New York Methodist Labor & Delivery Tour

UPDATE:
​We had a wonderful twin birth and recovery at Methodist!! Read our positive twin birth story here and watch the video embedded at the end of this post!!

We gave birth to our first child naturally 2.5 years ago at Roosevelt's Birthing Center after 53 hours of unmedicated labor (see his birth story here). Other than being unbelievably painful, it was an amazing experience and the staff and facility absolutely blew me away.

This time around, I wasn't quite up for venturing into Manhattan for checkups with my toddler in tow, or risking labor being too quick to make it in the hospital in time, not to mention with twins I'm "high risk" and thus not even eligible to deliver at the Birthing Center. So... we went with the uber popular Guirguis practice here in Bay Ridge who only deliver at New York Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn (5 miles from our home).

Going to a whole new hospital with completely different standards and procedures had me quite concerned, so I was relieved to finally go on their labor and delivery tour last week (daddy and toddler came with). I went armed with a list of questions and thank goodness was pleasantly surprised by their answers!! Here are the basics of what you can expect:

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LABOR:

• Enter through the Miner Pavillion (6th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues) and go up to 4th floor.
  
• No kids under 16 allowed on labor & delivery floor.
  
• Get monitored in triage they'll call your doctor and give you a (private) labor/delivery room if they agree you're in labor.
  
• Can decline an IV (yes, please).
  
• 2 "support people" allowed in the room at a time.
  
• Beds and rooms are equipped with birth bars, birthing balls, a shower (no baths), etc (hoorah!!)
  
• Monitors are wireless and waterproof, allowing you to move about unrestricted and even taking a shower! (love this!!!)
  

DELIVERY:

• For twins, I have to be moved from the room to the OB OR (also 4th floor) when delivery is imminent, and then me and the babies (if they're well) move to the recovery room together (whether delivery is vaginal or c-section).
  
• Supposedly they're OK with family-centered c-section, i.e. lowering curtain so we can see the babies pulled out, babies placed on my chest immediately, etc. 
  
• No videos or photos are allowed until babies are out.
  

RECOVERY:

• The mother's floor and nursery are on the 5th floor, NICU is on 4th and 5th floors. There's a private OB elevator between 4th and 5th) and you must have a hospital key card to access it.
  
• Private rooms are $230/night and you cannot request one until in active labor. However, it sounds like as a twin mom I'll automatically be provided one free of charge since they would have trouble squeezing two isolettes into one side of the double room.
  
• Dads can sleep over (on an uncomfortable pull out chair) in private room. In semi-private room dad's visiting hours are 10AM-10PM. 
  
• Visiting hours for guests is 12-8PM (children allowed).
  
• They offer a free lactation class at 10AM daily, and you can request a lactation consultant any time.
  
• You are allowed to stay 2 nights for vaginal birth and 3-4 nights for c-section.
  
• Food delivery (yes please, though I'm sure the hospital food is just FABULOUS haha) is allowed and delivery guys are typically buzzed right up to your room.
  
• Mom cannot leave the ward, it's considered "abandonment"!
  
• You can choose for babies to remain in your room or be taken to the nursery at any time.

GENERAL POLICIES:

• On the 4th and 5th floors, you must be buzzed in and out of the unit.
  
• Mother and babies will have matching bracelets that will be checked.
  
• They must receive explicit permission from the mother to supplement babies with formula or give Hepatitis B shot.
  
• Vitamin K and eye ointment are given automatically.
  
• It's a "baby friendly" hospital and they promote skin to skin and establishing breastfeeding as soon as possible, even in the recovery room directly after c-section.
  
• They have free wifi and you are allowed to plug in electronics (yay!!!)
  

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So there you have it! I literally breathed a sigh of relieve after finishing the hospital tour. I've heard such horror stories about some hospitals being so super strict about some things, making you have an IV in place, feeding your baby formula in the nursery without your consent, stuff like that. I've heard great things about Methodist from friends, saying the nurses are amazing. One mentioned two of her nurses had had home births themselves, so I can imagine (hope) that they won't be pushing pain meds on me (I'll ask if I need them, thank you!!).

Well, hopefully we have another 5 or 6 weeks til we end up at Methodist, let's keep these girlies cooking!!!

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