Four reasons why I decided to do a hospital birth

Contemplating hospital vs. home birth? Here's why the hospital birth worked for me. 

I have low pain tolerance.
Yes, my pain tolerance is pretty low. I know because I can't stand being cold for too long, and I've also almost fainted when I accidentally cut my thumb while chopping onions — among other things. If you're unsure, there are lots of quizzes you can take on pain tolerance, like this one on Buzzfeed. I don't vouch for the credibility of these quizzes, but hey — they could be a good guidepost if you take a few of them and get the same response.

Once I was admitted to the hospital, I couldn't hold a conversation or even open my eyes as there were no breaks between my contractions. I spent 45 minutes without pain meds and I felt like I was going to die. That was 45 minutes of pure torture — and you typically have to wait a bit for the meds even if you're at the hospital. Imagine if I was at home and how much longer it would've taken to get those meds?! Or if it was too late to get any meds because I would be too far into labor?! The thoughts make me want to vomit. 

​I liked having medical crew on-hand
Nurses coming in to monitor my family and give me advice every couple hours might be an annoying intrusion for some, but it gave me peace of mind.  I was a first-time Mom and therefore pretty clueless about what it takes to raise a child. I soaked up all of the information like a sponge after a long, luxurious bath. The staff at my hospital was excellent and gave my husband and I some invaluable tips while we were there. We learned first-hand from expert lactation consultants what the proper breastfeeding techniques were and what a good latch was.

A friend of mine told me their horror story of having an at-home birthing experience. Once they gave birth to their child, their midwife left their home and they were alone with their child, still not confident in their parenting skills. They actually let him sleep for 6 hours straight and eventually called their midwife because they were having a hard time waking him up. Their midwife told them to feed him immediately, no matter what — because he was too weak to wake himself up. They ended up feeding their baby through a syringe and fortunately, all was well.

Of course, this is not all at-home experiences. It's important to ask questions to be more confident in what you're doing. But being a first-time parent can be overwhelming and you may not know the right questions to ask or you may overlook something in your delirious state. This is why I was so relieved with all of the medical staff I had at my hospital to help me out.

​Worried about hospital food? You don't need to eat it — have a family member or friend get something for you. Or better yet? Order Uber Eats (they delivered to my hospital room door)!

​I wanted to catch at least one more night of ZzZz's 
I've heard all the stories from folks that sleep is never the same again once you become a parent — and chances are you have, too. Yes, a good night's sleep certainly becomes a luxury and feels like an impossible dream. But at my hospital stay, I had the option of letting the staff care for my baby during the night so I could get some extra sleep — and I definitely took advantage. That said, I wouldn't recommend it for every night you're staying there. It's important to know what a “night-shift” really entails while you have the knowledgeable staff at your disposal

I love the idea of getting freebies
Our hospital not only gave us a goodie bag to take home with us — almost anything (reasonable) we asked for, we got. This included a bunch of baby blankets, ready-made formula, breast-pumping materials, and diapers — to name a few.

Are you now convinced that the hospital birth is the right path for you? If so, my recommendation would be to milk your stay for as long as possible. For a vaginal delivery, you're typically in the hospital for 1-2 days. For a c-section (which I ended up having), you're typically there for 3-4 days. I was able to extend my stay to 5 days because I stated that I needed a bit more time to heal. You have years to adjust to being new parents at home — why rush it when you can get a ton of extra help?

Caveat: of course every hospital has different rules and regulations. The above is what I experienced during my hospital stay. I encourage you all to make sure to do the research beforehand and ask questions so that your hospital stay is pleasant.