A trip to the maternity ward

During my time in Thailand, I have done some work at the local hospital - HIV/AIDS meetings as well as some work in the labor, delivery and maternity wards. Because I plan to study midwifery after my time in Peace Corps, I am especially interested in observing and helping with day to day activities in the maternity ward and labor room.

I don't have any pictures of the labor room, but essentially, the women lay in beds in a room that has about 10 beds, until they are fully dilated and ready to push. At this point, they move her into the delivery room. I won't go into gory details for those of you uninterested in this process, but I'll suffice it to say that I have been surprised by the impersonal treatment women receive. No family members (even the mother) are allowed into the ward. Usually there are a few family members that sit and picnic (as nothing here is complete without food) in the hallway outside the door to the maternity ward while they wait. I get the impression that most women labor for quite some time at home before going to the hospital, so I don't think that the families have to wait very long.

After the baby is born and the mother and baby have been tended to, they are taken down to the maternity ward (on the floor beneath the labor room). This room is similar to the labor room in that there are about 10 beds side by side where the mothers stay.


Generally mothers stay here for about 2 days before they are discharged and are frequently visited by other family members. They learn to bathe the baby (if it is their first) and are given a (very short) reminder talk about nutrition and health for themselves and their child.

Babies with special conditions (Jaundice shown here) stay with their mothers in another room that has physical walls surrounding it.
Nurses tend to these patients daily, as they are staffed in this ward around the clock. They stay in the nursing station (below) most of the time and make their rounds to check on all the mothers and newborns.

In this same ward, is the pediatric unit.

A similar set up, but with bigger children. I wish they had more stickers and balloons to brighten the children's days, but at least they usually have at least one family member with them at all times.

The major surprise for me was that the pediatric unit was right next to the maternity ward

divided only by a quarter wall and curtains. It seems to me that this could be quite dangerous for the newborns. However, the Thais don't seem to give it a second thought. Interesting!