Baby doesn't like bits!

We started the weaning phase (i.e. introduction to 'real foods') at 6 months.  Much research on the topic yielded multiple and varying opinions, pieces of advice and....recipes.  We combined everything along with a pinch of common sense and a word or two from the pediatrician and got down to the feeding business.

First on the list, which highchair?!?  It's almost like rewinding BACK to the stroller purchase and suddenly we are back in Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us every weekend and I'm spending every free minute online reading reviews.  A few of my friends love the Svan (I think it looks ugly but then I'm in the minority on that!), a couple of folks have the Tripp Trapp made by Stokke which comes in a gorgeous array of colors and then there is everything in between and sideways.  We narrowed down our choice to the Anka by Svan which is thankfully cheaper than the Svan but still a good design and made from wood.  Comes in three wood colors and tonal seat covers.  I was almost sold until my husband pointed out that the Anka has a low back (similar to the Tripp Trapp in fact) and he felt that we would need something that the baby could rest up against.  Good point!

So we then looked at the Bloom (egg like structures!) which we liked apart from the amount of space it takes up before finally settling on the Inglesina mHome which checked off all of our requirements:

- vaguely stylish (has to be out in the main area of the house for years perhaps!!!)

- high back

- adjustable height so it fits different table heights

- adjustable leg rest, kids do grow!

- washable seat cover

- wheels

- folds "flat" -ish

Highchair.  Done!

Which brings us back to the food itself.  We started out with the classic baby rice despite a lot of people telling me that babies hate it and its pointless as it does not have any nutrients.  Well, I tried it and it tasted fine.  Bland, but fine!  Mixed with breastmilk I cannot understand how there is no nutrition in it and the baby liked it.  Its basically tester food for them!!!

We quickly progressed onto the veggies and fruits pureed very smooth.  I'm doing a mix of making my own and purchasing tubs when necessary (or when I don't want to make a huge batch of something but I want her to taste it, e.g. prunes.....).  

Some favorites:

- avacado

- banana and plain yoghurt

- zucchini cooked with tomatoes

- lentils cooked with carrots and tomatoes

She definitely prefers the fruit things to the veggie things and so far has not 'enjoyed' the chicken things...so thats why I introduced the lentils to start incorporating some proteins.  I'm going to try some beef (ground and made into a veg and beef casserole then pureed) soon.  

I got some great pots for freezing extra portions in which I ordered from the uk called Max Brothers - they snap together and they come in two sizes.  The smaller size was great at first as it holds about 2 tablespoons but now its too small so I freeze veggies in them so I can 'mix and match' two pots together.  The big size is a little TOO big at present so clearly I cannot be pleased.  They are pretty good pots though and worth the relatively high cost.  I also like that you can microwave and dishwash the pots so they are pretty versatile!

Being Organized and Nanny Tales

Now I am back at work I find that I am constantly 'on the go': the hours in the evening and the early morning are now almost entirely devoted to packing and unpacking work bags sterilizing pumping kit, pouring milk and cooking small pans-full of baby food.

The working mommy guilt has surfaced in my inability to let anyone else do her 'food prep' or pick her outfits for the day (hey, it could be worse!!!).  

The good news is that baby likes the nanny and so do we.  Its still taking a bit of getting used to though as we never had somebody work for us before and when it comes to child care it can be a bit of a minefield.  I've also realized that you have to pick your battles (and no care-giver is ever going to do things exactly as you might want!).   You also have to be prepared to be clear and direct in a polite way if you disagree with something (our nanny wanted to do the old thermometer up the bum trick to break a bout of constipation.... we didn't necessarily agree with this old wives tale!!! despite the good intentions.... ;)).  

Talking of old wives tales one thing that I have noticed is that I should not assume that my nanny, despite having older children of her own, knows all of the latest safety and best 'baby' practices.  I therefore made it my mission to specifically communicate on the following things pretty early on:

> always put baby to sleep on her back - ALWAYS ALWAYS!

> baby's (breast) milk must be thrown away after one hour if not finished (because of the bacteria in the saliva getting into the bottle)

> breast milk must NEVER be microwaved (destroys the nutrients)

> any water the baby drinks must be boiled first and then cooled

> NO HONEY!  (certain cultures believe that honey in the water can help the baby drink it....but honey can sometimes cause botulism in babies from what I understand and that sounds bad!)

