"Birthing in the water was one of the ultimate experiences of my life. The pool we used was perfect and easy and made all the difference. Thank you water birth israel!!!!" Chaya
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"בריכה איכותית ביותר. דליה הייתה מקסימה ועזרה מאוד. שירות מכל הלב. ממליצה בחום!" Nicole |
Amazing photoshoot by Rebecca Sigala of a water birth in one of our pools x
click here to see all of the pictures and read Ruth's birthing story :)... "in birth, my power truly astounds me. I am completely astonished at my raw strength and intuition to birth without any interference" |
"The water felt phenomenal. Bathtubs are fabulous but the spaciousness and depth of a birth pool enveloped and welcomed me" Sarah |
"I really enjoyed my labor with the pool. Unfortunately I couldn't give birth in water, however one of the best moments was when I got into the water and all the strong sensations (i don't like the word "pain") disappeared. I felt relaxed and enjoyed the work we (me and my baby) did together :)" Adel |
"Hi! Even though I didn't give birth at home in the pool as i planned, i still benefitted a lot from having it around before and after the birth: its so relaxing while getting through the last couple of weeks of pregnancy and it is so soothing afte birth when the body needs a huge nature's caressing care! Very glad to have had it around that critical period of life!! Thanks 🌺" Ayelet |
"The birth pool was amazing for my labour and birth. It was really easy to assemble and disassemble. We had the smaller pool was it was very big and extremely comfortable to labour in." Cara |
"Hi Delia, BH i had a baby boy on sunday evening. The birth was the most amazing, beautiful, therapeutic experience that happened to me in my life! The pool was fantastic." Hadassa
Praise for St Josephs Hospital, Jerusalem - Our secret find
They have two of our pools permanently available!
"So, I just gave birth to my second child, on Wednesday morning. After much deliberation, we chose to give birth at St Joseph Hospital- and I had told many of you that I would report back on the experience.
I will not lie, at first I was a bit nervous about giving birth in an Arab hospital, as an Israeli (modern) Orthodox Jew... But truly, never in my life have I ever received such quality, professional, amazing, kind, respectful medical care - not in the US or here. It far surpassed any of my expectations.
My birth was really really fast, so I feel like I missed out on a lot of the luxurious perks of St Joseph's (like their birth pools etc), but the care that I received was so beyond anything I've ever experienced before.
I had been in touch with Sister Valentina (the head midwife) for a couple months before the birth, and I called her when I realized that I was in labor and then again also as I was on my way in (in very active labor). She actually sent a midwife out to meet me in the entrance. I arrived at the hospital nearly ready to deliver, and the staff accurately assessed the situation and bypassed all the standard procedures, and simply ushered me into the delivery room. They never once touched me without asking my permission first.
I gave birth within minutes of arriving in the delivery room. They caught my baby, helped me onto the bed, and handed her to me. They asked me if I would like to cut the cord then or leave it for a little while. There was no rush, no pressure.
After we decided it was time to cut the cord and both me and the baby were assessed, they just allowed us to stay there, in the gorgeous, spacious, private, nicely lit delivery room and bond. They brought us tea and a beautiful spread of kosher dairy breakfast foods. They actually let me stay there for almost 3 hours, before asking if I wanted to be moved to a recovery room.
No one tried to take my baby or do anything to either of us without my permission. They didn't try to push pain meds, petocin, IV fluids, antibiotics, or anything on us.
We were offered a standard double or a private recovery room. We decided to go with the private room, so that my husband and other child could potentially stay over with me. The private room was basically like a nice hotel room. When we got there, one of the nurses came in with what I assume to be about 1000 shekels worth of gifts for me and the baby: baby clothing, a robe, blankets, a baby walker, a sal kal, etc. We literally couldn't believe it.
All of the doctors and staff that we had met and worked with over the last couple months came in to congratulate us and say "hi", check in and make sure that we were being treated well. We felt incredibly supported. They ordered large kosher meals (from outside - tbh, I didn't check the heksher) with enough food for me and my family. They checked in on us often, but were very respectful of our privacy.
The neonatal nurses and midwives also were lovely. They made sure I understood what medical assessments and procedures they wanted to do and they respect my decisions. They even let us sleep through the night without waking us to take vitals till the morning.
