Funny things do happen... (Hospital Births)

Member Name: ninacolada86

Product:	Hospital Births
Date:	06/11/08 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good to have in case of emergency.

Disadvantages: Staff can be rather brisk.

When my first baby was born, I was adamant about going to a hospital, as I was worried that something might happen, and wanted the reassurance of doctors and nurses present. I went public, as I had heard that the difference in service was not much different from private.

THE BIRTH:
Being new at the whole birth thing I went in very early, and therefore had to wait a rather long time before the baby decided to come out. The staff at the hospital I was at in Ireland (Portlaoise) was very overworked, and didn't give me too much attention. They were nice when they finally did get to me, but I was several hours waiting in a shared room, before I finally had to ask to be checked.
They were very apologetic, but not terribly organized. To be fair, as I was waiting, an emergency case was rushed in for a c-section, so things were a little hectic, and I was lost in the crowd.
I did get a chance to take a bath in a private bathroom, and the staff was very friendly when they did take the time to check on you.
The actual birthing room was quite small, and they only allowed one person in with you, which was a shame, as my mom wanted to be there. It turned out that there were some complications with the birth, so it was a good thing I went to the hospital.
Everything was dwelt with accordingly and since relatives were not allowed after 22:00 I went to bed alone. Baby slept very well, so there wasn't a problem with that. Lights went on very early around 7:00 and breakfast was served. Meals were frequent, and tea came about three times a day, with toast and jam etc. After three days I was allowed home, which was nice, as since I shared the room, other babies who weren't as good sleepers as mine would wake up frequently, and disturb the others.

COMPLICATIONS:
Seven days after I arrived home I went back to the hospital as the baby was vomiting frequently, it turned out she had a bladder infection and needed to be kept at the hospital for ten days. I was kept in the pediatric ward, which was very nice. I had a private room TV, Bathroom and large window with a view.
The baby needed to be checked every three hours; they would take her temperature, and give her antibiotics, through a catheter in her arm. This would happen even at night, which was a little annoying but, the nurses were kind, and sometimes the baby would sleep through the procedure.

THE FUNNY BIT:
One night, I woke up very confused, I had had a vivid dream that I had actually had twins, and that one of them had gone missing! I looked in the crib and saw my daughter sleeping but she was alone, so I proceeded to put my pajamas on, (I had taken them off because it was so hot), and walk to the nurse's station.
Once there, they stared at me blankly (this was three in the morning mind you), as I incoherently babbled about the baby and their being two of them. They did however, jump into immediate action when I finally exasperated blurted out "My baby is gone, she's missing!" They ran to my room, with me close behind them, turned the lights on, and we all stood and stared at the little girl lying peacefully in her crib. I sat on my bed, with a look of utter embarrassment, and confusion on my face, and one of the three nurses very sweetly asked me if I had had a bad dream. I sheepishly mumbled that yes I guess I did have a bad dream.
The next morning the next shift of nurses arrived, and when one came to administer my daughter's medicine, she gave me a covert glance. I decided to blurt it out and asked if she had heard of last night's events. She admitted that she had, and apparently it was the talk of the hospital...

CONCLUSION
I don't regret having my baby in the hospital; it was nice to have the help needed, even though sometimes the staff was a little brisk with their attentions.
And if you ever find yourself woken up in the middle of the night with a bad dream, count to ten before you go disturb the staff...

Summary: I was not disppointed would go again next time, but dont leave until you have to.