When I knew that I was delivering at a hospital, and where that would be, I immediately began Googling to see what people had experienced there...and I found nothing. That left a lot to the imagination for me, and ultimately, it made me a little worried. After all, I was going for a natural childbirth experience and I had heard horror stories about hospitals being unfriendly to the natural process.
So, I wanted to write a review of sorts, about my birth at Beebe Hospital. I want to say: both my husband and I felt it was a great experience and were very pleasantly surprised. I wanted to talk about our positive view of the care at Beebe because so often people talk about their negative experiences but not the positive ones. If you would like to read my birth story, you can read that by CLICKING HERE.
First of all, I think it's important to note that Beebe is a Baby Friendly hospital. The certification of "Baby Friendly" takes years to obtain and it centers on facilitating an environment that promotes breastfeeding and bonding between the baby and mother (and father, to a lesser extent.) So they do kangaroo care, which means that immediately following the birth (in the case of a vaginal delivery), the baby is laid on the mother's bare chest and allowed to bond for two hours.
The baby isn't bathed right away, not even weighed and measured, until this bonding time has taken place. I really enjoyed this because the last thing you want to do, as a mother, once you have birthed your child is to have them taken from your arms. Those two hours were like gold. They also allow the baby to go straight to the breast at a time when they are the most alert (babies are very alert in those two hours following the birth).
Also, Beebe does "rooming in," so the baby is never taken from the mother to a nursery or anything like that. The only time Ruby left my side in the hospital was when she went to get her hearing test and her daddy went with her to that. Along with those features, the Baby Friendly title meant that at no point would the staff offer or try to formula feed the baby--something that I read frequently that hospitals do. They have a fabulous lactation consultant on staff who was helpful during my stay and afterward when I had any questions about breastfeeding...or a meltdown, which I had when my milk came in.
These accommodations which come with the Baby Friendly title are amazing and make Beebe a great place for babies and mothers alike. But beyond that, I really found the staff quite friendly and accommodating. For instance, we declined some of the normal vaccinations, and they really didn't give us a hard time. (They did push the vitamin K shot, and we ended up getting that one.) One thing we really wanted to do was to give Ruby her first bath and they didn't even balk at our request. It was wonderful to be able to give her the first bath of her life.
In addition, they were VERY respectful of request to have a natural childbirth. Not once was I offered any pain medication. I was offered a sleeping pill at one point, which I declined, and they were respectful of that. I was even able to decline the routine IV. The nurses didn't hover over us, and neither did the midwives. It was the family birthing experience I was hoping for, and that meant so much to me. The nursing staff was also very kind to us. Many of them even came to check on us the next day and follow up to meet Ruby.
All in all, whether you are planning a natural delivery or not, if you are delivering at Beebe, you can feel confident that you are good hands. My advice for mothers delivering there would be to know what you want ahead of time, and be your own best advocate. If you are, the staff there will be receptive and you'll have a great experience. It's great to have a hospital that is focused on the bonding aspects of the birth process, and I felt pretty comfortable in the hospital environment (even if I couldn't wait to get home!)
Did you birth at Beebe? Please share some of your experience in the comments section below!
So, I wanted to write a review of sorts, about my birth at Beebe Hospital. I want to say: both my husband and I felt it was a great experience and were very pleasantly surprised. I wanted to talk about our positive view of the care at Beebe because so often people talk about their negative experiences but not the positive ones. If you would like to read my birth story, you can read that by CLICKING HERE.
First of all, I think it's important to note that Beebe is a Baby Friendly hospital. The certification of "Baby Friendly" takes years to obtain and it centers on facilitating an environment that promotes breastfeeding and bonding between the baby and mother (and father, to a lesser extent.) So they do kangaroo care, which means that immediately following the birth (in the case of a vaginal delivery), the baby is laid on the mother's bare chest and allowed to bond for two hours.
The baby isn't bathed right away, not even weighed and measured, until this bonding time has taken place. I really enjoyed this because the last thing you want to do, as a mother, once you have birthed your child is to have them taken from your arms. Those two hours were like gold. They also allow the baby to go straight to the breast at a time when they are the most alert (babies are very alert in those two hours following the birth).
Also, Beebe does "rooming in," so the baby is never taken from the mother to a nursery or anything like that. The only time Ruby left my side in the hospital was when she went to get her hearing test and her daddy went with her to that. Along with those features, the Baby Friendly title meant that at no point would the staff offer or try to formula feed the baby--something that I read frequently that hospitals do. They have a fabulous lactation consultant on staff who was helpful during my stay and afterward when I had any questions about breastfeeding...or a meltdown, which I had when my milk came in.
These accommodations which come with the Baby Friendly title are amazing and make Beebe a great place for babies and mothers alike. But beyond that, I really found the staff quite friendly and accommodating. For instance, we declined some of the normal vaccinations, and they really didn't give us a hard time. (They did push the vitamin K shot, and we ended up getting that one.) One thing we really wanted to do was to give Ruby her first bath and they didn't even balk at our request. It was wonderful to be able to give her the first bath of her life.
In addition, they were VERY respectful of request to have a natural childbirth. Not once was I offered any pain medication. I was offered a sleeping pill at one point, which I declined, and they were respectful of that. I was even able to decline the routine IV. The nurses didn't hover over us, and neither did the midwives. It was the family birthing experience I was hoping for, and that meant so much to me. The nursing staff was also very kind to us. Many of them even came to check on us the next day and follow up to meet Ruby.
All in all, whether you are planning a natural delivery or not, if you are delivering at Beebe, you can feel confident that you are good hands. My advice for mothers delivering there would be to know what you want ahead of time, and be your own best advocate. If you are, the staff there will be receptive and you'll have a great experience. It's great to have a hospital that is focused on the bonding aspects of the birth process, and I felt pretty comfortable in the hospital environment (even if I couldn't wait to get home!)
Did you birth at Beebe? Please share some of your experience in the comments section below!
Thank you for sharing your positive experience at Beebe Hospital! It's refreshing to hear about a hospital that supports natural childbirth and prioritizes the crucial moments of bonding.
ReplyDeleteDriving Without A License In New Jersey