Creating Your Ideal Hospital VBAC Environment

Picture this: You’ve found a supportive provider, built your dream birth team, done your research and educated yourself. You’ve decided on a hospital birth and are so ready for your VBAC. You’re waiting for labor to start spontaneously and plan to stay home as long as possible. But how will you make a seamless transition from your house to the hospital? 

Making the decision to move from home to hospital can be difficult, but once you finally make it, you want things to move quickly and smoothly. Getting in the car, driving to the hospital, being evaluated in triage and settling into a labor room can feel daunting. And things that are daunting during labor can often cause stress, discomfort, frustration and… labor stalls, all things we want to help you avoid.

So, what can you do to make the usually monotonous evaluation and typically stale hospital room feel a bit more… safe, comfortable and personal?

Allow me to share some favorite tips for creating your ideal hospital VBAC environment. Stick around because you’ll love hearing from our team of VBAC moms and doulas as well as members of our online community. 

Prepare before labor

Our first tip is to do as much beforehand as possible. 

• Remember that who will be accompanying you in the labor room will have a major impact on your birth experience. Your partner, doula and anyone else who will be there should be unconditionally supportive, safe and loving. We’ve seen moms ask their doulas to escort a mother-in-law or sister out of the room because they just weren’t offering a calming, supportive presence. Be sure you consider those things beforehand so you’re not making decisions and having difficult conversations last-minute.

• Share your birth plan with your provider (and ask them to scan it into your chart). 

• Sometimes you can also call ahead to complete insurance and personal health information-related paperwork. 

• Once you’ve made the decision to move from home to the hospital, call your provider and tell them you’re on your way.

Avoid unnecessary interventions & evaluations

Getting to the hospital is usually accompanied by a barrage of questions and evaluations. Nurses have to ask all of the details about your personal health, pregnancy and how labor has progressed. Your nurse or provider will usually ask you to change into a labor gown, get an IV placed, start fluids, have a cervical exam and possibly other interventions. Our best advice – avoid as much of these things as possible (if not medically necessary for you). Do everything you can to stay in a positive mental state and laboring zone.

• Have your partner be the main source of information and communicator.

• Wear earbuds with your birthing affirmations or playlist to drown out the excess noise.

• Wear an eye mask to avoid seeing the entrance of the hospital or anything else that might stress you out in the triage room. 

• Know that you can always say “No, thank you,” to things like a hospital gown (keep reading for our favorite personal labor attire), IV placement, fluids and cervical exams. In most cases, these are unnecessary and always, always your choice. 

Set the tone

If you don’t have a plan, your hospital room will likely stay stale and sterile. Be on the same page with your partner and doula to set the environment YOU want in your room (doulas are usually really good at this anyway). Here are some things to consider when planning your ideal environment…

• What do you feel most comfortable wearing?
• Do you want natural daylight, darkness or dim lighting?
• What background noise do you prefer – silence, white noise, music, tv? 
• Are there any scents that bother you? Any scents you’d like filling the room? 
• What items help you feel most like yourself (i.e. pictures, blankets & pillows, water bottle)? 
• Are there any words or phrases that you want to see while you’re laboring?

Another way to set an immediate tone (something I’ve done for one of my clients), is to create a graphic that matches your vibe, print and tape it to your hospital room door. It might be colors, pictures or words that describe what you’re going for and can totally help anyone entering understand how you want the room to feel. 

Pack the essentials

Once you’ve thought through the questions above to really hone in on your birth vibe, check out our list of favorite products that can truly help you achieve your ideal environment.

• Labor gown – It’s not necessary but many moms prefer to wear their own clothes. The comfort of having something that feels and smells like you can truly help calm your mind and progress labor. 

• Eye mask – This can help you stay focused and block out anything that may cause stress or distraction – bright lights, machines, wires, etc. It can also help you rest during early labor, in between contractions and after baby is born. 

• IV cover – We love this trick. Yes, it’s a dog bandana, but it doubles as a way to hide the IV or heplock and give you a boost of encouragement. 

• Labor socks – The hospital has some, but why not bring your own? Again, wearing your own things can make you feel more like your capable self and less like a patient. 

• Flameless candles & Twinkle lights – It is normal for mammals to instinctively gravitate toward dark spaces to give birth. When we think about evolution, it makes sense. Asking for the lights to be dimmed and creating a soft ambiance with pretty flameless candles and string lights can be so calming. Having a few of these in the bathroom can be especially helpful so that you don’t have to turn on the bright lights every time you sit on the toilet (hello, dilation station!) or spend time in the tub. 

• Essential oils & Diffuser – Oils are a great way to introduce familiar scents and / or cover up unfavorable smells. If you know you’re going to love something particular, a diffuser is fine (if the hospital permits), but we recommend starting by just putting a few drops on a washcloth and wafting it around the room. That way it can easily dissipate if you decide you don’t like it (which can definitely happen in labor!). Here are a few to consider that can really make an impact:
  • Peppermint for nausea
  • Lemon for energy
  • Clary sage to help progress labor
  • Eucalyptus for feeling stuffy or tired
  • Frankincense for getting re-grounded
  • Lavender for calming stress

• Earbuds and / or Wireless speaker – Background noise can definitely influence your birthing experience. The beeping of the monitors, the opening & closing of the door, the drip of the faucet… these things can get real annoying when you’re trying to focus on each contraction. Consider bringing some earbuds or a wireless speaker to play white noise, birthing affirmations, positive birth stories or a personally curated playlist (here are a couple to get you started).

• Framed pictures – Nothing feels more like home than having pictures of the people, pets and things you love most. Use as much space as you’d like to decorate and add your personal touch. Pictures of big kids, animals, favorite memories, places you love and more can truly help you feel more calm and present.

• Birthing affirmations – Last but not least, post your favorite birthing affirmations everywhere in the room! Whatever messages speak life, positivity, strength and connection, those are the things you want flooding your mind during labor. Order a set, write them out on sticky notes or print out pretty graphics. Whatever you decide to do, adding affirmations to your environment can be a game-changer. 

For more of our favorite hospital bag must-haves, check out Hospital Bag Checklist: What to pack when planning your VBAC for full descriptions + a downloadable checklist!

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Creating a hospital environment that feels safe, comfortable, relaxing and as much like YOU as possible can have a major impact on how your labor feels and progresses. Whether you end up laboring for a few minutes or many hours, you deserve a space that makes you feel empowered. We hope this helps. 

As always, I’ll leave you with this affirmation and reminder…