Visiting Hours

Today Jacob and I took a hospital tour to familiarize ourselves with parking, check-in, see the rooms, have an opportunity to ask questions, etc. The short story is that we're really happy to be delivering at Brigham and Women's.

We got all the "rules" in addition to the basic info. Absolutely no one besides the partner plus one other birthing assistant is allowed in the labor/delivery/recovery room. No one should even bother waiting downstairs in the hospital, because they won't be allowed up.

Visiting hours in the post-partum room are between 1 and 8pm. So if Baby B arrives later, tough patooties. That said, the nurse giving the tour encouraged us to keep visitors to a minimum so we can rest. I would suggest no one "drop in" without being invited first.

Massachusetts state law regarding births is great. All mothers are permitted to stay 48 hours after delivery, and B&W won't check you out between 8pm and 10am, so if you drop the baby after 8 at night you can stay an extra night if you want it. Should we choose to check out early, a nurse will come visit us in our home and *our insurance has to cover it*!

So it'll be a toss up between being cooped up in a relatively small post-partum hospital room with the new family, but getting free room service and all needs taken care of for mom and baby, or returning to the "real world" of our home, where of course we'll have help from family and friends.

Ask me again in seven weeks.