How To: Learn Hospital's Policy

If you are planning on giving birth in a hospital, your ability to exercise choice in birth highly depends on the hospital's policy. To understand how this policy will affects you and your birth preferences, here are a couple of things you can do:

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1.    Bring your birth preferences to your prenatal. Going through each preference with your provider will give you a sense for what is routine to them, what might take louder advocacy, and what is impossible. There are somethings that you might want that any hospital will not even allow (e.g. no antibiotics after a C-birth). There are other things that you might want that make your team reasonably nervous (e.g. refusing Pitocin after birth). Then, there are things that you don't even need to ask for because they are routine (e.g. Golden Hour). 

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2.   Research your hospital's intervention rates, and how they compare to other hospitals in the area. You can learn a lot  about what the norms are at any given hospital by analyzing their rates of C-sections or narcotic use. There are, of course, some intervening variables (e.g. if this is a go-to hospital for higher risk pregnancies). If you have any friends who have given birth at other hospitals, ask them about their experiences.

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3. Ask about your provider's feelings on various interventions, and what they see most often. This is a lovely way to get a sense for their willingness to take on risk. If a doctor is working with a patient whose baby is breech, what are their feelings on an ECV or vaginal birth? Some doctors will feel uncomfortable, and refuse to take on the risks associated with these options. The goal is not to find a provider who will agree with you on everything-- but rather listen openly to your preferences, share their comfort level and concerns, and work collaboratively with you towards the best outcome. If you feel that your provider is not listening to you, or neglecting to collaborate with you on birth options, you can always ask to see someone different!