We were to meet in the foyer and to be honest, the other ladies on the tour were very obvious. The waiting chairs had lots of heavily pregnant women sat in them, with men standing looking a bit nervous holding their coats! Hospitals are always too hot. At least Steve took the hint and carried mine for me!!
We were met by a Maternity Support Worker called Nina who was very friendly and smiley and asked if we wanted to take the lift. One of the other women said the stairs, so stifling a groan, stairs it was. It took us a while to all get up there puffing and panting!!
I can't imagine being in labour and having to get up to the second floor of the hospital!
We went to the delivery unit, and to the left was the clinical side, and to the right was the birthing midwife led area which is for pregnancys with no complications. This side was in use (as the shrieking woman in the background let us know) so off to the Dr's side we went. There was a woman in labour wandering around the entrance with a Tens machine strapped on leaning on her partner. We all gulped.
There are seven delivery rooms, all with special beds with holding places, electric up and down bits, stirrups etc... we were shown the gas and air, the bedside lockers, the baby's cots. No visitors are allowed on this bit (phew) so it's just Mum, birth partner and baby allowed. It was all very clinical to say the least. After the birth the midwife will leave Dad with the baby and run a bath for the Mum and we're allowed to stay in the room for a few hours.
If everything is ok, then we can go home if we want to, but they prefer us to move to the ward for a night just to get us sorted and settled and implementing breast feeding. We were told that a baby would usually feed very well for the first time ever, but then forget by the second feed and that's when they step in to help and guide. To be honest, the though of being helped and looked after for a night is more appealing than going straight home!!
We were then shown a ward room. They have three beds in with a shared bathroom and your baby stays with you all the time. You're wheeled along in a chair holding your baby and Dad brings your belongings in a trolley!
By this time, the delievry suite was free, so we got to take a look at the bath. It was deep and not as large as I'd imagined, but the walls were a nice cream and purple colour, the lights were dimmed, there were throws and cushions around and flowers in a vase!! I didn't see why the regular rooms couldn't be painted a different colour as well, but maybe it's a clinical thing.
And that was the tour. On the way out, I asked whether it would be possible to quickly check my blood pressure as I'd been feeling quite swollen, had dizzy spells, flashing lights in my eyes and rib pain which although are all normal pregnancy (or me) symptoms, together are all on the list to watch out for pre-eclampsia. I wasn't unduly worried, but just thought as it was a week till my next midwife check I'd enquire and they were very happy to do so.
Turns out my blood pressure was lower than normal (!) and my urine sample was fine and they told me off for not asking sooner after I'd had the lights things, but I explained that I suffer from light affected headaches from time to time so hadn't put all the symptoms together.
So off we went. Ante-natal class number one attended and had there been a test, I think I'd have passed. Possibly not Steve, he was more interested in the TV system. He had to be nudged to listen, and to stop talking nonsense whilst the midwives were talking.
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