touring the birthing center

Monday we finally got around to touring the birthing center at the hospital. They offer free tours the third Monday of every month, but we've been unable to make it there until now.

We don't have much to compare it to - since we obviously haven't done this before - but we liked what we saw! All the birthing rooms are private and include whirlpool tubs. They also have mobile fetal monitoring systems - so I'm free to be in or out of bed and moving around as I wish - and my OB can monitor the results in her office or even from home! The birthing center is up on the 6 floor (the top floor) and all the rooms have floor to ceiling windows, so there's a nice view - not that I'll be paying attention to that! But it's still a nice little perk.

The birthing center itself is fully locked and monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Everyone who comes in has to be let in my a nurse. They do not allow random people to come in to just to see the babies in the nursery. They do welcome any family that I want there though, and even have a beeper system so that family can move around the hospital (aka go down and get food!) and be alerted when delivery is near.

And they play a lullaby throughout the entire hospital every time a baby is born. How cute is that?