What I didn't mention in my earlier posts about CHOP was that we actually got a tour of the SDU while we were there! Which was sooooo cool!!! After we found out about Stephen's diagnosis, we canceled our "baby class" at the hospital where you get a tour of the labor and delivery wing of the hospital. So we had yet to actually see what's goes on behind closed doors when the contractions begin.
Needless to say, we were BLOWN away by CHOPs SDU (how do you like those acronyms?!)!!
Little did we know at the time, but CHOPs SDU is actually the first of it's kind in the nation. You can read a little bit more about it here if you'd like:
http://www.chop.edu/news/chop-brings-hope-to-special-babies.html
and here: http://www.chop.edu/service/fetal-diagnosis-and-treatment/about-our-services/special-delivery-unit.html
It's an 8 bed labor, delivery, and recovery area located within the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. The first two rooms they showed us were their "small" rooms that they don't really like to use. But let me tell you, those two rooms were larger than any hospital room I've ever seen! And all 8 rooms are private and include a full size pull out bed for Bill plus a comfy glider for me (and private bath with shower..pretty standard stuff). The rooms are meant to be a place for labor, delivery and recovery, so you never have to be moved around. And get this....friends and family are welcome 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That's unheard of in a hospital!
But the best part about the SDU is how they handle the babies once they are born. If I'm able to have a vaginal delivery in a regular room, Stephen will be checked out and weighed right away in my room and then immediately handed off to a team of neonatologists and doctors who will be waiting in the room next door. But what's so cool, is that the rooms are separated by a frosted window. Just like the windows in your house. So the doctor's won't be interfering with the labor and delivery, but will be able to perform their miracles and do what they need to do just a short distance away without us having to see and/or hear what's going on. It will make it easy on Bill since he'll be able to really check on me and Stephen at the same time (and still take pictures of him being weighted and cleaned up), but still be separated from the things we don't want to see. But in case things don't go so well, he'll be right next door to us. I think it's totally genius!
And then once Stephen is stabilized, they'll bring him back in my room to spend some time with us before he's taken downstairs to the NICU.
Of course if I have a C-section, things will be a little bit different, but the operating room is located right outside of the SDU, so all three of us will still be close.
Plus the Unit is staffed with midwives, nurses, lactation consultants, and doctors to help us through every step. I think we'll need a lot of that since we have no idea what we're doing!! At this point, I think we'll just figure it out as we go.
Happy Monday!
XOXO
Lindsey
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