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.
Inexplicable Ways 