What to ask at my hospital appointment

[LimeSlice]

I'm off to a hospital appointment next week, at 15 1/2 weeks, and I'm making a list of questions I'm planning to ask, compiled from a few sites I've come across and my own feelings/worries. Anyone have more I can add to this? Feel free to take my list and use it, critique, etc...

• About my Prenatal Care
• When can I take a tour of the facility?
• How long overdue will you allow me to go before inducing me?
  Don't ask them - tell them how you want to give birth if you go over.
• If I am not happy with my care, how do I go about changing hospitals?
  
  About the Birth/Labour
• Do you support my choices in my birth preferences?
• If no, which are okay and which aren?t?
• When a mother arrives in labour what standard procedures are done?
• Do you have a squat bar or birthing chair?
• Do you have facilities for waterbirth, or warm water as pain relief?
• Is there a place for my husband to lie down or sleep somewhere during labor if he wants to?
• Are there ?time limits? on labour, as in some hospitals?}
• Do you allow food and drink during labour? }
• Do I have a choice of positions? What labouring positions are recommended? }
  Again you make this decision and tell them how you want to give birth - do not ask their permission.
• Is there a limit of how many people are allowed in the room?
• What is the policy if my baby is breech? Will you wait for him/her to turn around on his/her own?
  
  About my Post-birth Care/Stay
• How long do women usually stay in the hospital after birth?
• Is there a minimum/maximum?
• Can my husband spend the night in my room if he wishes to?
• When can family and guests visit me?
• Can immediate family (husband, my parents and siblings) visit out-of-hours?
• Is there an age limit on visitors?
• Can I breastfeed immediately after birth?
  This will depend on your birth but again you need to be clear with them that you want to attempt feeding immediately, do breast crawl, skin to skin etc
• If I end up needing a Caesarean and nothing is wrong afterwards, will the baby be placed with me while things are being "finished off"?
• Will the baby be staying with me all the time?
• Will I be sharing a room with another mother?
• How do you decide who shares with whom?

That is a fabulous list!! Well done

Just remember that you will need to be clear in your own mind of your own birth plan and preferences. Asking them their views on things will give the hospital the upper hand. If you want to feed straight away you demand it to be put into your file and make it known to staff when you go in when in labour, etc.
Take the time to discuss your own birth plan with them and how they will fit that in with their own policies
Many of your qustions will depend on circumstances at the time (ie rooming arrangements)

Ask about continuity of care through out labour - ie will you have the same midwife(ves) attending your labour consistently or whomever can get into your room.
You may also like to ask questions about the Hep B and Vit K shots given at birth - they will ask you to sign permission forms for these for your file - if you have questions or want to take some time to research these medications, take it - you do not have to sign straight away so ask them as many questions as you wish.

You may also like to ask them about nappies - some hospitals use cloth on newborns, any disposibles need to be provided by you, and vice versa.
I had heard of a hospital that made you bring in your own food when on the ward after birth so ask about that too

HTH

[Fleur]

I was going to say the same as Limeslice - some of those questions are better off worded differently IMO.
You will find that you will get more of what you want if you show that you are informed & strong in your wishes & decisions.
(You can let them know that you understand that things don't always go to plan but your birth preferences are just that- this is the way I wish to do it if possible.)
You could also ask that any decisions to the contrary be discussed with you fully although that's probably more of a birth plan thing - still I would gauge their reaction to it perhaps.
Also you don't have to get it all out in one appt (although maybe a good idea if changing hopitals is an option) - you might find that they will give you a heap of leaflets & refer you back to that - so be prepared to re-visit some of your questions next appt

It's a great list

[Daytona's Mummy]

Great list TeniBear, You've obviously put alot of thought into it!
I was just wondering though, when I've been at my appointments, I've really only had time to ask a handful, so have had to spread them out over a few appointments... Will you have time to ask them all? if not, maybe work out half a dozen or so that you really want answered for each appointment (hard I know cause they're all very important)... OR, wouldn't all/most of these questions be covered in your hospital run pre-natal classes? (is that what they're called?) and you usually get a tour with the class.
Definately ask the question about changing hospitals at this appointment though if you don't want to go there, otherwise, if you manage to change hospitals, you may have to ask the same questions over again.
HTH and Good luck with your pregnancy and precious reward at the end!!
Oh and make sure they give you your list for what to pack for your stay and labour, but they will proberbly give you some kind of info pack/ book that should tell you this and some of your above q's.

