http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/hospitals-facilities/mount-carmel-st.anns/

http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/patients-visitors/maternity-tours/

After reading so many contemporary books about the labor process and HOW MUCH GIVING BIRTH IN A HOSPITAL IS BAD BAD BAD FOR MOM AND BABY I was pleasantly surprised to find a progressive, woman-focused maternity center.  While we’re not necessarily focused on having a “natural” (read: drug free) birth, the maternity pavilion at St. Ann’s is incredibly receptive and supportive of the idea.  The labor rooms (especially the ones with tubs) are big and seem focused on making the process as comfortable for mom AND dad as possible.  Most equipment is hidden in furniture, and lighting is soft and calming.  The books (and to a lesserdegree, our birth classes at CHOICE) really make you think that you will have to fight to keep the baby near us after labor, at St. Ann’s the protocol is kangaroo care.  We wrote our birth plan not knowing what to expect, and almost everything we requested is standad at the hospital!

Oh, and there’s a Tim Hortons in the lobby.  Flippin’ sweet.

It was a reassuring and comforting tour, and even though I looked everywhere, I couldn’t find this: