What you need to know about hospital births

According to the American Association of birth centers, 98.8% of births take place in hospital labor and delivery units, which is expected seeing that at home births have lost their popularity after the arrival of modern medicine. Due to lack of knowledge, at home births are commonly associated with danger and extreme pain, while hospital births offer a semi painless birthing experience (which isn’t always the case). Being able to request medication as well as having constant medical attention brings a sense of security to the mother as well as the family. If you want to learn more about at home births you’re in luck just scroll down to my next blog post J. For now I want to focus on how hospital births work in case you are thinking about taking that route. In my opinion choosing to deliver in a hospital is less complicated simply because hospitals have a procedure that they follow therefore making a lot of the decisions compared to an at home births. This can easily be a downfall because you are not as involved in your delivery experience, and it can often seem like you are on the hospitals schedule rather than your own.

Percentage of births occurring in and out of hospitals according to the CDC

            Once you find out that you are pregnant it is important that you make an appointment with your obstetrician who will most likely want to see you once you hit the 8-week mark. A good tip is to find a doctor who you like and trust because throughout your pregnancy you will have about 10-15 appointments with him/her so it wouldn't hurt to have a good relationship with them. The main purpose for these appointments is for the doctor to monitor your pregnancy and to make sure both mommy and baby are healthy. These appointments are also a great time for you and your partner to ask any questions concerning your pregnancy like what you can and can't eat or whether or not it is safe to take that trip you had been planning. Just remember every pregnancy is different so do not be afraid to ask those silly questions. It is not until the 7-8 month mark that you have to start worrying about hospital arrangements. By then you should have already taken a tour of the hospital to see whether you would feel comfortable delivering your baby there and if it meets all your requirements. When making arrangements you have to make sure to be clear on that specific hospitals procedure. If you have insurance they will more often than not cover the costs from your hospital stay and delivery fees. One last thing to keep in mind is that the doctor you might have been seeing throughout your whole pregnancy is not always the one who will deliver your baby. You are assigned whichever doctor is on duty at the time your body is ready to give birth. If you are very anxious, which a lot of first time moms to be are, you might want to print out a checklist of things that are suggested you do before baby arrives. This can be helpful in giving you some ideas about the kinds of things you should be looking forward to. Along with all the excitement don't forget to do your research! There are so many options and choices you have to make while being pregnant, but the most important thing is to feel comfortable with the decisions that you make.   

Links used:
http://www.birthcenters.org/research

http://www.babycenter.com/0_what-to-expect-at-your-prenatal-visits_9252.bc

http://www.babycenter.com/pregnant-now-what

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/holistic-pregnancy-childbirth/how-has-childbirth-changed-century

Picture Links:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144_fig4.png

http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2012/07/pregnant-woman-at-the-hospital.jpg