They didn't love the fact that we were set on checking out early, but they let us do it without too much grief or stalling…
And get this… When we told him that we were going to leave early, they told me to make sure that I took advantage of their complementary salon before leaving… That's right. Complementary. Salon. They told me that it's standard practice there to offer to do the hair and nails of any woman who delivers in the hospital. I thought they were joking… They were 100 percent serious… I got a manicure before I left.
In sum, it was probably the most positive medical experience I've ever had in my life. And after my first (traumatic) birth in Bikur Cholim, St. Joseph's was basically like a spa.
We did not experience any judgment or prejudice or hatred for being religious Jews or Israelis. The medical staff were extremely experienced, kind, respectful, and professional. The facilities were beautiful, clean, spacious and comfortable. The aftercare was unbelievably good. They even gave me a manicure… If we are blessed with any more children, I will for sure only deliver them there.
Oh, yea- and it is 100% covered by bituach leumi"
Ateret Violet 2018
Ok! So we have had a few posts on here regarding St Joseph hospital. B”H these all featured uncomplicated deliveries and I really gained a lot by reading those reviews.
Now let me tell you how excellent the medical care is here, when things don’t go to plan. I’ll try and not use medical jargon. But I want to paint a picture of the excellent medical care here that I received.
I arrived at the hospital and hadn’t pre-registered. All my family have a very high pain threshold, so the receptionist who was busy dealing with another pt didn’t realize I was in labor. When she finished and we went to speak to her, she was so so apologetic and said why didn’t we say anything. She rushed me through to the drs whilst my husband sorted all the paperwork.
Even though just the day before my baby had been head down, when the dr felt my stomach, she couldn’t feel the head. She quickly did an ultrasound which confirmed baby was sideways. She quickly checked me and found I was fully dilated. Within seconds I was surrounded by a team of senior obgyns, anesthetists, midwives, nurses etc.
Usually this situation would warrant an immediate c-section. Seeing as I’m a resident obgyn, I asked about the possibility of trying to turn the baby between the contractions. I know this would not be attempted in most other hospitals. But they knew I understood the risks. I was rushed to the OR.
So in the OR the dr gently turned him between contractions and managed to get him head down without causing any rupture of membranes or other problems. They then in a careful controlled manner broke the water and guided the head down. The plan originally was to monitor for a bit and then move me to the labor ward for a normal delivery.
But of course my baby had other plans. The heart rate started going very low with every contraction, so they calmly got me to push him out very quickly.
B”H we had a healthy little boy. He was immediately put on me skin to skin for a few minutes, before he was checked by the pediatrician.
I know a c/s is not the end of the world, but I have had a previous cesarean before and with 6 other kids at home to look after I was not looking forward to the prospect of another one. I’m so pleased that my requests were listened to and I have only praise for the medical team’s skill and knowledge.
I’m still currently here. And all the staff, from nurses to cleaners etc are so polite, caring and respectful.
Sorry for the really long post. I hope it helps others in their decision making.
Rachel 2018
I will not lie, at first I was a bit nervous about giving birth in an Arab hospital, as an Israeli (modern) Orthodox Jew... But truly, never in my life have I ever received such quality, professional, amazing, kind, respectful medical care - not in the US or here. It far surpassed any of my expectations.
My birth was really really fast, so I feel like I missed out on a lot of the luxurious perks of St Joseph's (like their birth pools etc), but the care that I received was so beyond anything I've ever experienced before.
I had been in touch with Sister Valentina (the head midwife) for a couple months before the birth, and I called her when I realized that I was in labor and then again also as I was on my way in (in very active labor). She actually sent a midwife out to meet me in the entrance. I arrived at the hospital nearly ready to deliver, and the staff accurately assessed the situation and bypassed all the standard procedures, and simply ushered me into the delivery room. They never once touched me without asking my permission first.
I gave birth within minutes of arriving in the delivery room. They caught my baby, helped me onto the bed, and handed her to me. They asked me if I would like to cut the cord then or leave it for a little while. There was no rush, no pressure.
After we decided it was time to cut the cord and both me and the baby were assessed, they just allowed us to stay there, in the gorgeous, spacious, private, nicely lit delivery room and bond. They brought us tea and a beautiful spread of kosher dairy breakfast foods. They actually let me stay there for almost 3 hours, before asking if I wanted to be moved to a recovery room.
