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 50+ Questions You Must Ask During your

The idea of walking into a delivery room to have my baby was nerve wrecking. Luckily, a hospital tour made me fell SO much better about the whole thing.

Hospital Information

They can be pretty intimidating with how large they are! You want to make sure you have the lay of the land before you arrive!

  • Where is the best place to park and entrance to use when we arrive at the hospital? Are there only certain entrances that are open during late night hours? ( I arrived my first daughters birth at 10 P.M. and arrived to a locked door! Luckily a security guard was there to point us in the right direction!)
  • Where should our guests park when they come to visit?
  • What are the food options for my partner and our guests? What are the hours of these options? Can we bring in outside food?
  • Is there wireless internet available in the hospital?

Regarding Labor and Delivery

Hopefully MOST of these questions will be answered on your tour and you will not have to ask all of them. And chances are you will think of more when you get home, which is why your first question should be:

  • In the case that I have any questions between now and delivery regarding the policies at this hospital, how is the best way to get them answered? Is there a phone number you can provide me with?
  • Do I need to contact anyone, either hospital or my doctor before coming in when I think I am in labor?
  • In what cases will you send a mother home? If she is not dilated enough?
  • What is the set up for rooms? Will I be examined, labor and deliver in one room and then be moved to a postpartum room? Or is it all in the same space.
  • Are there any circumstances where I would be in a shared space?
  • On average, how many woman are checked into the labor and delivery floor each day?
  • Is the L&D floor ever full? If so, what happens?
  • Is there a space for my partner to sleep in my room with me?
  • Is this a teaching hospital? If so, can I request that students or residents not be active in my labor and delivery?
  • What are the food options provided for mothers?
  • In the case that I want an epidural, how quickly can I get it? Is an anesthesiologist always here?
  • Details on the NICU Unit- what level NICU is it? Where is it located?
  • What are the visiting hours? Do you have any policies on young children coming to visit (in the case that there is a big brother or sister in the picture!)
  • What type of security is there to keep me and baby connected?
  • What type of security is there for non-patients entering the maternity wing?
  • Am I able to eat or drink while in labor? What are the options?
  • What percentage of births at this hospital are natural, with no pain management intervention?
  • Is there a limit as to how many people can be in the room with me? (natural and c-sections limits)
  • If my birth plan includes equipment that you do not provide at the hospital, can I bring my own?
  • Are there any common requests seen in a birth plan that are not allowed at this hospital?
  • Can I play music in my hospital room?
  • Can we control the temperature in our room?
  • Am I able to control the lighting in the room when the Doctor is not performing exams?
  • What type of fetal monitoring is offered at this hospital? Do you have wireless and if so, is the mother able to be mobile while on wireless?
  • Am I able to bring my own labor and delivery gown or do you require we use hospital issued?
  • What are the policies on skin-to-skin? Can it happen immediately after birth? For both natural birth and c-section.
  • In the case that my baby needs to be examined after birth, will he or she be taken out of my room? In what scenarios would I be separated from my baby?
  • What medications or shots does your hospital give as standard practice? How can I elect out of these for my baby if we are not comfortable with it?
  • Is there a lactation consultant available to help me get the hang of breastfeeding? What are the hours?
  • In what cases would my baby not be with me immediately following delivery?
  • Are those circumstances different if I have a C-section?
  • How soon will I be able to eat after delivery? (if not able to eat during labor)
  • What is the typical length of stay for a mother and baby?

Time to chime in mama’s! What other questions are on your mind that you are anxiously awaiting to ask the hospital?


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