What questions should I ask when selecting a hospital for giving birth?

If you are considering giving birth in a particular hospital, look at its website and/or go on a tour to find answers to these questions:

• What kind of anesthesiology and pediatric coverage does the hospital offer?
• Does it have a blood bank available?
• What is its registered-nurse-to-patient ratio? What is it in active labor?
• What percentage of births at the hospital are cesarean deliveries?
• What percentage of women who are admitted for VBAC deliver vaginally?
• What are the routine policies for laboring women?
• How does the hospital deal with requests for non-routine practices?
• What percentage of women has an epidural for labor?
• Are showers, tubs or whirlpool baths available for laboring women?
• Can I labor, give birth and recover in the same room?
• Are there restrictions on the number of people allowed in the labor and delivery room at once?
• Under what circumstances would I be separated from my companions?
• What is the rooming-in policy for babies, and under what circumstances would my baby be separated from me?
• What are the routine newborn care policies?
• Does the hospital mandate certain shots for all newborns?
• What if I do not want my child to have those shots?
• What assistance is available for breast- feeding mothers?
• Is this hospital certified as "Baby-Friendly"?
• Are private or semiprivate rooms available?
• Is there an additional charge for those rooms?