Question to ask during hospital tour

[Anonymous]

Reiter Hill patient here. Thanks for all the great questions and things to consider. If I end up with Inova, I would switch practices -- which is really the only reason I even toured Sibley, because switching at this point would be a pain. I don't know what kind of birth I will have -- I'm hoping for a c-section but I know it's not PC to ask for one, so I'm just waiting to see what happens. When I'm further along I might just mention to my doctor (whoever that is by then) that I wouldn't be adverse to a c-section, but I'll defer to his/her judgment. If not a c-section I intend to request an epidural the second I get to the hospital, so I'm not so concerned about certain hospitals (like Fairfax and Sibley, from what I hear) being unsupportive of natural births. I live in Merrifield, so Inova Fairfax is about 3 minutes from my house, whereas Sibley is 45 minutes and Fair Oaks is 20-25 minutes, so I'm leaning towards Fairfax without having been there yet -- but I want to be sure I ask all the right questions rather than just defaulting there because it's close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reiter Hill patient here. Thanks for all the great questions and things to consider. If I end up with Inova, I would switch practices -- which is really the only reason I even toured Sibley, because switching at this point would be a pain. I don't know what kind of birth I will have -- I'm hoping for a c-section but I know it's not PC to ask for one, so I'm just waiting to see what happens. When I'm further along I might just mention to my doctor (whoever that is by then) that I wouldn't be adverse to a c-section, but I'll defer to his/her judgment. If not a c-section I intend to request an epidural the second I get to the hospital, so I'm not so concerned about certain hospitals (like Fairfax and Sibley, from what I hear) being unsupportive of natural births. I live in Merrifield, so Inova Fairfax is about 3 minutes from my house, whereas Sibley is 45 minutes and Fair Oaks is 20-25 minutes, so I'm leaning towards Fairfax without having been there yet -- but I want to be sure I ask all the right questions rather than just defaulting there because it's close.

From personal experience and doing some reading online, it appears that many hospital policies/guidelines are more up to each individual OB rather than the hospital itself, ie the OB can override the rules. So for things like when you can have the epidural, you should discuss with your OB when you get closer to your due date. My doctor for example said that his general rule is you have to be 4 cm and/or in active labor, but I was able to get it when I was only 1 cm (but I had been on pitocin for several hours without any progress, and my OB had thought, correctly, that the epi would help me relax and make progress. Once I got it, I went from 1 to 5 in less than an hour). But of course, if your doctor is willing to perform a primary c-section, many of these rules won't be relevant to you.

[Anonymous]

"From personal experience and doing some reading online, it appears that many hospital policies/guidelines are more up to each individual OB rather than the hospital itself, ie the OB can override the rules. So for things like when you can have the epidural, you should discuss with your OB when you get closer to your due date."

I agree but its still important to ask the questions to get a feel for where the friction might lay. At GT my ob told me that rooming in was completely supported. On the tour, someone asked and one of the post partum nurses said that the baby should go to the nursery. This set off red flags so I called hospital admin and asked the OB again who both confirmed hospital policy was to support rooming in. Now, when I got to post partum in the evening sure enough a nurse tried to say that the baby should go to the nursery and I simply said no.
It sucks but often hospital staff (nurses and doctors) follow more what they want you to do and you simply have to stick to your guns.

Two docs at GT allow clear fluids during natural labor. Mine was one of them but sure enough the nurse tried to tell me it was never allowed.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I delivered at Sibley last March and didn't find them nearly as restrictive as the 13:49 poster did. They knew from the get-go that I was trying for a natural birth, therefore, instead of hooking me up permanently to an IV, they inserted a heplock which allows them to have access to your veins if necessary, but you don't need to be hooked up full-time. I brought my birthing ball, and I was able to get up and walk (when the pain allowed me to), and I was able to drink water (though not eat). In the end, I ended up with an emergency C-section, and no one seemed to have a problem with the fact that I had been drinking water right up until the moment I went in for the delivery. Furthermore, I found that the L&D nurse (Lil was her name) was FANTASTIC about helping my husband and me try to achieve the natural birth (sadly, my DD did not cooperate!). In any case, while I wouldn't necessarily rave about Sibley (some of the night nurses were a little scary), I do think that you can get up and walk and that you will be able to drink. I was really worried about not being able to eat during labor (thought I wouldn't have enough energy) but the LAST thing you are thinking about during labor is "man i really wish i had a hamburger right now." Good luck!