The countdown is on until I meet my tiny baby. To help prepare for his arrival, my hubby and I decided to visit 4 Hospitals in 4 weeks in Rhode Island. Our last planned visit was the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital.

The entrance to Newport Hospital is warm and inviting, especially because of their free valet. They don’t even take tips!
The entire hospital is bright, clean, and calm. You’ll see many ocean references, like the one below.
When you feel like you are in labor, you are first examined in this room. Here they will monitor your contractions, and see if your tiny baby is truly in its way.
If you are indeed in labor (wihoo!), you are brought to your private room. Aside from the blinds on the windows, you will have a view of the town and the ocean. (I know it doesn’t look like much because of the blinds, but trust me, the view is stunning, and the amount of natural light in the room is delicious!)

Each labor/delivery/recovery room has their own large shower & jacuzzi style bathtub.

And your own private bathroom for you and your guests.

The simple and yet adorable addition of a wooden headboard to their hospital beds give their rooms an almost hotel like feeling for your stay.

Each room has their own mini fridge. Even though it says “patient nourishment only” you can share with your partner and guests. Or you can hog it all 🙂

See this ample space? Well believe it or not, this is still the same labor/delivery/recovery room! Tons of space for you to move around during labor, and lots of room for your guests to relax in as they admire your tiny baby.

All of the elctronic equiptment is kept inside of these closet doors. The screens are out when you need them…

And hidden when you don’t!
Your partner gets to sleep in the obligatory fold out bed. From what I hear, these are uncomfortable as chairs, but fantastic as beds.
No one is allowed into the maternity wing unless they are buzzed in by the nurses.
The waiting area outside of the maternity section has this adorable children’s table. It was so cute that I had to take a picture of it. This waiting room was nice because it was away from the rest of the hospital, and would allow people comfort, a water cooler, and natural light while they wait to be let in to see your tiny baby.

Here’s what stood out during the tour of the Birthing Center at Newport Hospital:

  • Ease of having a private tour. I called that morning, and was able to tour the facility an hour and a half later. Having a private tour allows us to move at our own pace.
  • Very few births each day. The secretary who took us around said 0-2 births take place each day.
  • Secure – you must be buzzed in by the nursing station to enter the birthing center.
  • You are examined on the maternity floor, and do not need to wait in a general triage area.
  • The staff were friendly, kind, and helpful.
  • The entire maternity floor felt like a hotel. The rooms were incredibly spacious, had water views, and were beautiful. The simple additions of a pretty headboard for the hospital bed, and white cabinets to hide electronic equiptment made the entire space warm and welcoming.
  • You have one room during your stay – for labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. No moving to a new room!
  • Private bath, shower, and toilet – in your own room.
  • No limit to the amount of guests attending your birth.
  • A bit of a drive if you live on the mainland, which could ward off unwelcome visitors. Sometimes new patents are overwhelmed by the amount of people who come to see them and their tiny baby. Having extra distance my work in their favor!
  • No nursery- because the hospital strongly believes in babies rooming in with their mom as much as possible. If you do need someone to watch your newborn, he or she will be wheeled to the nurses station and watched by nurses there.

What I felt was lacking:

  • No water births. The rumor throughout Rhode Island is that Newport is the only hospital where you can have a water birth. However, on our tour we were told the last water birth took place back in 2011, and that the doctors aren’t too keen on performing them anymore. The birthing tub now sits, unused, in the room where you have your initial check in appointment. I guess the only place to have a water birth in Rhode Island is currently a private residence.
  • If a baby were born prematurely, or needed serious attention, he would not stay at Newport. Instead, he would be transferred to Women & Infants, which is 40 mins away.
  • No VBACS (at least this is what we were told on our tour)
  • A bit of a drive if you live on the mainland. Could be difficult if you are faced with poor weather conditions.
  • No nursery – as I stated before, but some parents may choose to have their baby watched at the nurses station.

Overall, we were impressed with how attractive the hospital and birthing center was. Spacious, ample room for visitors, and an ocean view! I was disappointed to hear about the lack of water births, but was happy with the rest of the tour.

Have you or someone you know delivered at Newport? Would you drive the extra distance to give birth in an environment like this?