General information
Name of the hospital:
Shaarei Tzedek
Address:
12 Bayit Street
Jerusalem 91031
Phone number:
02-6666666
Website:
http://www.szmc.org.il/
Tour:
Hebrew: Every Monday at 16.00
English: Every 1st Wednesday of the month at 16.00
French: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 16.00
Reception room
Are husbands allowed in?
Only when it’s not crowded. If it’s too crowded, the midwife will ask your
husband to wait for you in the waiting area. She will keep your husband updated.
In about 1.5 years, a new reception room is planned with small rooms for each woman
with more privacy, where you can have your husband with you at all times.
Are other support people
allowed in?
Only when
it’s not crowded.
What procedures are
performed?
* Triage,
they determine who is low risk and who is high risk.
·
They measure your blood pressure
·
A doctor will see you
·
They hook you up to the monitor.
·
It really depends on what you want; if you’re interested in an epidural,
they might give you a room in the L&D ward and hook you up to the monitor there.
What is the average
length of time spent in
the reception room?
30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the pressure.
What are the conditions
for being assigned to a
delivery room?
It depends on what you
want. If you’re interested in a natural birth, they are a little more reluctant
to give you a room right away. If you want an epidural, they tend to give you a
room faster and will start the procedure right away.
Labor and delivery rooms
How many rooms are
there?
There are 10 rooms now. In the next 6 months, another 2 rooms are planned
and in 2 years another 2. In total there will be 14-15 rooms.
What is their condition
and size?
The rooms look nice, with pink flower wallpaper. They are very spacy. The electronic
bed has a central place in the room, with the medical equipment and computers next
to it. Every room has a baby station where the baby gets his first check-ups after
birth.
There is a comfortable chair in every room,
and some extra chairs and a stool.
There is a curtain that can be closed around
the bed so that observant husbands can stay in the room during the actual birth
while observing modesty.
Is there a toilet and
bathroom in the room?
Yes, there is a bathroom with a toilet and shower in every
room. Two rooms have Jacuzzi jets in the shower.
Is there a stereo set or
television?
There are CD players in every room with discs. You can also bring your own CDs.
What other accessories
do they have?
There are birth balls
and squat bars.
How many women does
one midwife have under
her care at once?
No more than 2.
How many people are
allowed in the room
with you?
Unlimited.
Do they allow doulas?
Yes.
Do they give you a
standard Heparin lock?
Yes.
Do they have
intermittent monitoring?
Yes, for low-risk births. You will be monitored every 15
minutes for about 5 minutes. Towards the end of the birth it will be a little more.
What other standard
procedures do they
perform?
They give you a standard blood test which consists of a complete blood count and
determination of your blood group. They also perform vaginal checks every 2 hours
but they are flexible.
Is eating and drinking
allowed?
Yes, drinking without limit and they advise eating only light meals. There is an
ice cube machine and they advice the use of ice cubes.
What are the available
methods of pain relief?
Nitrous gas, Pethidine (‘tishtush’), Tramal, epidural. It
is possible to make an appointment with the anesthesiology department before the
birth to discuss your epidural options.
Can you hire a private
midwife or doctor?
Midwife no, doctor yes.
Are the midwives trained
in natural methods such as
reflexology?
Only 2
or 3 midwives have such training, most don’t. All midwives support natural childbirth.
What positions can you
deliver in?
All.
Is there a mirror?
Yes.
Do they perform
standard episiotomies?
No, they try to perform them as little as possible.
Do they cut the cord
immediately?
They usually
take their time with cutting the cord, they don’t do it right away.
Do you get a standard
pitocin shot after delivery?
Yes, but you can ask them not to.
Do they take the baby away
for check-ups?
They will leave the baby in
the room for about 20-30 minutes and then they take him/her to the nursery. If you
really insist, you might be able to keep your baby with you longer, and breastfeed
him/her.
Do they have a goy for
Shabat?
Yes.
Cesarean sections
Overall cesarean rate:
10%, which is one of the lowest
in
Israel
.
Is the operating room
next to the delivery rooms?
Yes.
Are support people allowed
in the OR?
Your husband is allowed to be with you if you’re having an elective cesarean. If
it’s an emergency, he is not allowed to be with you.
What kind of anesthesia
is used?
Usually spinal anesthesia and they add something to it so you won’t be in pain for
the next 24 hours. In some cases they use general anesthesia, but they really prefer
not to.
Do you have the
opportunity to bond
with your baby or
breastfeed in the OR
or recovery room?
No.
Maternity ward
What is the general
state of the rooms?
The rooms look nice and remodeled but crowded.
They were intended for only 2 ladies at a time, but in all the rooms they’ve added
an extra bed. There is a bathroom with toilet and shower in every room. You can
rent a television and a phone.
How many women
are in a room?
3.
Equipment in the rooms:
Every woman has a bed and a bedside table. There are also some (nursing)
chairs in the room.
Internet:
There is wireless internet downstairs on the 4th floor.
Rooming-In:
They have partly
rooming-in which means that the baby is in the nursery at night and in the morning
when he gets his medical checks, he/she is in your room the rest of the day.
Visiting hours:
16.00-19.00
Visiting hours for
husbands:
07.00-21.00
Is there a lactation
consultant on staff:
Yes, every day.
Length of stay:
48 hours for a normal
birth, 5 days after a cesarean.
Early check-out
options:
Some women check out after 6 hours and never even come to the maternity ward.
Kashrut:
Mehadrin.
Special meal options:
All special meals are available
on request.
Bottom line
-
This is a very good hospital to give birth at, as far as the L&D ward goes.
