Whether you’re planning on having your baby in hospital with all the high-tech back-up it offers, or prefer the comforting familiarity of home, the following are important considerations.

One of the most important factors when considering your hospital is its location.If you will be working throughout your pregnancy and your office is not near your home, do you choose a hospital near the office so it’s convenient for check-ups plus ante-classes if you’re taking them at the same place or do you choose one near to home in case you have to make a sudden dash to delivery room?

TAKE A TOUR

If you plan to attend classes regularly, arrive early for one of them and find out if you can go on a tour of the hospital. These are usually made by appoinment, so arrange an appropriate day and time to look round; don’t forget to bring a list of the queries that you and your husband have drawn up between you. Find out about hospital policies on rooming in with baby, the presence of your birth partner or your husband and the hospital’s willingness to conform to your birth plan.

CHARGES

Delivery and hospital charges can add up quite significantly. If, like most people, you have to keep an eye on finances, you may want to consider the choice between a government and private hospital.

HELP AT HAND

Needles to say, a hospital has all the equipment and expertise to deal with pain relief (if this is what you want), and with any complications should they arise. After the birth, you will stay in the hospital for about 48 hours. This should give you some time to rest and recover before coping with the demands of motherhood full-time. This is an unlikely luxury for those who choose home births, and for first-time mothers this extra assistance can mean a lot.

MISSING THE PERSONAL TOUCH

Because you have a team attending to you, there’s no guarantee that you’ll see the same nurse or doctor throughout the course of your labor. The experience can therefore be a little impersonal, and some women find that as just one of many women having a baby in the same premises at the same time, some of the significance of the experience is lost. The hospital staff will, of course give you the best medical assistance they can, but there will undoubtedly be other mothers requiring attention,too.

YOUR GYNAECOLOGIST

Find out at which hospitals your gynaecologist usually does his/her deliveries and be sure to consider this when narrowing down in your list of preferred hospitals.

HOME DELIVERY

Women who choose this option often cite the fact that it is the most relaxing and familiar setting and that nothing beats the intimacy og giving birth alone with a midwife and loved ones in your own home. Although many ob/gyns may be opposed to home deliveries owing to the risks to both mums and babies, others are more open to home births when a pregnancy is a relatively low-risk.

Some pre-requisite conditions for a home-delivery:

• You are in a good medical health and are not experiencing gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia or any other complications.
• You do not have a history of a difficult deliveries.
• Your caregiver/midwife is someone reliable and has all the necessary emergency medical supplies.
• You have a back-up plan for emergencies and are prepared to stop the home birth immediately.
• You live relatively close to a hospital.
• Other than your midwife, other support is available, either from your partner or other family members. These people will be available before, during and after the birth.