> no salt

> no sugar

We also paid for our nanny to take an infant cpr course.  For a relatively small outlay (the one we did cost $75) you can have some peace of mind knowing that your care-giver has at least been trained on the basics.  These courses also tend to share up to date baby safety information and tips on babyproofing so you also get these added benefits.  Even if the care-giver says they have done infant cpr before I would send them on the course so that you can be sure (and hey, a refresher does nobody any harm).

Final tip on the subject of the nanny... we started leaving our digital camera with her during the day so that she can take pictures of the baby out and about.  We've really enjoyed the funny little shots that the nanny has taken of them doing their things!  

Trans-Atlantic Baby: Flying with the Little One

So we decided to brave it and fly trans-Atlantic with the baby, who is now 6 months old.  Here are my top tips for flying with baby based on research I did beforehand and observations about the experience):

1. Book a sky-cot before flying.  When you book a flight for the infant it is not guaranteed that you will get the sky-cot so you need to call up and reserve it.   

2.  If you are going NY --> London take the night flight over if possible.  We flew night flight on the way out and day flight on the way back; the day flight was harder as its a. longer and b. the baby is awake most of the time and requires entertaining in a VERY small and boring space!

3.  Eat before getting on the plane.  Eating on the plane is a pain at best and with a squirmy child its almost impossible.  

4.  Breastfeed at take off and landing (this is a tip from a lot of sites and Moms).  It does seem to work as our baby has not had any issues at take off or landing.  In fact, she has been asleep each time we have taken off!!!  

Note: Breastfeeding on the plane is not a comfortable experience.  Aside from being in close proximity to lots of strangers the seats are just NOT made for it!!!  It is exceptionally uncomfortable and actually quite tricky with a larger baby.  I managed to sit slightly sideways on which was the most comfortable position for me.  I used my bebe au lait cover but a lightweight baby blanket was also a good shield.

5.  Bag packing tips:

> LOTS of diapers (more than you think you would ever need, who knows what can happen!)

> Wipes

> Diaper cream in a tube

> A disposable changing mat (huggies do some).  Invaluable as the plane & airport changing tables are not pristine.

> Spare outfit or two depending on length of flight.  We actually had to use ours due to a blow-out just before take-off!!!

> Toys - maybe even some new toys as well as favorites to keep baby occupied.  Take plenty of small ones to avoid boredom and also in case they get thrown on the floor.

> Basic medecines such as tylenol, gas medecines and teething gel if appropriate.

> washcloth 

> burp cloths x 2 (SO useful)

> Light weight blanket for putting in the sky cot, can also double as a shield for breast feeding.

> Pacifiers if used.

> Alcohol based antibacterial hand gel.

> Plastic bags for diapers.

6.  Don't expect any special treatment on the flight itself - the air hostesses are pretty busy.  We needed to ask both times for the sky cot to be brought.  Don't be afraid to speak up. 

Its not terrible travelling long distance with a baby but it does require some planning and also being realistic about the trip.  Don't expect to get a minutes peace on the plane (even if baby is sleeping you may need to stay awake; for example our baby could easily sit up and roll out of the crib at 6 mths old so I stayed awake in case she awoke and fell out).  

Safe flying!

Summer's over...back to work

So after the most wonderful summer with the little one I am now counting down the last two weeks before I need to return to work.  Not an easy decision but I've decided to give it a go and see how things work out.

One thing that I have found very helpful is planning out the practical things that will help transition all of us smoothly.

I've searched high and low on the web, asked other moms and checked out 'This is How We Do It' from the library (I won't review it now but in a few words, its quite old-fashioned and lots of anecdotes about the authors life, not the practical list I wanted!!!).

Here are the 'going back to work' tips and tricks that I have thought worth while (note, I breastfeed and plan to continue so obviously some of these won't make sense for formula fed baba's):

> Plan your return date to be on a Wednesday/Thursday so that you don't have a full week the first week.  I am going back on a Thursday and am sure those two days will go very quickly.

> Start pumping... NOW!  The sooner the better really, I have spent the past month stocking up the freezer with as much milk as I can make.  I added a pumping session per day to cater for an additional 4-5oz of milk which I freeze straight off.  I also discovered Lasinoh breast milk storage bags (previously used Medela); the Lasinoh ones can be frozen flat as they are a more flexible plastic and also have double zips so less chance of a leak.  Because you can freeze them flat they don't take up as much space which is great when you start to get to 50 bags in there!

> Buy additional accesories for your breast pump.  For me this meant an additional breast shield so that I can pump twice a day at work without cleaning the kit.  I am worried that I will have little time to pump as it is so do not want to have to concern myself with cleaning equipment as well.  