Midwives are very nice and flexible, and really want to give you the best experience
possible.
-
The rate of cesarean sections is very low, which means that they will only give
you one if absolutely necessary.
-
The maternity ward is very inflexible with its policies, especially when it comes
to baby care. If you have the chance, check out early.
Reviews
I was very pleased with the delivery room of Shaarei Tzedek. After a difficult few
hours in the reception area where I was almost sent home less then 12 hours from
the actual birth, I was given a labour room. A midwife was assigned to me and I
felt that she respected me from the start. Being that it was my first birth and
I wanted to do it naturally, I think she acted pretty cool about it. I felt that
she accepted that I wanted my doula by my side to advice me.
After the birth, it took me some time to deliver the placenta. Still, my wish not
to have the pitocin shot was respected and my midwife tried to help me deliver by
massage. When she realized that some parts had not come out, she informed me and
gave me the option of the shot. It made me feel like I was in charge of my own situation
which I appreciated very much. The midwife was also very sweet during the actual
labor. She massaged me and she tried to relax me with some very nice music. She
also made the effort to come and see me afterwards in the maternity ward to see
how I was doing.
Having had such a warm and respectful treatment during birth, I was quite shocked
to find out what the maternity ward was like. My baby had been taken for observation
so I was craving to see him, hold him and start to nurse. As soon as I was put to
bed, I got out of it again to go and see what about my little one. As I arrived at the nursery, I wasn't let in. They
said I had to urinate and eat something first. I hurried back to do as they said
and then returned and was let in.
My baby was lying in a warmed container where they checked his heart rate. I, of
course, had no idea what this was and wanted to know what was going on. Being only
a few hours after birth I was very emotional and cried while asking when I would
get to have him. A nurse told me angrily that if I cried, I would never get him.
This sent me into even worse sobs but the staff at the nursery simply refused to
give me any idea as to when I would get to be with my baby. I went to get my husband
but this didn't help. After anxiously waiting in my room the nurse that had been
so nasty to me, came with my son and she gave him over to us in a very rude manner.
No mazal tovs here! I didn't care about that at this point (I even called her an
angel for finally bringing him to me!) as I was so happy to finally have my baby
with me again. As it was Shabbat, my husband got to stay with me and they didn't
come to take the baby, so the first night was awesome. I had my baby and husband
with me against the rules simply because no one was checking and my roommate didn't
mind.
As Shabbat was over the schedule of babies in and out of the nursery started. At
certain times of the night they woke the mothers up to come and feed and then the
baby had to remain in the nursery and the mothers returned to their rooms. The nursery
consisted of a choir of constantly crying babies and I refused to have my son lay
there and cry. So I sat all night with him in the nursing room in a chair. The nurses
were very nasty to me about this and treated me as if I wasn't normal. They got
angry with me when I wanted to change my baby's diaper out of the set time for this
and that I wanted to do it by myself! I didn't care about them since I was happy
to see my baby sleeping and not crying like the other babies in the nursery. Even
though my roommate agreed for me to have the baby in the room, the staff refused.
The breastfeeding consultants were very kind and helpful but their message went
straight opposite to the policy of the nursery. I was supposed to breastfeed whenever
the baby asked for it as much as possible. That doesn't really work with set visiting
hours for the mothers at the nursery. As I sat through the night in the nursing
room, I heard many mothers complain that they had to leave without their babies.
They told me they simply didn't have the courage and power to do what I was doing.
I couldn't wait to get released from the hospital so that I could get some rest.
Having had such a bad end to a great start I am not sure I would like to give birth
there again. It was very hard to stay awake a whole night sitting after a birth.
I felt like they acted like robots, firm to their policy and I didn't feel any trust
in them at all. The delivery room was amazing though. Perhaps this was because I
came so prepared with great support. I will have to give a good thought as to what
to do the next time around. I know I want my doula but I am not so sure I want Shaarei
Tzedek.
I had both my births in Shaarei Tzedek and all in all was very happy
there. The only complaint is that they make you get on the bed during labor
and be monitored which was annoying because I felt like I needed to
stand. But I’m okay with that, because I was recently with my sister in
law at Bikur Cholim and she wasn’t monitored and the baby was born with
the cord around its neck and not breathing, and they said another few
minutes and it would have been too late chas veshalom, so I see the monitor’s importance.
Shaarei Tzedek is great after birth - like a hotel.
As much as I could rant on about this for pages, I don't have the time (my birth
experience was very recent...) so just a few points. I gave birth at Hadassah Ein
Karem the first time and then at Shaarei Tzedek. ST struck me as noticeably cleaner
and possibly more smoothly run, although the fact that they have no "rooming in"
is shocking to me. But mainly I wanted to say 2 things:
1. My husband with his anti-religious streak was initially put off by ST shabbat
and modesty procedures, but these proved to be no inconvenience at all and I'd like
to encourage anyone who has similar reservations to, well, stop being so silly.
2. I was released early on request, which was one of the most positive things about
the whole experience and I heartily recommend it to anyone who's not a first-time
mother and who hates hospitals and having to leave her baby in the nursery. The
morning after delivery I asked one of the nurses and she put me through the paces.
All the people I had to see, started out with a standard line about how they don't
recommend it, after which they
happily helped me with the procedure and I got out 23 hours after delivery.
Shaarei Tzedek I do not recommend at all!
One of the heads of the department is being sued for malpractice, and it’s a factory!
I had a private doctor there for my first birth, and it was a nightmare! Plus, they
do not let husbands, or labor coaches in the operating room. Not very nice! And
very traumatic for a first time mother.
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