Northside Hospital, Atlanta GA ❤

Namastè!

I hope you're experiencing copious amounts thereof.

Baby Namastè, quit growing so fast! We are decidedly chuffed but wondering where the time has gone! Our little squish has grown into a mobile little man and turns seven months old tomorrow (September 28th)!

Baby Namastè was born on February 28th, 2016, at Northside Hospital, Atlanta Campus. He would have been born at WellStar Cobb, but a few minor glitches landed us at Northside and our OB decided we couldn't leave without a baby.

Northside is HUGE. The Women's Center is state of the art, and very pretty. There's a big pavilion with a tall, tall atrium and it's all very beautifully designed. Credit Google for this pic:

But brass tacks!

What's it like delivering there?

I don't remember much about our arrival, honestly, other than pain and a nurse giving me a very nice warm blanket and a very soothing hug. They got me back to a room very quickly, and got my IV in. (I was a little dehydrated--my hyperemesis kicked up to its worst the last 4 weeks before delivery.) The nurse asked what I needed, if anything, and I told her I just wanted the lights dim and to have the room.sorta quiet so I could nap til showtime. The Phenergan in my IV was working its magic and I was a tired, tired mama. I wish I had more photos BUT I wasn't really there for photographic exploits. I had a painful delivery and was sick beforehand, so just give me one small pass this time. 

I was lucky, because Baby Namastè was born before shift change. Our nurse Ryan was with me from the moment the IV was started til I went to a regular room. And Ryan was absolutely darling. She made sure I had ice chips and never let my blanket get cold. When Dr. Aspuru checked me (multiple times, as Baby Namastè was frank breech), Ryan held my hand or rubbed my hair. She also kept Dad Namastè abreast of every single thing, from IV bag changes to "HEY IT'S TIME!" They respected my wishes as far as my birth plan (minimal monitoring, no meds unless it got unbearable,  delayed cord clipping, and an uninterrupted Golden Hour with baby) and made a grueling moment, not so bad. Delivery was nowhere near easy, but also not as painful or scary as I'd been led to believe. At 10:05 pm, we met our handsome little Bud!

Once Baby Namastè was born and the cord was snipped, I got my Golden Hour to just snuggle and nurse him. Again, Ryan made sure I had everything I needed. She even got me the candy bar I joked about before push time.

Upstairs, our room was really nice. The bed was about as comfy as hospital beds get, and there was a couch and a rocking chair. We were in a corner room, so we had a decent view. (But seriously, we had Baby Namastè and there's no greater view than your kid!)

The nurses were sweet! They made sure we were settled in, and I finally agreed to some pain relief. I breastfed Baby Namastè, so I asked to see their lactation consultant just for comfort's sake.

That part was a bone of contention. I made it clear that I would be both nursing and bottle feeding expressed milkies for the baby, so his dad could feed him as well. The woman was so hellbent on me nursing that she didn't even check our latch, just droned on about the benefits of breastmilk. Which we had already discussed. She preferred to have me hand express versus pump, but that was a no go for me because it was painful. Plus I hate, hate, hate, and strongly dislike hand expression! She was not interested in showing me how to use the hand pump OR my PISA. Which was weird to me and dismaying, because that was why I wanted to see her!!! She was pleasant, but at that moment I realized just how crappy that spiel must make mommies who exclusively bottle feed with formula, feel!!! Finally I just asked her to leave some pamphlets. After nursing the baby, on my own, I used the hand pump I brought to the hospital. Shouts out to Medela for the Harmony being so easy to use, even for a novice!

Lactation snafu aside, everything went well. We were kept as comfortable as possible. The nurses were more than happy to answer my questions. Baby Namastè got to "room in" with me, so we spent all those valuable first hours with him. He was only taken out for his hearing test.

The hospital uses Pampers. They provide formula if you wish, and they give you lots of tee shirts, caps, and socks for baby. I was really happy to see those cooling pads and witch hazel, because I sustained 4 hairline fractures to my pelvis and a 3rd degree tear during delivery. They also gave us a cute Northside duffel bag (full of those giant pads, those icicle pads, and witch hazel pads for me plus samples of different things for baby) and a keepsake tee for Baby Namastè.(This is Baby Namastè's actual tee shirt. Isn't the hashtag adorbs?!)

My nurses were very knowledgeable about pain relief during nursing, as I was adamant I wouldn't take anything that would harm my little Bud. They made sure to give all the breastfeeding tips they could, and they never once pushed formula. I felt respected and honestly, pampered.

I didn't eat very much hospital food, but it wasn't unappealing. (I had gone through 34 weeks of hyperemesis gravidarium--I wanted to eat all the things I couldn't have during my pregnancy and as yummy as the Northside food looked and smelled, it wasn't for me!) I absolutely adored our dietary aide! She was just wonderful. I also really dug the fact that they don't mind telling you what you're being fed. I'm not a raging health nut BUT I do like to know where my food comes from and how it is prepared. (Canned or fresh, simple stuff like that.)

Should there ever be another baby Namastè, said baby will be born at Northside Hospital, Atlanta Campus. Hopefully I could really bliss out and have Dr. Aspuru and Nurse Ryan deliver again! The care we received was top notch, and everyone there seemed to enjoy their jobs. Also--MAJOR point of reassurance!!! Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite is right across the street from Northside. Had there been a problem, our little Bud would still be closeby. Scottish Rite provides WORLD CLASS  care to children and infants. 

Also, once I was able to move around and have a gander at things, that place is gorgeous. I loved the gift shop. 

I hope this answers some questions for you, if you're delivering at Northside OR scouting a hospital to deliver at in Atlanta.

Namastè!

- Tayè K.