> Check on your offices lactation facilities.  I called our office nurse ahead of time and we have a new lactation room with fridge and storage - find out what kind of facilities you can expect, it will help you plan what you will need.  If you have minimal facilities then remember you can buy cleaning wipes and a battery operated pump and use the ladies room at a push!  

> Write up a schedule for your caregiver.  I have made a 'daily schedule' for the baby with timings of everything and also I made a sheet which has space for the caregiver to write in how many wet diapers, how many bowel movements and how much food the baby consumes per day.  I feel that I need this level of information in case the baby gets sick (and its also a good way for me to see if I think there is a problem , i.e. baby not eating enough in the day).  Make sure there is a list of emergency numbers available for the nanny/caregiver.  

> Make some meals for the adults of the family.  My husband and I spent a happy weekend cooking some favorite dishes that are easy to heat up and freezing them.  This way our diet will not suffer if we are having a tough week and are too tired to cook.  Especially whenyou are still  breastfeeding its important to keep your body well nourished and not rely on convenience foods every night.  I'm going to try and make my lunch as well so that I don't need to worry about finding something on the run during the day.

> Stock up on household items/baby basics.  Now that you won't be able to visit buy buy baby and babies r us during the quiet week days its time to stock up so that a. the caregiver has a plentiful supply and b. you don't spend all the precious weekend time doing errands.  We stocked up on toilet paper, kitchen towels, washing liquid etc for the house and then diapers, breastmilk bags, wet wipes etc for the baby.  I found that amazon.com and diapers.com are good for ordering bulk (and often cheaper too).  For household stuff in the city I like Home Depot as they sell the bulk sizes for paper towels, toilet rolls etc and also have a good selection of cleaning products.

> Decide what is most important to you and try and schedule around it.  So, for example, I want to give my daughter her last feed of the day and put her to bed.  I will then be happy to go back online if needed to finish my work but it means I will need to leave the office at 5.30pm and no later...I know this will be hard but this is a priority for me.  I also want to pick out her outfits each day as I think that will help me feel connected to her (so I'm going to do that each evening when I am getting my office clothes ready too).  

> Agree with your partner what will happen if the baby gets sick (or the nanny gets sick!).  What will you do?  Who will stay home?  We haven't figured this out yet but I think its an important conversation to have...we don't want to be having it at 6.30am one morning when we are both knackered and due in work!!!

Whilst these things won't make it any easier to leave my precious girl on my first day back (and I know I will be an emotional wreck), at least I can rest easy knowing that the practical things are taken care of which will be one less worry.  Going back to work after having a baby is hard enough!!!

What is this Sophie Giraffe?!

Fast forward 3 months and my little baby is teething already.  Which makes for very long days...

I'm trying everything, wash cloths soaked in water and cooled in the fridge, tylenol, the gel, letting her chew on my fingers, a raz-berry pacificer, teething rings, the list goes on.  Still she cries and chews her own fingers constantly.

At baby group yesterday five out of eight babies had this Sophie Giraffe 'toy'.  Apparently this is the must-have teething accessory and we had missed it!  All the other Moms were in raptures about how the babies love it so much etc but it comes at a cost - $20!!  It looks like a dog toy! 

Seriously!  It even squeaks!

On further investigation I found it easily on Amazon.com and it is the #1 ranked teether. Retailing at $18.20 on good old Amazon which makes it cheaper than Buy Buy Baby at least.

Apparently the rubber has a 'special smell' that allows the babies to find it easily amongst their other toys.  Wow - this Sophie Giraffe is full of tricks ;)

Now all I need to do is convince the husband that we need to make a $20 investment into a small piece of rubber to help the teething quest...

The baby registry: baby gear thoughts and advice

We registered at Babies R Us but I know a lot of people who registered at both Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby.  At Babies R Us we got a 'welcome pack' (had very little of value in it, just a diaper sample and some nappy creams etc as well as lots of coupons/info leaflets).  The main benefit I saw at Babies R Us is the list completion program which means that a couple of weeks before your due date you have the opportunity to purchase anything left on your list at 10% off.  They send you a coupon in the mail and you can use it on one day ONLY.  

To take advantage of this we put everything we could think of on the registry simply so that if we decided to get it ourselves we would have the 10% discount.  Diapers do not quality for the discount btw so don't go crazy and put 100 boxes on the registry!!  

We kept our list to the basics and the Babies R Us pack has a useful leaflet in it with all the essentials which was helpful.

