Preparing for Your Hospital Stay During Delivery

The delivery of your baby is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even if you've had a baby before, giving birth to another baby probably will be very different. So to make it the best experience possible, plan now for your hospital stay.

In recent years, hospital stays for routine, vaginal deliveries have gotten shorter and shorter. Now, unless you have complications, you will likely be in the hospital for only 24 to 48 hours following a vaginal delivery. While this may seem like a very short time, there are several things you can do to make the most of your brief stay. The following are things that should be considered:

1. Where to have the baby?

By your last month of pregnancy you should know where you plan to deliver the baby. Of course, the decision will likely be affected by your insurance coverage and by whether or not your health-care provider anticipates a complicated delivery. Your options include a hospital, a freestanding birthing center, or your home. Most deliveries are done in a hospital, but you should choose one that you are comfortable with.

2. Who will be in the delivery area?

Some-but not all-health-care providers are open to your having people in the delivery room besides dad or another labor coach. If you wish to have any other special friends or relatives witness the delivery, clear it with your health-care provider ahead of time.

3. Who will cut the umbilical cord?

Sometimes dad does this as a way to share in the delivery, while others have no desire to do it. Discuss it ahead of time with your spouse and your health-care provider.

4. Should you breastfeed your baby?

Because it's much easier to establish a successful breast-feeding routine if you begin early in your baby's life, consider ahead of time whether you plan to breastfeed or bottle feed your baby. As you may know, the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that mother's milk should be the primary source of nourishment for the first year of life. However, if you choose to use formula, feel confident that an iron-fortified infant formula is your next best choice and is a complete source of nutrition for your baby.

Although hospital stays are shorter today than before, a number of important things still must occur before you leave the hospital. Medical staff will assure that your condition is stable and that your baby is progressing as expected. It's also a good idea, if you're breast-feeding, to meet with the lactation consultant and to discuss how you can reach her once you're at home.

If you have all these decisions made prior to heading for the hospital, it will make things easier for you, and will let you focus on more important things, like the delivery of your new addition!