As you approach your due date, your hospital may ask you to come in for a pre-admission interview. The pre-admission interview should be done early enough that you are not in danger of missing it (by having your baby a little early), and late enough in the pregnancy that you will be able to remember all the information you will be given. The name “interview” is a little misleading. Even though part of the interview involves the staff member asking you questions, a great deal of time is spent providing information and it may also include a tour of the labor and delivery ward. Overall, the purpose of the pre-admission interview is to make sure the hospital has all of your information ahead of time, to ensure that the hospital understands your wishes concerning your care and your birth plan if applicable, and to inform you about the hospital’s policies and the birthing process from admission through discharge.
The staff member conducting the interview will be extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of your hospital birth and should be able to answer just about any question you have. The pre-admission interview is the perfect opportunity to bring your list of questions: from when you should come to the hospital, to what you will be allowed to eat, or how long you will have to stay after you have the baby. There is no such thing as a dumb question. You will probably get a tour of the facility and go over the procedures for getting into the labor and delivery ward when you go into labor. Some hospital’s have separate entrances for laboring women, with special elevators and intercoms. These are the kinds of things you want to know about before you are in labor!
You should also be prepared to talk about your wishes concerning drugs, visitors, and other birth plan details. This information is not required at the time of the interview, but sharing these concerns with the staff member at the interview will help the hospital team prepare. For example, if you know you do not want a certain person in the delivery room with you, the staff member can put this in your file and the nurses will know not to let this person in ahead of time. Or, if you do not want drugs to be offered, you should tell the staff member at the interview rather than asking each individual nurse while you are in labor.
It’s likely you will need to bring identification and insurance information. All the paperwork will be filled out and signed at the interview, so that when you actually go into labor, you won’t have to worry about paperwork. When you call the hospital to schedule your interview, ask what you need to bring to the interview so you can be prepared. It’s possible that your doctor may provide you with the pre-admission paperwork and information for your hospital, as well.