I think the main 'error' that I made when compiling the list was that I just thought about stuff that the newborn baby needed.  I.e. my advice would be to consider other items in addition to the baby basics. 

For example, within a couple of months of having had the baby I now realize that she needs a lot of stimulation during the day and I didn't put any toys or books on the list!  She is now 3 months old and she likes the following toys and books:

> Fisher Price Fish Mirror and Lights

> Play Mat ( we got the baby einstein Neptune one which has music and lights, she loves it and it is good for a boy or a girl so you can use it for another child afterwards)

> Chime toys (dangly animals with chimes that you can clip on the play mat or on the stroller)

> Polar Bear what can you hear book

> Brown Bear what can you see book

> Counting Cockatoos book

> The Hungry Caterpillar book

> Soft teething rings in different colors

> Soft blanky toy with different textures

> Baby classical music cd

I also didn't list for a bumbo which we have had to purchase for her nor did we register for larger sizes of basic onesies/pajamas or the kiddopotamus swaddle me's (which we are still using for bedtime even if she is 3 mths now, she likes being swaddled at night!).  So make sure you think about the 'next phase' or next size up for essential items.

Another point of consideration that I wish I had thought about more beforehand is that babies grow REALLY quickly!  I was considering buying the Stokke Mini (we got the Stokke crib in the end) and I am so glad we didn't shell out the additional $400 or so, she would have been in it for a matter of weeks!  Same for a moses basket - personally I think going straight for the crib is fine, she has never had any issues with that!  The Stokke Crib is actually excellent in my opinion and I am very happy with it; its a great look and shape plus the wheels make it very portable within your home (we needed this as we knew we would move her from our room into her own room a couple of times due to guests visiting).   I didn't buy the stokke bedding sets as you don't need any of it except for the sheets for a newborn/young infant (bumpers and comforters are a SIDS danger for babies under 1 year).  Instead I ordered the sheets online (cheaper than in store) and then bought the waterproof matress protector for the stokke from buy buy baby.  Unfortunately the only negative with the Stokke is that you have to buy their branded sheets as they are oval shaped.  I haven't tried using a standard sheet but I imagine it would get very rumpled and potentially be a danger to the child, best just get a couple of oval fitted ones and then use sheet savers from Babies R Us (a godsend, have saved the sheets many a time at the beginning when she spit up a lot!!!).  

Also the baby bath was a bit of a waste of money in some respects.  We bought the safety first bath that folds up.  It has a seat built into it and now her legs don't even fit in so I have to bathe her in the bathroom sink!  I think I will buy her one of the bath slings soon so that she can go in the full size tub.  To be honest, a new plastic washing up bowl would have probably been just as good for when she was a newborn and at a fraction of the price! 

Some of the most useful items from my baby registry?

- Boppy pillow (she likes to sit in it)

- Dreft detergent (get plenty!!!)

- Avent microwave sterilizer is super quick and easy, does not take up much space

- Kiddopotamus swaddle me's

- Babies R Us Basics Sheet savers

- Plain white muslin burp cloths, loads of them

- Bjorn papoose cover for wet/cold weather - this was very useful as it was cold when she was born and we wouldn't have been able to use the Baby bjorn otherwise

I would not bother putting more than one blanket on the list as we got many many blankets as gifts and all my friends did too.  I would put practical items on such as the diapers, detergent, baby wash, washcloths etc as people do buy them and you are going to use lots of them so it helps spread the cost out for you!

Happy shopping!

What should I take to the Hospital?

I spent hours and hours looking on websites for the 'perfect list' of what to take to the hospital for the birth.  I then spent further hours collecting all the items and checking and double checking my bags....way before the baby was due!

Packing for the hospital is quite a task for the uninitiated and every list seems different.  It all comes down to personal choice at the end of the day (and also a little bit about where you are giving birth) but here is my list.

The Actual List of what I took to the hospital:

> Pillow

> Dressing gown

> Pajamas (x 2)

> Slippers

> 5 pairs underwear 

> 3 magazines

> A book (oh yes, you can tell I never gave birth before right?!!?)

> ipod

> Bag of quarters

> Snacks - pringles, cookies, granola bars, pretzles, mints

> Drinks - gatorade, vitamin waters etc and herbal tea bags

> Glucose tablets

> Wash cloth

> Massage oil

> Make up remover facial wet wipe things

> Comb and hair ties

> Mini shampoo and conditioner

> Mini shower gel

> Heavy duty pads

> Socks

> Babies going home outfit

> Babies blanket 

> Camera (x2)

> Blackberry

> Blackberry charger

> Wheat bag (one of those material bags that you heat in the microwave)

> Tracksuit bottoms and long sleeved tee for going home in

My husband brought the car seat on the day we left the hospital but its worth mentioning that we did need one (its the law in the USA so don't forget it!).  

