Should you find out how long the hospital has been delivering babies? What about the number of hospital beds available for mothers in labor? Find out what parents need to look for in a top hospital when preparing to have a baby.
What to Look for in a Top Hospital When Planning to Have a Baby?
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has developed a 10-step guideline to evaluate whether or not hospitals are "mother-friendly" called the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative. Here is a summary of those 10 requirements:
- A mother-friendly hospital must allow each woman access to labor support from family/friends, a birth doula and/or a midwife.
- The mother-friendly hospital must provide statistics to the public on its practices and procedures including interventions used and outcomes.
- The care the mother receives should be culturally competent.
- The hospital should provide the mother freedom to walk and change positions during labor and birth.
- The hospital has defined policies on collaboration with other medical providers before and during labor. The mother is to receive appropriate support and referrals upon discharge from the hospital.
- The hospital does not routinely perform medical interventions that are contrary to medical evidence including IV's, enemas, shaving, withholding of water, early rupture of membranes, and electronic fetal monitoring. Other interventions should be limited including inductions of no more than 10%, an episiotomy rate of 20% or less, a total cesarean rate of 10%, and VBAC rate of 60% with a goal toward 75%.
- The hospital must educate staff in non-drug comfort measures for pain.
- The hospital encourages mothers and families, including those with newborns in the NICU to touch, hold, breastfeed and care for the infant.
- The mother-friendly hospital discourages non-religious circumcision.
- The hospital strives to achieve the WHO-UNICEF Ten Steps to Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative which promotes breastfeeding.
Best US Hospital List
Parents ought to use the above guidelines when taking hospital tours to help them select the best hospital to have a baby. However, here is a few US hospitals that have earned some high marks in the mother-friendly categories.
Magee-Women's Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA is a Top Hospital
This hospital deserves some recognition as a best hospital in the US as it conducted a study to reduce the number of inductions and ultimately the number of cesareans. After incorporating stricter guidelines for inductions, including the use of the Bishop's score and restricting non-medical inductions, Magee-Women's reduced its induction rate from about 25% to 16% in just three years. Since inductions are known to increase cesareans, it is no surprise that its cesarean rate following elective inductions also dropped from 34% to about 14%.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Made the Best Hospital List for Obstetrics
Located just a few miles outside of Los Angeles in Burbank, CA, this hospital boasted over 3,000 births in 2008, yet Providence St Joseph managed to rank as a top hospital with the lowest cesarean rate out of any reporting hospital in the state. This is a huge achievement in a state that has an overall cesarean rate of 32.7%, and at least 13 other hospitals in California with a cesarean rate at 50% or greater.
North Central Bronx Hospital is a Top Hospital for Mothers and Babies
This busy hospital in NYC boasts not only the lowest cesarean rate (18%) of its size in the state of New York, but also a promising number of successful VBAC's (34%). Another reason North Central deserves to be on the best hospital list is that vast majority of births (79%) are also attended by midwives.
St Johns Hospital is Among the Best Hospitals to Have a Baby
St Johns Hospital in Springfield, IL is one of the top places to have a baby in the Midwest as it has been designated as a Baby Friendly Hospital. St Johns is known for its excellent breastfeeding support for new moms including breastfeeding classes, support groups and consultations after birth. St Johns also has doulas and massage therapists available to help moms during labor.
Hennepin County Medical Center Ranks in the Top Hospitals to Have a Baby
Located in Minneapolis, Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is known for meeting the needs of mothers of varied cultural backgrounds. It was also one of the earliest hospitals in the state to grant midwives privileges. With a low cesarean rate of 20%, HCMC also offers a hospital doula program as well as waterbirths to mothers who are interested in additional support or alternatives to pain medications.
Although some mothers may still choose to have their babies at home or in a birth center, there are many hospitals across the country that are trying hard to meet the needs of the expectant family, while still offering safe and mother/baby-friendly services.
References:
Public Citizen Health Research, April 2010
theunnecesarean.com
Babyfriendlyusa.org
MNhospitalpricecheck.org
Brenda Lane - Brenda Lane is a published author, Lamaze certified childbirth educator, DONA certified birth doula and approved birth doula trainer.
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