Breast pump through insurance
Most private health plans must cover a breast pump. Check which pump your plan covers and have it shipped before your due date.
Maternity Tour Questions: What to Ask Your Birthing Hospital
On a maternity tour, ask whether postpartum rooms are private, whether your partner can stay overnight, how many support people and whether a doula are allowed in Labor & Delivery, what pain relief is offered (tubs, water birth, nitrous oxide, 24/7 epidurals), the NICU level, and which entrance to use when you're in labor.
Questions to Ask on Your Maternity Tour
- Rooms: Are all postpartum (mother-baby) rooms private, or could I be placed in a shared room? If shared, what does a private room cost per night and can it be reserved?
- Rooms: Is there a bed or sleeper sofa so my partner can stay overnight after delivery?
- Visitors: How many support people can be with me in Labor & Delivery? Can I swap them during labor?
- Doulas: Does a doula count toward the visitor limit? Can a doula come into the operating room for a C-section?
- Pain relief: Do you have labor tubs? Are they for labor only, or are water births allowed?
- Pain relief: Do you offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) during labor? Is an anesthesiologist on site 24/7 for epidurals?
- Medical: Do you support VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)? What is your NICU level, and where would my baby go if they need a higher level?
- Arrival: Which entrance do I use when I am in labor, especially at night? Where do we park and what does it cost?
- Baby: Can siblings visit? What are postpartum visiting hours? Does the baby stay in my room (rooming-in)?
- Extras: If I bring a private cord blood collection kit, what do I need to tell the staff when I arrive?
Tips
- Book your tour around 24–32 weeks. Many hospitals offer virtual tours.
- Write down the answers and the name of who told you. Policies change, so ask again near your due date.
- Bring your partner or support person so they know where to park and which door to use at night.
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🌸 Before Your Due Date
Getting Ready to Deliver at your birthing hospital
Things worth sorting out in your third trimester. We don't collect your details; each link goes straight to the provider.
Baby registry
Build one registry for everything, including your hospital bag items. Many registries add a welcome box or completion discount.
Hospital bag essentials
Battery LED candles, a labor gown, a clip-on fan, long phone cable. See our list of what you can bring to Labor & Delivery.
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