like today where he is constantly flipping and turning, kicking and punching, I start getting really excited. Kevin keeps telling me he thinks our boy will be VERY active. I don't have much to compare him to since I haven't felt a baby move inside me before, but this baby does seem to LOVE to move around. I love the movements, though. It gives me such comfort to know he is growing and thriving!
