I’ve gotta be honest. I’m really tired of seeing “good food” listed as a reason to choose a particular hospital for giving birth.
Ladies, come on. This is the age of Uber Eats. The food doesn’t matter.
Here’s what does matter: Your dignity. Your health. Your lifelong relationship with this tiny person inside you. Your perineum. Owning your body, your baby, and your birth. Your finances. Your mental stability. Those things matter. And hospital policy can have an impact on all of them.
I’ll repeat that: hospital policy can have a huge impact on your life.
So, how do you pick one?
Las Vegas labor and delivery wards are, regrettably, some of the worst in the nation. With unacceptably high cesarean rates and dismal reports from the Mother-Baby Friendly camp, there simply isn’t one which a mother can consider as a low-risk option.
In case you missed that, I just pretty much labeled all the Las Vegas hospitals high-risk places to give birth. This is an official challenge for the PR reps from any Las Vegas area hospital to prove me wrong. Healthy women with normal pregnancies would be wise to consider all of their out-of-hospital options.
But let’s assume for now that you have weighed your options and priorities, and decided on a hospital birth. Here are some questions, in no particular order, to ask potential hospitals:
- What is your hospital’s induction rate?
- How many women receive pitocin in labor?
- What is your episiotomy rate?
- What percentage of women receive epidurals?
- What are your forceps/vacuum rates?
- What is your cesarean rate?
Generally, anything above 10% in any of the above categories is cause for alarm.
You might have a difficult time getting straight answers to many of these questions. Most staff will not have precise numbers, and the public relations department has an interest in shrouding hospital statistics in mystery.
I will save you some footwork: there is not a Las Vegas hospital with a cesarean rate below 30%, and many have rates over 40%, going hand-in-hand with policies forbidding or restricting VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and prohibiting a woman from going past past 40 or 41 weeks of pregnancy. These policies are not evidence-based, so there is no excuse for them. Epidural rates soar over 90%.
But ask anyway. Firstly, you’ll be better able to decide which risks are acceptable and relevant to you. Secondly, Las Vegas hospitals need to feel the pressure. With enough consumers demanding better care, for-profit hospitals in particular are more likely to take steps toward evidence-based percentages. Thirdly, the information you are able to gather helps organizations like ImrovingBirth.org and ICAN.
Now it’s time to get more personal.
What’s it going to be like to labor and give birth in these hospitals? What can you expect during recovery? As a long-time doula, I’ve attended births at most Las Vegas hospitals, and am thus chock-full of stories and tips to help you. (More posts to come. In the meantime, give me a call at 702 241 4753).
You can also get the inside scoop from other moms who’ve gone before you. There are many excellent childbirth classes and free, casual moms’ groups where families share a wide variety of experiences. Attend as many as you can, and ask lots of questions.
Knowledge is power. Grab your favorite pregnancy snack, make sure your phone is charged, and go make some good choices for you and your baby.