Hospital Tour

We just got back from attending the Late Pregnancy Class and hospital tour at Kaiser.  The class covered the 3rd trimester of pregnancy as well as an overview of what to expect when you are admitted to the hospital for delivery.  I thought it was very informative and I am glad we attended.

The instructor was a certified birth specialist for Kaiser and was in her mid to late 30s.  It was obvious she loved her job by the way she spoke during her presentation.  She began the class by asking everyone to introduce themselves and tell whether they were having a boy, a girl, or a surprise.  There were 12 couples in the class and it was almost split down the middle for the baby's gender with the exception of one surprise.  I would guess most of the couples were close to our age however there were a few couples that were obviously younger.  We didn't feel particularly old for the group, but there were no couples that were obviously in their forties either.

The instructor then discussed common occurrences during the 3rd trimester such as shortness of breath, discomfort, swelling, etc., most were due to the sheer size of the basketball sized object growing in one's abdomen.  She also mentioned symptoms of pre eclampsia and preterm labor that require immediate attention.  She then transitioned into determining when you are going into labor and when to go to the hospital.  Contractions should be 3-5 minutes apart, each lasting one minute, for two hours before you head for the hospital.  The sitcom-friendly water break is also an indication that it is time to go.  As she was going over this I pictured Brandon and I sitting in the den timing my contractions and then us freaking out that it is time to go...ha!

The women's center at Kaiser Roseville, which opened in January 2009, is separate from the main hospital. Instead of going to the ER we will head straight to labor and delivery in the women's center which is just adjacent to the main hospital.  When we are first admitted we will spend approximately an hour in the triage area where the nurses will monitor me to determine whether I am indeed in labor or if it is a false alarm.  Once they determine I am in labor we will then be moved to a private delivery room where we will remain until Baby Stepp is born.  We were able to go into one of the rooms and were both very impressed.  It was huge and with the exception of the needed medical equipment and monitors resembled that of a hotel room rather than a hospital room.

Approximately two hours after Baby Stepp is born we will be moved upstairs to a private post delivery room for the remainder of our stay at the hospital.  When you are moved upstairs to post delivery they play a lullaby over the speaker system and it can be heard throughout the women's center.  As we were taking the tour we heard the lullaby.  It was very cute and exciting at the same time.  We of course were looking around for the new addition to the floor but didn't get a chance to see the new mother and child before we had to move on.  The postpartum room was smaller and looked more like a hospital but still was very nice.  We will remain there until we are both cleared for discharge by the doctors.

Brandon later explained to me that from his limited experience, the term postpartum automatically translates in his brain as postpartum depression.  He had to consciously remind himself that we were not going to the depression room after Dunebuggy is born.

On a side note, the instructor said that during 2009 43% of the babies born at Kaiser Roseville were delivered by midwives.  A statistic that surprised us both.

The tour helped me feel a little more at ease knowing what I can expect when the day does come.  With the delivery of Baby Stepp approaching fast we now have to consider other preparations such as packing a bag for the hospital.  I imagine we will start that process over the next month.  In the meantime we are working on finalizing a name for little Dunebuggy.  Be on the lookout for a blog update later this week with the big announcement!