The Village

No, I’m not talking about that creepy movie with the red cloaks and Those We Do Not Speak Of.

I attended a birth for the first time at Village at Pelham.  I had hoped to write a proper review covering how the rooms were set up, how the bed adjusted, and so forth.  However, my client began pushing upon arrival so I wasn’t there long enough to locate the popsicles or extra pillows. 

I’m not complaining, mind you!  It is usually a more positive experience if the mom spends most of her labor outside the hospital.  And, anyway, this hospital plans to close their L&D by the end of the summer.  Still, for what it’s worth, here is what I noticed.

• When I walked in the main entrance, the receptionist recognized me as a doula (the birth ball is a dead giveaway) and greeted me with hopes that my client would have a happy birth. 
• Once I walked into L&D, my client’s nurse stopped me in the hall and said, “I know your client is using hypnosis and I don’t want to interrupt her but I need to do an IV.  Can you prepare her for that?”  Nice! 
• The mom did not push on her back. 
• No one questioned the family’s decision to decline certain routine procedures for the baby.  The mom had uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for at least an hour. 
• And the same sweet lady working the front desk asked me as I left, “She already had her baby??”
• Anything else?  Oh, the main entrance doors were neat.

That is about all I noticed.  I’m not scheduled to have another birth there before they close so I guess that is my short-lived experience with Village Hospital.