If I were to do this again, I would not bother with the bag of quarters (I didn't even see a vending machine!!!) but everything else was used.

I had an emergency c-section so whilst I didn't really need the massage oils, wheat bag, face cloth etc for the laboring I did certainly use them during my four night stay.  The magazines were a nice distraction for times when the baby slept and my husband had popped out (the TV's in hospital are V. Small and also you need to pay for the normal channels, and to be honest I really didn't feel like watching anything) so celeb mags to flick through were just right.  

Having a few drinks and snacks on hand was also good because whilst the hospital food at Tisch was actually really fine, there are times when you are hungry and its not a meal time or you just need a normal snack.  I also drank some of the vitamin water during labor as my Ob Gyn allowed it.  Was definitely good to have some liquids aside from ice chips.

Following the c-section my body felt like it had been pulled apart and after a few days in bed and the removal of the epidural I was in quite a bit of achey pain despite the meds.  It was very comforting to have the wheat bag warmed up by my dear husband and placed under my spine, and then for him to rub my legs with the massage oil....so nice!!!

Ditto for bringing your own shampoo and shower gel, makes you feel human again and there was only soap in the hospital shower at NYU.  The towels are quite rough so if you are sensitive to that kind of thing and have space in your bag then a towel might be nice.

The blackberry/cell phone is also essential, was nice to text my husband at night and also connect with my friends.  NYU Tisch hospital actually has WiFi internet so my husband brought in our laptop and we were able to skype our family at home which was amazing!  Also meant that I could upload a pic of the baby and email it to all our friends.  

At NYU they provided quite a lot of stuff:

diapers (they were pampers swaddlers, really nice!)

cleaning stuff for the baby

baby blankets

baby hats

baby outfit (its like a little white tie-over top, our daughter just lived in these during our stay as she was swaddled up the whole time)

formula if you are using it

pads for mom

disposable underwear for mom (I actually LOVED the disposable underwear unlike almost everyone else I have spoken to...they are super comfortable especially after c-section and allow everything to breathe... I took about 10 pairs home and kept going with them for the first week!).

ice packs

breast pads

gown

My advice would be to think really carefully about what you need to take.  Most of the practical items are actually at the hospital anyway so I was personally happy that I had taken a few comfort items.  Also suggest not taking a huge bag... the rooms are pretty small (there are only four private rooms at NYU - we had to wait two nights to get one so don't bank on having loads of space to put your stuff!!).

Top item?  My own pillow..... :) 

Choosing a hospital for Labor and Delivery in Manhattan

One of the first things I realized I needed to do once I knew I was pregnant was to figure out the hospital I was going to give birth at.  Being from the UK I was unaware that you need to do this in synch with picking an OB GYN since different OB's have delivery rights at different hospitals.

My existing OB (Downtown Women in Soho) deliver at NYU Tisch.  

I decided to do a couple of hospital tours (yes, they really do them!) to suss it all out. 

We first visited St. Luke's Roosevelt Birthing Center and Labor & Delivery ward on the Upper West Side.  They do regular Maternity tours mainly in the evenings.  Here is the link:

http://www.nywomenshealth.com/birthing-center-maternity-tour-st-lukes-hospital-new-york.htm

You meet the tour guide in the main entrance lobby and then proceed to a conference room where some snacks and drinks are provided whilst the tour guide hands out some information packs and gives a quick overview.  You can also ask questions at this point and I would advise to do so - don't be shy!  Once you are walking around the hospital as part of a 30-strong group its harder to get the attention of the tour guide to ask your burning questions.

Once the Q&A is over, up you go to see the L&D areas.  We were shown a LDR room (Labor, Delivery and Recovery - essentially you get to stay in there from arrival at the hospital until you have delivered and have had a couple of hours to bond with baby/recover).  The rooms were very nice; large and spacious with pleasant decor.  Shower and toilet in each of these rooms and the medical kit was hidden behind wooden panelling.  Some rooms had good views over the Hudson.  

Next up we were shown a private room (for the rest of your stay once you have delivered and recovered in the LDR).  It was an ok size and pretty much similar in style to the LDR's but without all of the medical kit.  There are 6 private rooms at St. Luke's and like all the other hospitals they are on a first-born, first-served basis (you need to put your name down and then if one is available you will get it based on time of delivery).  I think the cost was $750 per night for the private room and obviously this is all out of your own pocket on top of the other expenses.  

