Do you allow/support rooming-in for the entire hospital stay?
Do you have a lactation consultant available every day?
Do you have birthing tubs?
Can women give birth in the tubs?
Do women give birth in alternative positions?
Do you have birthing balls? Stools?
Do you labor in the same room you give birth in? Recover in?
Are laboring women encouraged or allowed to walk the halls or stay mobile?
Are all/some of the labor nurses familiar with natural births? How familiar?
Do you have any doulas or midwives on staff?
Can we bring our own music? Do we need to bring a cd player or speakers?
Are candles allowed? Aromatherapy?
How are birth plans viewed?
Can children visit?
...gotta go, but those are the ones that come to mind first. Stuff like epidural rates, c-section rates, etc. are also useful, but would probably be more useful stats coming from your ob or midwife. Other stuff, more specific to your birth plan, are also best saved for a conversation with your care provider.
