Sutter Maternity

We took a tour of the Sutter Maternity facilities last night, accompanied by Heather and David.

Four of their 12 labor and delivery rooms have jacuzzi tubs (!), but these are assigned only a first-come, first-served basis. I am hoping that we're fortunate to get one of these. I particularly liked Room 202, which not only had a jacuzzi tub, but also a relatively nice (as compared to the first room we saw) view from the balcony and a nice rocking chair.

David suggested I play up the "lucky number" angle to increase my odds of getting room 202....

In any case, since Sutter's general philosophy is one of family-centeredness, the room is relatively spacious, with a loveseat/single bed for Tom (or whoever else wants to rest there during our stay) and we all get to stay together in the same room, from labor and delivery onwards (until I get discharged 2 days later). There are also no pre-established visiting hours, so friends and family can come by whenever we'd/they'd like.

Since Sutter is also a not-for-profit facility, they take few, if any, kickbacks from baby formula companies and instead they're big advocates of breast feeding. We've been assured that they will provide us with the support we need so that, ideally, by the time we go home, we sort of know how to feed the li'l thing!

Other support services include a lactation center, lactation and wellness classes, and a number we can call to get free assistance in correctly installing car seats in our cars before we take the baby home.

Overall, I'm happy with the place...now the only thing is that the pregnancy needs to remain low-risk, and baby and I have to hold out until we're at least 36 weeks along....