Thursday, October 20, 2005
Hospital Comfort
Last week Shelly and I toured the Alexandria Hospital, where our baby will be born within the next couple of weeks. It was a good experience, and I'm glad we did it, although I don't see why we had to pay $10 to do it.
We and a group of other pregnant couples (due dates ranging from early November like us to April) were led through the hospital by one of the maternity ward nurses. We started with a movie, after which the nurse corrected the things it said that have fallen into disfavor with recent research (ie we don't wash the cord stump with alcohol anymore--we just leave it alone).
Our hospital is cool in that there's one room for labor, delivery, and recovery. You just plop yourself down right there as soon as you get to the hospital, and you don't leave till it's all over. I've never watched a birth before, but from movies and TV, you think of a white, sterile operating room as the place it's supposed to happen. This room looked more like a cheesy hotel room, with pinkish wallpaper and a floral border. Of course, there was a stand with sophisticated fetal monitoring and other equipment standing by, and I assume even I'll have to put on some sort of sanitary clothing. But it seemed downright homey. And that's cool.
The problem with the room is that although there's a flimsy hospital bed for the mom, the only thing there is for me to rest on is a small vinyl loveseat. It doesn't fold out, and it's certainly not long enough for a full-grown man to stretch out on. The nurse said as much herself ("I've seen a lot of men try out a lot of crazy contortions to try to get comfortable, but nothing seems to work."). She joked that this meant that dads aren't supposed to rest. We're supposed to be up and about, holding our wife's hand through the whole process.
But many if not most labors are really long. They can last 24 or 36 hours. You expect me not even to lie down for that long a period? And then be with-it enough to make major decisions should complications arise? Nuh-uh.
The best thing we took from the hospital tour was the knowledge that we need to bring an air mattress.
We and a group of other pregnant couples (due dates ranging from early November like us to April) were led through the hospital by one of the maternity ward nurses. We started with a movie, after which the nurse corrected the things it said that have fallen into disfavor with recent research (ie we don't wash the cord stump with alcohol anymore--we just leave it alone).
Our hospital is cool in that there's one room for labor, delivery, and recovery. You just plop yourself down right there as soon as you get to the hospital, and you don't leave till it's all over. I've never watched a birth before, but from movies and TV, you think of a white, sterile operating room as the place it's supposed to happen. This room looked more like a cheesy hotel room, with pinkish wallpaper and a floral border. Of course, there was a stand with sophisticated fetal monitoring and other equipment standing by, and I assume even I'll have to put on some sort of sanitary clothing. But it seemed downright homey. And that's cool.
The problem with the room is that although there's a flimsy hospital bed for the mom, the only thing there is for me to rest on is a small vinyl loveseat. It doesn't fold out, and it's certainly not long enough for a full-grown man to stretch out on. The nurse said as much herself ("I've seen a lot of men try out a lot of crazy contortions to try to get comfortable, but nothing seems to work."). She joked that this meant that dads aren't supposed to rest. We're supposed to be up and about, holding our wife's hand through the whole process.
But many if not most labors are really long. They can last 24 or 36 hours. You expect me not even to lie down for that long a period? And then be with-it enough to make major decisions should complications arise? Nuh-uh.
The best thing we took from the hospital tour was the knowledge that we need to bring an air mattress.
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