No one tried to take my baby or do anything to either of us without my permission. They didn't try to push pain meds, petocin, IV fluids, antibiotics, or anything on us.
We were offered a standard double or a private recovery room. We decided to go with the private room, so that my husband and other child could potentially stay over with me. The private room was basically like a nice hotel room. When we got there, one of the nurses came in with what I assume to be about 1000 shekels worth of gifts for me and the baby: baby clothing, a robe, blankets, a baby walker, a sal kal, etc. We literally couldn't believe it.
All of the doctors and staff that we had met and worked with over the last couple months came in to congratulate us and say "hi", check in and make sure that we were being treated well. We felt incredibly supported. They ordered large kosher meals (from outside - tbh, I didn't check the heksher) with enough food for me and my family. They checked in on us often, but were very respectful of our privacy.
The neonatal nurses and midwives also were lovely. They made sure I understood what medical assessments and procedures they wanted to do and they respect my decisions. They even let us sleep through the night without waking us to take vitals till the morning.
They didn't love the fact that we were set on checking out early, but they let us do it without too much grief or stalling…
And get this… When we told him that we were going to leave early, they told me to make sure that I took advantage of their complementary salon before leaving… That's right. Complementary. Salon. They told me that it's standard practice there to offer to do the hair and nails of any woman who delivers in the hospital. I thought they were joking… They were 100 percent serious… I got a manicure before I left.
In sum, it was probably the most positive medical experience I've ever had in my life. And after my first (traumatic) birth in Bikur Cholim, St. Joseph's was basically like a spa.
We did not experience any judgment or prejudice or hatred for being religious Jews or Israelis. The medical staff were extremely experienced, kind, respectful, and professional. The facilities were beautiful, clean, spacious and comfortable. The aftercare was unbelievably good. They even gave me a manicure… If we are blessed with any more children, I will for sure only deliver them there.
Oh, yea- and it is 100% covered by bituach leumi"
Ateret Violet 2018
Ok! So we have had a few posts on here regarding St Joseph hospital. B”H these all featured uncomplicated deliveries and I really gained a lot by reading those reviews.
Now let me tell you how excellent the medical care is here, when things don’t go to plan. I’ll try and not use medical jargon. But I want to paint a picture of the excellent medical care here that I received.
I arrived at the hospital and hadn’t pre-registered. All my family have a very high pain threshold, so the receptionist who was busy dealing with another pt didn’t realize I was in labor. When she finished and we went to speak to her, she was so so apologetic and said why didn’t we say anything. She rushed me through to the drs whilst my husband sorted all the paperwork.
Even though just the day before my baby had been head down, when the dr felt my stomach, she couldn’t feel the head. She quickly did an ultrasound which confirmed baby was sideways. She quickly checked me and found I was fully dilated. Within seconds I was surrounded by a team of senior obgyns, anesthetists, midwives, nurses etc.
Usually this situation would warrant an immediate c-section. Seeing as I’m a resident obgyn, I asked about the possibility of trying to turn the baby between the contractions. I know this would not be attempted in most other hospitals. But they knew I understood the risks. I was rushed to the OR.
So in the OR the dr gently turned him between contractions and managed to get him head down without causing any rupture of membranes or other problems. They then in a careful controlled manner broke the water and guided the head down. The plan originally was to monitor for a bit and then move me to the labor ward for a normal delivery.
But of course my baby had other plans. The heart rate started going very low with every contraction, so they calmly got me to push him out very quickly.
B”H we had a healthy little boy. He was immediately put on me skin to skin for a few minutes, before he was checked by the pediatrician.
I know a c/s is not the end of the world, but I have had a previous cesarean before and with 6 other kids at home to look after I was not looking forward to the prospect of another one. I’m so pleased that my requests were listened to and I have only praise for the medical team’s skill and knowledge.
I’m still currently here. And all the staff, from nurses to cleaners etc are so polite, caring and respectful.
Sorry for the really long post. I hope it helps others in their decision making.
Rachel 2018
Books we love...
BECOMING HOME
Melinda Chickering had an amazing home birthing experience in Bali and wrote it all up in a fabulous book. Buy her book here |
We'd love to publish your positive birth stories, pictures, art and videos here!
Please send them to [email protected] to inspire us all
Please send them to [email protected] to inspire us all