Hospital Tour

Last night was our last labor and birthing class at the hospital.  It's a 4-week series, but the last class is next Thursday and we'll be in Cleveland for my sister-in-law's wedding. 

Our class also included a tour of the Women's Pavilion and Birthplace at WakeMed Cary.  It is a very nice facility.  They have free, easy parking, which is great.  The pavilion itself was just completed in the past couple of years, so the facilities are very new.

They have a website where you can see the recently born babies.  Maybe this will be useful for some of you to check out some first pics of our tiny stars.

The labor and recovery room is very nice, with a gliding rocker and another recliner for Jason to hang out in.  They have televisions with VCRs and DVD players.  I can bring my laptop and they have free wireless (because I'll definitely be sending emails between contractions... right...).  The rooms also have jacuzzi tubs. 

They have a coach's lounge with food and drinks for Coach Jason.  We'll labor in the labor room until it's time to push (hopefully, if we're not having a c-section), and then they will move us to the operating room.  Even if the babies are delivered vaginally, it will happen in an OR in case they need to do an emergency c-section (especially if something goes wrong with our little girl, who should be born second).  After the delivery, they will take us all back to the labor room to recover for an hour or so, depending on how I'm doing.

If the babies are delivered via c-section, they may take them into the nursery for a little while.  If not, then they will keep them with us if we like.  We got to see the nursery last night.  We could see through the nursery into the NICU in the back, but we weren't allowed to go back there.  If our babies go there, we would be allowed back to see them, of course.  But the general public can't go into the NICU (or even into the hall to get a better look).  I'm hoping that we don't have any reason to be in there.

Then they'll move us to the postpartum room.  These rooms are very similar and also very nice.  They have a full-size pull-out sofa that Jason can sleep on.  We can have visitors between 11 AM and 8 PM only, but no children under 12 are allowed past the waiting room outside.

They said that we would stay 2 nights for a vaginal delivery and 3 nights for a c-section, typically.  Our insurance covers up to 5 nights for a c-section if we need it.  I'm not sure whether I'll be scared to go home or whether I'll be dying to go home.