[HollyC]

I was just reading your list and thinking that most of those things were covered in the antenatal class I did at my hospital. We spent a day at the hospital with one of the midwives and did a tour of the ward and got lots of info. Does the hospital offer something like this?

I'm not sure if you will be seeing a doctor or a midwife at your appointment, but a lot of these questions would be better answered by a midwife who will be there for labour and recovery, rather than just to catch as some doctors are.

Also, there is a lot to cover here, so might be too much for one appointment and they might rush through. Very important that you are satisfied with the answers you receive.

Great questions, but maybe you could be a bit more assertive. Rather than asking what they will let you do, tell them what you want.

Good luck.

[TeniBear]

I've no idea what kind of things the hospital offers, I can't really find much information on it... I know I won't actually "ask" these questions (I'm hopeless face-to-face) but I'm going to hand over the list of questions and they can answer what they can there and I'll find out when they can get answered.

I really don't want to give birth there, so I'm looking for any way I can get out of that. That's why I want to ask so many questions about their policies etc., so I can do so and give good reason. but if they surprise me and they are able to do things "my way" then maybe I'll change my mind.

Grrr... this all comes back to me not knowing what to expect. I really need someone to hold my hand through this whole thing, to tell me what's meant to happen. What's going to happen. I'm SICK of being in the dark!

[Fleur]

Why don't you want to give birth there? Is there a reason, like have you heard they are not supportive of something in particular? Or is it just a preference?

WRT telling you what will happen...I'm not sure if you mean with the basic admissions etc or with your labour? I didn't go through all the info with my hossie until about 16-18 weeks I think, which was when I found out average length of stay, what I needed to bring etc.
If you are wanting to know what will happen during the labour, they will probably tell you that they can't tell you until it happens - every labour is different & there is no way of knowing ahead of time what exactly will happen. You have to be prepared to a certain extent to go with the flow.

It is good though to ask questions such as standard procedures when you arrive in labour, the availability of water for pain relief, how they will handle certian situations - it might give you a better idea of what to expect from them in that situation and whether they are likely to support your choices when you do make them. The way they answer your questions will probably give you an idea of what they are like, too.
So you might not get exact answers as to 'what will happen' but you should be able to get answers as to 'what will happen IF'..., and an idea of their overall 'feel' if that makes sense.

Don't be afraid to ask questions! There is nothing at all wrong with that! If it's easier, maybe break them up a bit so you don't have to get through them all in one go. You could ask the questions that really matter first & when you have made your decision then go through the rest later.

I hope it all goes well for you & you get some answers & things become a bit clearer for you

[TeniBear]

No, I don't mean during labour, I mean before all that. What's meant to be happening now, and the next 25 or so weeks...

It is more a preference thing, I want to have my baby at the best hospital I can get. I don't want to be shafted to another hospital just because they don't foresee any problems and I currently live closer to it. Almost makes me wish I was high risk, and it makes me so sad to say that. Isn't it enough that I'm a first-time mum and I'm scared? And how the hell do they know I'm not high-risk? They haven't even checked! How do they tell?

I don't know anything about the care at the Northern, whereas I've heard so many wonderful and supportive things about the Mercy and the Royal Women's. I don't have anything telling me the Northern is "good enough." I know it's not the same, but I've been in their Emergency ward so many times over the past couple of years, and the doctors there leave a lot to be desired.

Maybe I'm expecting too much too early in my pregnancy. Maybe soon I'll be sick of seeing doctors, or whoever the hell it is I'm meant to see before I have the baby... Where's the emotional support? Or any support?