Hotel Suite or a Hospital? Having My Baby at Medical City Plano
Lobster bisque. Creamy, warm, soothing. I slurped it slowly while snuggling into my comfy, plush bed. I gazed around the room, taking in its sleek design: the tiled walk-in shower with multiple bronze-finished shower heads, the spacious sitting area, the refrigerator stocked with the precise snacks and beverages I had requested.
I deserved this bit of luxury. After the day I'd had, I needed a break. Sleep was imminent, but before I dozed off, I was determined to finish my meal. After the soup came a giant steak with macaroni and cheese. Then a delectable slice of rich chocolate cake.
As I contemplated how the chef managed to make the frosting so smooth, I was gently pulled from my reverie by my nurse. She pediatrician and would need to nurse soon.
I snapped out of my Zen state and remembered: I wasn't in a hotel suite. I was in a hospital. Just four hours earlier, a tiny human had shot out of my nether region and I would soon be heading home with baby Solomon, toddler Jonah, and my husband, Jobin. There I'd be getting very little sleep and definitely no lobster bisque delivered at the push of a button.
There is a misguided notion that after giving birth, a woman wants to leave the hospital as soon as possible and return home. Not this woman. At home, I had laundry waiting and a scale reminding me of the 30 pounds of baby weight I had to lose. At home, my husband and I would become zombies as we returned to work, managed the household, and cared for two small children, all on less than six hours of sleep. Every. Single. Night.
After 20 hours of labor, I wanted to take a vacation. I wanted to be pampered. I wanted a shower. And after nearly a day of nothing but Popsicles and ice chips, I wanted a burger or a steak or a cookie or maybe all three.
The suites at Medical City Plano perfectly bridge the gap between hospital and home. They are like a mini vacation between the surreal birthing experience and the cold hard reality of life at home with a newborn. Except for nurse and doctor visits, it would have been easy to forget that I was in a hospital.
Our suite had a nice large bed right next to mine for my husband. Our food was no additional charge, and we could order as much of it as we wanted. And it was delicious. Like, "this lobster bisque is so yummy I would seriously consider getting pregnant again just to have another shot at it," delicious.
The spacious seating area was perfect for any guests who visited. Our toddler was much more at ease walking into a standard-looking living room, where he was given a carton of ice cream from the fridge and plopped onto a couch, than he would have been entering a normal hospital room with devices and wires nearby his precious mama.
Every single staff member who entered our suite was respectful and kind. They coordinated with each other well and followed our lead regarding my pain management and treatment of our newborn. When Solomon nursed practically nonstop for a five-hour stretch on the second night, the nursery nurse stood by my side for an hour helping to maintain his latch while my post-partum nurse replenished my water bottle and brought me snacks.
I am confident that every post-partum patient at Medical City Plano receives this excellent level of care. The staff who cared for us — from initial check-in at labor and delivery to check-out with our bundle of joy — was professional, pleasant, and generous. But let's be honest. Even the best medical care seems a little nicer when it's delivered in the lap of luxury.
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