The choice of the hospital is now a very important issue in prenatal preparation. Moreover, no one obliges to give birth exclusively at the place of registration: having an insurance policy, you are free to choose the obstetric hospital that you like.
When do you need to finally make a choice?
Despite the presence of various research methods (for example, ultrasound, CT, a huge number of laboratory tests) that are performed during pregnancy, even the most normal pregnancy does not give a 100% guarantee that the birth will be easy, normal in duration and without complications. And if the pregnancy is already proceeding with some problems? There is only one conclusion: the hospital where you will give birth should be chosen in advance, but not at the very beginning of pregnancy, when it is still not clear how it will proceed, but a month or two before the expected birth.
What are the criteria and how to choose a hospital?
1. First of all, it is important to make a choice based on the state of your own health and on how the pregnancy proceeds. There are maternity hospitals that specialize in some chronic pathologies or features of the course of the 9-month period of a woman's life.
So, there are obstetric hospitals in which specialized cardiological care can be provided (for example, for women with rhythm disturbances or those who suffer from hypertension). There is a maternity hospital, where the obstetrician and endocrinologist (for women with thyroid disease, diabetes, and so on) conduct the delivery and the postpartum period . There is also a maternity hospital in which there is all the necessary support for nursing a child if he is born prematurely (if you personally have such a chance).
2. The second criterion, how to choose a hospital, is based on the possibility of a contract with a specific doctor. This is an additional paid service, when you get acquainted with a specific obstetrician, he gets an idea of your situation, you discuss the presence or absence of indications for cesarean section, epidural anesthesia and so on. The doctor gives you your phone number, and you can not only call him when your contractions begin, but also get additional advice before and after childbirth.
3. The next criterion, how to choose a maternity hospital, is based on the presence of various equipment and high-class specialists who perfectly own it. First you need to get acquainted with what departments are in the hospital, how many doctors and what qualifications work, whether there is a pediatric resuscitation department, whether a neonatologist and resuscitator are present during childbirth. Reviews of women who have already given birth will help determine which maternity hospital to choose.
4. Next, look at the convenience of the location of the obstetric hospital relative to your home. This is an important criterion for large cities.
5. It is also important to find out whether partner births are possible, whether there is the possibility of vertical childbirth or childbirth in water (if you want to give birth that way, and there are no contraindications to this), is it possible to walk during contractions (not all maternity hospitals practice this).
6. The next point of advice on how to choose a maternity hospital: the availability of individual rooms, their convenience, the presence of a shower, microwave, is it possible to be in the room with her husband or mother.
How to choose a maternity hospital in Moscow, taking into account all these criteria? Fortunately, Moscow maternity hospitals and those large hospitals that have maternity wards, almost all have their own sites. In addition, on these pages the puerperas, having checked out home, leave positive or negative reviews that may well help in the choice.