Maternity Tour

Today I got to tour the hospital and take an in depth look at the room ill be delivering baby Audrey in. I must admit, I was really impressed with how beautiful the Hospital looked and more importantly how nice the delivery suite was. It was just refreshing seeing all that and the entire staff there is extremely helpful and very sweet people. When we first got there we signed in and got to talk to a couple staff members at different tables. At one table we were given information about birthing balls [pretty much yoga/exercise balls]

which are really helpful with your labor because sitting on them and rocking your pelvis different ways helps open up your pelvis aiding in childbirth. I have one at home, yes im an active yogi so i have all that lol. I will definitely be bringing mine in when its time to give birth. At another table there was a very nice lady who talked to us about the WIC program [Women, Infants and Children]. Basically its to support low-income women and children up to age 5 with a nutritional health program. They give you certain healthy foods [milks, cheeses, rice, fruits, vegetables] and formula for your baby if you dont plan on breastfeeding. Its a very helpful program for those mothers who need a little assistance, dont be shy ;] They even have stores just for WIC products so you dont have to go through the hassle of picking certain qualified products out at the regular grocery store. 

There was another table where you could purchase products like the birthing ball, swaddle blankets and baby slings!! Remember i put this on my list of things i needed...Look what i got:

My very own sling. I liked this one because theres an extra strap by the shoulder that you unzip and can put your phone, keys, etc. VERY CONVENIENT! 
So after all that they gave us a presentation before we took our tour of the hospital. They gave us a walk through of when we arrive at the hospital, where to park, what to bring, where to go, what to do, etc. VERY useful information. They also talked about the sling, how to wear it, the benefits, and also how to swaddle your baby. My favorite part was the "happiest Baby On the Block" which is a class given by Dr. Karp that teaches his revolutionary approach to calm crying babies and help them sleep longer. I know we can get so frustrated with crying babies, they just wont stop and you get so tired of it because you feel like you've done everything but they wont stop. Dr. Karp teaches a few techniques on how to stop your baby from crying and its completely amazing....watch:
Baby instantly stops crying when you swaddle them

Baby stops crying instantly when you shoosh them

I know it might seem harsh shooshing in their ear really loud like that but the reason why it works is because when the baby is inside you, they are constantly surrounded by loud noise. Voices, your heart pumping, its like the sound of a vacuum in there. They have surrounded themselves with that for 9 months, when they come out into the world they cant handle all the quietness. Research suggests that when you put the baby down to sleep to have some kind of constant noise in the room...preferably white noise for your baby to sleep well. Look up Dr. Karp and his practices, you'll be amazed.
On to the next......okay well after all that we were given a tour of the hospital, the rooms, the nursery, etc. I highly suggest that new mothers take a tour. Once again i came out more prepared and ready for this experience! Hope this helps.