We then made our way to the Birthing Center which is a kind of annexe to the main delivery ward at St. Lukes Roosevelt Labor and Delivery ward.  It has separate doors and a separate reception area.  This area was very quiet and calm and decorated slightly differently to the rest of the hospital, you did feel like you were somewhere else and not in a hospital.  There are 3 rooms in the Birthing Center and you stay in that room from arriving at the hospital to leaving the hospital.  They are equipped with toilet/bath facilities and also a fridge etc.  The reason you can stay in there the whole time is that they do not keep you in for the normal 2 days/4 days; the average stay in the Birthing Center is 16 hours our tour guide told us.  Usually this is because the ladies who give birth there stay at home to labor for longer and then they want to get home after a few hours if everything is ok with the baby and mother.

No drugs/pain medication or medical interventions are available in the Birthing Center.  I.e. if you want an epidural you should not really consider this as a viable option!  Of course, because the Birthing Center is actually 'in' the hospital in reality if there is a medical emergency or if you have a serious change of heart about a fully natural birth half way through then you are only minutes away from an O.R.  Although I think people rarely change their mind as you have to do a special preparation course before signing up to give birth at the Birthing Center.  And you would have been counselled by your OB who has to have special delivery rights to deliver you there (and fundamentally believes in natural birth I guess).

Overall - my thoughts on St. Luke's for Maternity care was that it seems like a full-service option: lots of choice!  I liked the idea of the natural birth in the Birthing Center but it being my first baby I realistically had no idea how it would pan out so thought I was better off leaving my options a bit more 'open' with a regular hospital birth.

We then checked out the NYU Tisch Hospital tour.  NYU Maternity unit is situated at 1st Ave and 31st St.  You can find out when the tours are here:

http://www.nyubaby.org/tour/

Once you enter the hospital you need to take the elevator to the Labor and Delivery area where you wait in the waiting room for the tour guide.  No snacks or info packs at NYU so take a drink and an energy bar with you if you are late in pregnancy and get hungry/thirsty easily!

The tour was pretty hands on and a smaller group than St.Luke's so asking questions as you went around was easy.  NYU Maternity also operates LDR's and they were practically identical to the ones at St. Lukes: large-ish rooms with own bathroom/shower, equipment hidden behind panels and large windows.  The tour guide demonstrated how the beds could be equipped with a birthing bar if you wanted to use one, and how they have bouncy balls for you to labor on if you wish.  She was thorough in showing us the workings of the bed and how they remove part of the bottom of the bed when the baby is coming out (and showed us the big lights that they turn on to get a good look!).  

We then were walked through the basic process when you have the baby.  After 2 hrs in the LDR they move the mother to the mother and baby unit whilst baby goes to the nursery to get cleaned up.  We were shown the nursery (there were babies in it!!) and were talked through the security measures they operate at NYU.  

Then up to the Mother and Baby unit.  There are 4 private rooms at NYU Tisch and again, first-come first-served basis.  The price is $525 per night out of pocket expense.  A little cheaper than St. Luke's but not much!!

The rest of the rooms are all shared (2 mothers per room).  They are pretty small I have to say (i.e. you can definitely reach out and touch the person in the next bed!!) but all had a bathroom so you are only sharing with one other person.

That was pretty much the tour at NYU Maternity unit.

In the end I decided to go with NYU as I liked my OB practice and they only deliver there, plus NYU is closer to my home.  For a hospital birth there didn't seem much of a difference between St. Luke's and NYU Tisch; once you got into the LDR's and rooms you could have been in either hospital.  They both have very high grade neonatal care units also and both have O.R's right next to the LDR's for emergency C-sections.  I think if you were keen on the all-natural route then probably you would need to consider the birthing center at St. Luke's. 

Introduction: New Mom in New York

I moved to Manhattan from London about two years ago and in March this year I had my first baby.  Being an obsessive, I researched every bit of my pregnancy, birth and beyond and found that some of the things I wanted to know just didn't exist.  Like a description of what it's really like to give birth at NYU.  Like how do you pick a stroller (do I really need a Bugaboo?!).  Like where to find a new moms group.  So I've decided to share everything I found out/am finding out in case it helps someone like me.  Hopefully I can divulge some helpful tips, pointers, share info and occasionally, just occasionally, give my opinon!