Hospitals - Westside Doula

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Contact Information

Chelsea Shure, CD(DONA), HCHD
chelsea at westsidedoula.com

310.428.7302

Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypno-Doula

Chapter Leader, Chapter Founder

Doulas Association of Southern California

Proud Member, former Co-Director of Public Relations, web mistress for dascevents.org, Circle Co-Leader for West LA Circle group.

Holistic Chamber of Commerce

Proud founding member,

Westside Doula is on !

Hospital Bag

We strongly recommend packing a hospital bag, even for planned home births. If it is needed, then you don’t have to pack when you decide to transfer. This little bit of effort can be a big relief.

Hospital Bag luxuries for Labor

Birth Plan letter
Camera
Lotion
Lip balm
Protein bars/bananas/simple snacks
Water bottle
Music, Player, w/ speakers and/or w/ headphones
Yoga/birthing ball
Pen, paper, journal
Gatoraid or some other drink to keep your electrolites up
Super soft baby blanket
Breast pump (to naturally stimulate labor if it stalls)
Something that makes you laugh (encourages labor)
Bathing suit for partner. If you want to get in the shower to help support you might want something that can get wet. She can be naked, but as a general rule, you can't.

Things the hospital has so you don't have to worry about:

Towels
Chux (these are the disposable pads the collect the fluids)
Giant menstral pads to catch fluids during the labor and after birth
Shampoo/shower soap (but no conditioner)
Water (but it will likely be in a jug with an insecure lit. I recommend BYO bottle)
Pillows with a plastic cover (and a pillow case) so fluids can get on them
Outlets to plug stuff in on
WiFi (probably)
Ice packs for after birth

Hospital Bag Conveniences for After Labor—You might spend 12 hours to five days in the hospital, depending on your procedures and insurance.

Reading materials
Computer
Cord to move the pictures from camera to computer
Netflix/DVDs to watch
A book or two
Healthy snacks
Toilet kit
- Shampoo, conditioner
- Tooth brush, paste
- Hairbrush
- Hand mirror
Cell phone & call list
Journal, pen
Change of baby clothes
Thick underwear (not thong) for mom
Nursing bra
Baby outfit (or two or three)
Change of clothes (at least under clothes) for mom and dad/partner
If you plan on taking home the placenta you'll need a sealed one quart container and a cooler.

DON'T FORGET TO BRING AN INFANT CAR SEAT!!! You can't leave the hospital without one.

Animation of Epidural

This is a complete database of worldwide medications (generic & trade) providing information on the drugs' indications, fetal risk, breastfeeding risk, during pregnancy, according to the FDA.

DrugWatch.com is a comprehensive Web site database featuring extensive information about thousands of different medications and drugs currently on the market or previously available worldwide. DrugWatch.com includes up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications and includes details about associated side effects to aid in the protection of patients and consumers.

Medical Articles

Herpes Simplex in Pregnancy, by Gloria Lemay

HPV moms read this article on Cervical Scar Tissue

Genital Herpes and Pregnancy: Can Herpes Be Passed to the Baby? by Jody Morse

ICAN White Paper on Herpes

Good News on Multiple Sclerosis and Pregnancy

Typical Questions Asked for Admission to Hospital

Questions about Prenatal Ultrasound and the Alarming Increase in Autism, by Caroline Rodgers

BBC: Scientists to test ultrasound as a male contraceptive,

For Women With IUGR, Waiting For Birth Or Inducing Found Equally Effective

Restricting oral fluid and food intake during labour

PUB_MED.GOV: Birth outcomes in primiparous women who were raped as adults

PUB_MED.GOV: Nuchal Cord is not associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.

Midwife Thinking: The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth

Where’s The Evidence? 10 Ways Modern Obstetrics Ignores Evidence, by Birth Sense

Fit Pregnancy: The Truth About Fetal Distress: Monitoring babies during labor is supposed to ensure their safety, but it hasn’t worked that way. New guidelines should help.

When I was pregnant, I had no idea that I had so many choices to give birth. Each hospital has its own philosophy, culture, facilities, atmosphere and doctors that have privledges there.

Talk to your doula to figure out what kind of facility is right for you.

Westside Doula has compiled some information on local hospitals.

This is a work in progress. Eventually, I'll personalize all the pages, until a personal page is created, I've linked directly to the maternity page on the hospital's website.

California Hospital*