Your Ageing

Family-centered maternity care is available at some of the more progressive hospitals and larger medical centers. It’s a philosophy aimed at caring for the whole family unit during labor, delivery, and after birth. A hospital that adopts this kind of maternity care respects the social, personal, and family importance of childbirth, and is likely to avoid some of the more controversial routine procedures and suggest alternatives.

Some aspects of hospital maternity care may appeal to you greatly, such as a Leboyer-type delivery, keeping parents and baby together, rooming in, early discharge, etc. These practices do vary from hospital to hospital and you’ll need to visit to discuss your preferences with the staff. A hospital may say that it has family­ centered care but you may find that it doesn’t fulfill your expectations, so find out just what they are offering before committing yourself.