Each year, about four million babies are born in the United States alone. With those many babies being born, there are generally a lot of different maternity centers for expecting mothers to choose from. Choosing where to give birth and receive care while pregnant is a very important decision. So let’s take a look at a few key qualities to look for in potential maternity clinics.
Support of your childbirth plan: As an expecting mother, you most likely have some idea of what you want your childbirth to consist of. When it comes to things like epidurals and water births, you want to ensure you’ll have access to whatever you need during your ideal birth. Some maternity centers may not have the ability to support certain things, like a water birth. So it’s important to make sure the birthing center you choose can help provide what you need. Your childbirth plan is important and you need to find a maternity center that can help make it happen.
Access to necessary facilities: While many women choose a natural setting for their birth and don’t want things like epidurals or a c-section, it’s important to choose a maternity clinic that can provide a wide variety of services. Maternity centers should have facilities for worst-case scenarios in order to provide the best care possible. Even if you have a perfect pregnancy, you want to make sure you’ll have access to facilities, like a blood bank and an ICU, just in case. Otherwise, you may be putting yourself and your baby at risk if something goes wrong and you have to be transported to a different facility. So keep these emergency services in mind when looking at maternity centers.
Qualifications of staff: When it comes to maternity centers, the staff makes all the difference. Not only should the staff be qualified, but they should be welcoming and friendly as well. So when you’re visiting potential centers, make sure you’re asking about the staff qualifications to ensure they’re prepared to handle anything that could happen during birth. But also keep in mind how the staff makes you feel, how accommodating they are, and how overall comfortable you are around them. Being in a comfortable environment is important when choosing a place to give birth.
Choosing a maternity center is a decision that should not be rushed. So when you’re looking at potential centers, keep these qualities in mind to ensure you’re choosing the center that best fits your needs.