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

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  A Dr. Brian C. Josephs, MD , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answered on behalf of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center

  

  Brian Josephs, MD, FACOG from Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center offers his advice on what to look for when selecting a hospital for giving birth in this video.
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  A Dr. Deborah Bowers, MD , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answered on behalf of Reston Hospital Center

  

  Deborah Bowers, MD from Reston Hospital Center discusses questions to ask when considering a hospital for birth. Watch this video to learn more.
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  A Dr. Romeo Acosta, MD , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answered on behalf of St. Petersburg General Hospital

  

  Learn the top five things to consider when choosing a hospital for giving birth. Watch this video with OB/GYN Romeo Acosta, MD from St. Petersburg General Hospital.
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  A Boston Women's Health Book Collective , Administration, answered

  

  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?

  

  Find out more about this book:

  Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth
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