Hospital Tour

Tonight Damien and I visited the Wilcox Women's Pavilion at Good Samaritan Hospital where we are planning to deliver our baby. The tour started in a conference room where we spent a half-hour listening to the "tour guide" talk about pre-registration, who to call when in labor, where to enter the hospital, who and what to bring, LDRP rooms/nursery, nursing care/length of stay, review insurance coverage, cesarean birth, and visitors.

Then we went up to the 5th floor to the Wilcox Women's Pavilion where we saw the nursery and a LDRP room (also called a birthing suite). The nursery was empty because the hospital encourages new parents to keep the baby in their room. Of course if new parents really need their sleep then the baby can stay in the nursery. The LDRP (Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Post-partum) room was HUGE even though our "guide" told us it was one of the smaller rooms. It looks like a hotel room, but with some medical equipment hidden behind cabinet doors. All the birthing suites have a jetted bathtub and shower. There is a nice armoire with a TV, DVD/CD player, mini-fridge, and drawers. There is also a pull out couch, gliding chair, and a small table with two chairs.

The birthing suite is designed so the woman does not have to be transported to a separate birthing area or recovery area after birth. The only reason for a woman to be transported from one area to another is if she has a cesarean in one of the two surgical suites they have on the same floor. Everything is done in the room that you stay in. I've experienced a birth at Good Samaritan in one of these birthing suites and it is amazing how quickly the staff turns the it into a delivery room. The tour was great and I think we will be very comfortable during our stay.