smallsquirrel

My post about The Cradle stirred up a lot of questions and discussion about various issues. I am really happy to see that people are still going to that post and asking all kind of things!

Since many people had asked specifically about what it was like to actually deliver at The Cradle, I thought I would take the time out to write about my experience.

I was scheduled to go in at 8 PM to be induced. I was met in the reception area and promptly showed to my room. No waiting around, no checking to see if the room was ready. It was, with my name and my husband’s name right on the door!

We settled in nicely and someone came round to make sure we had what we needed. What I needed was food. One nice thing about The Cradle is that for a small fee you can also arrange to have your attender’s meals delivered from the canteen at the same time as yours, or they can order food a la carte when they want. The food selection for patients has a bit more variety than for attenders, but you can count on standard Indian fare… dosas, idlies, meals, chappathis, rice, curd, fruit, etc., as well as sandwiches, soups, coffee/tea and fresh juices and milkshakes. The food is not over the top delicious, but it is solidly nutritious and edible. If you are a patient, a dietitian will come and plan your meals out with you according to your health needs and your tastes.

Anyway, my obstetrician came and checked on me and started the induction process. I brought my OB with me from a different hospital (thru prior arrangement with Cradle administration), but I found the consulting OB staff at Cradle to be amazingly good… personable, caring and very thorough and knowledgeable. I would have been comfortable having any of them as my own OB.

Induction failed, and per previous discussions with my OB and the Cradle staff I was prepped and moved to the OT for a C-section. The OT is of a normal size and well-equipped. I felt as comfortable as anyone would feel walking into a room to be prepared for a procedure (which is to say I was terribly nervous), but again the nursing staff and the docs all managed to be caring and attentive while doing their jobs without a hitch.

Post surgery I was attended to by a host of doctors and nurses. One thing I can say is that they have adequate nursing staff on hand at all times. The nurses almost always come in the room in groups of 2, and they are well trained and good at their jobs. I have terrible veins and these women managed to successfully insert a cannula into my hand on the first go (those little plastic ports used to give injections and IVs so they do not have to prick you separately each time) where in other hospitals an anesthesiologist or phlebotomist was called in to do it instead.

The nursing staff and the personalized attention they give patients is one of the big bonuses of The Cradle. In other hospitals the sisters run in and out quickly, usually because of their patient load. Here the nurses will stay to make sure you are comfortable, and will answer any questions you have. They will even take time out to give you a lesson in swaddling your baby or giving them a bath.

During my stay at Cradle I was seen by the duty OB a number of times a day. Also, a very friendly physiotherapist came by a number of times to discuss proper exercise post-discharge, and ways that I could help my own recovery. The dietitian came back to discuss healthy eating and nutrition. And the baby was examined at least once a day, if not more, by a pediatrician/neonatologist. All of this served to ease my mind about my own health and the health of my newborn. At intermittent times other hospital staff dropped by to make sure I had everything I needed.

As I mentioned before the rooms are well appointed. They keep them spotlessly clean, and the housekeeping staff is friendly. There are toiletries for your use in the bathrooms (soap, toothbrush/paste, shower cap, shampoo), nice plush towels and a bathrobe. The Cradle also supplies gowns for patients and they aren’t the usual crappy ones that tie in the back and leave you feeling exposed. Patients are supplied with brightly patterned gowns resembling the ones that most Indian housewives wear at home, but with a bit more style.

Part of the package is that your baby receives a number of screening tests and immunizations. This is really a great help as it saves you from having to remember to ask your pediatrician to do them later. Another HUGE bonus is that the Cradle takes care of the municipal birth certificate for the babies born there. In my book, this is an amazing perk. If you have to do it yourself you have to go with both parents to the proper office, stand in a queue, and engage in God only knows what to get the paperwork processed. And it takes weeks. Cradle has a clerk who does all the work for you, and in a week or two you go back to the Cradle itself to pick it up. No hassles! Amazing!!!

Some asides… The Cradle houses a Barista that stays open late in case you or your attender gets a craving for a smoothie, a cappuccino or a muffin. They also have a store called Blues and Pinks on the lower floor where you can buy anything from car seats, to baby bottles, to a cute little going home outfit for baby. If you forgot a blanket to bring baby home in, or want to buy a snazzy imported diaper bag, you can head here. Word to the wise… some of the things, such as diapers, breast pumps, etc. can be bought at the pharmacy adjacent to the Barista on the first floor at a lower price. Check there first. Also, both the pharmacy and Blues and Pinks deliver home in case you forget something important or run out later!

Did I find anything wrong with the Cradle? Not much. A few minor things. First of all the doctors and nurses don’t wear name tags of any kind. When you are first introduced to them, chances are you are either in pain or a bit drugged, so you end up forgetting who is who. For the first 2 days I confused half the duty docs. Plus the nurses never tell you their names unless you ask, and I felt weird just calling them “sister” since they were doing so much for me. What else? Well the trays that you eat off of just rest on the bed railings instead of being something on wheels. This is kind of inconvenient, because if the tray is left on the bed, someone has to come clear it or you’re trapped in bed! I felt odd asking the nurses to do that… so if my attender was gone I was in a bind. Also there is really nowhere in the room for the attender to eat comfortably, as the only side table is heavy and not moveable. And I found that the hall lights at night were sometimes left on, making the room unbearably bright… so we had to ask the nurses to turn them off. Those are my biggest complaints… all very minor considering! Oh, and I told the dietitian that I hate cut apples and I got them with every dinner.

So all in all, especially after my experience there, I would highly recommend the Cradle to anyone deciding where to give birth. You’re not going to get this quality of medical and personal attention for your money at any other hospital in Bangalore.