As the big day approaches, you have no doubt planned everything: your birth plan; your hospital bag; out of town guests secured; help for when you get home with the baby and travel plans to and from the hospital. Yet one detail that you may have overlooked is who you will have with you in the delivery room. Unless you are having a C-section where only you and the baby’s father are allowed in the delivery room – along with the medical staff – then this decision will take some consideration before the big day.
Selecting only a few individuals to be with you while delivering your baby does not mean that you are excluding everyone from coming to the hospital to experience this amazing event with you. Bear in mind that labor, typically speaking, is a long process. So, you may choose to have visitors come in and out of the delivery room at your discretion throughout the entire time. You may want to ask that once you start pushing, these visitors respect your desire for privacy and wait in the waiting room until after the baby is born. Then, once you are comfortable, you may then want to welcome visitors back into the room to meet the new baby.
In the Delivery Room
So, who do you have with you? Truthfully, only you can answer this question. It’s a personal choice that is completely up to you. There are some factors you should consider to help decide:
Do you want someone there specifically to take pictures? The nurses and obstetrician/midwife are there to medically help you deliver your baby and care for your baby once he/she is born. If your significant other is there to support, you may want to include someone else to take photos.
Do you want to share this magical moment with extended family and friends? There is absolutely nothing that can compare to the first time you meet your baby, and this statement is also true for grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends. However, you need to decide whether you want this first meeting to be a moment that you share with just you and your baby’s father or if you want it to be the whole family. Frankly speaking, labor is not a time for you to worry about modesty. So, if you don’t want anyone other than medical professionals to see so much of you, then it might be a good decision to keep the delivery private.
Take time to think it over, but make sure you establish the rules before you get to the hospital so that everyone will know what to expect and you can have a more relaxing delivery.
If you have any questions about labor or your pregnancy, please call our office at 770-720-7733.
