Questions to Ask When Choosing a Hospital

Am-Sino Healthcare
May 30, 2025

“I really didn’t know what questions to ask when I decided where to have my baby. I looked around, but without understanding my options in birth yet, I really just chose a place with a good price and proximity to my home. Now that I’m 30 weeks pregnant, I realise there are things I should have asked that would have influenced my choice.”

This is a real conversation I had with a client and it is all too common. Choosing a place to have your baby in can be overwhelming, and unfortunately, it’s something you often need to do quite early in the pregnancy*, before you’re had a chance to think about your birth and parenting preferences!

Let us take some of the difficulty out of it with our list of questions to ask your hospital …and if you are interested comparing our answers to these questions you can check them out check them out here:

*If you are questioning your choice, know that we can help with a transition plan including potential financial accommodations.

Prenatal Care

What is your prenatal care schedule?
What is included in your prenatal care package?
Are there any common costs outside of the package?
What is the rate of women being transferred out of your care to ICU or Specialist Maternity Hospitals?
Do you offer prenatal birth and parenting workshops? Who teaches them, and is there an added cost? When are they held, and is my partner invited to join them?
What kind of pregnancy support or information do you provide to patients (outside of the doctor consultations)?

Birth

What is the price for vaginal birth, what does it include and is there a discount if I pay this myself instead of using insurance?
Will my primary doctor be there when I have my baby? (if not, who?)
Does it cost more to have the doctor of my choice at my birth? Do I need to schedule my birth to have my primary doctor there?
Is my doctor licensed in China to do maternity care and deliver babies?
Do you have an emergency call number providing emergency pregnancy, labour and birth help in English?

Vaginal Birth

Do you have doulas to help in labour? Is there an extra charge for this service?
Who can enter the room with me for labour and birth? (is there a maximum number of people?)
What is the epidural rate in this hospital?
What other pain-relief options due you offer?
Do you support water-immersion for pain relief? Is it in a birth tub or shower? Are there any restrictions? Is there an extra cost to this?
May I walk around and move freely in labour (even after my water breaks?
Are there restrictions on what I can eat and drink in labour?
Is baby’s heart rate and my contractions monitored continuously in labour or intermittently?
What birthing positions do your doctors support? Are the experienced in helping the baby come out of me in those positions, or is that only for the earlier pushing times?
What is the episiotomy rate? What is the perineal tear rate (for each degree of tear?)
Do you do skin-to-skin (with mother) during Vaginal Births? How long do babies spend doing skin-to-skin? How long after the birth will the baby be moved to the pediatric table for their first exam?
Do you do delayed cord clamping? How long do you delay clamping for (Seconds? Minutes? Or until the cord completely stops pulsing)?

C-section

What is the C-section rate of your hospital? What is the C-section rate of the individual doctors?
Who can enter the operating room with me if I need a C-section?
Do you do skin-to-skin (with mother) during C-Sections? How long do babies spend doing skin-to-skin? Is the baby examined on the pediatric table first?
Do you allow delayed cord clamping in c-sections?
Do your doctors support External Cephalic Version technique to turn breech babies to avoid a caesarean delivery

Postpartum

Is the hospital postpartum care for myself and my baby given primarily by nurses or yuesao (nannies- not medically trained)?
Do you arrange for transport back to my home? Do you have a baby car seat to use for this service?
When will I have to come back to the hospital? When does baby come back for follow-up? Are these visits included in the birth package?

Neonatal and Pediatric Care

What kind of NICU care does your hospital have? (can parents enter? can parents sleep in the same room as baby undergoing treatment? What are the prices for this care?)
What is the percentage rate of babies being admitted to your NICU?
What are the reasons a baby would be transferred out of your hospital to the tertiary children’s hospital NICU? What is the percentage this occurs? Which hospital do you transfer to?
Will you arrange a nurse to go with father and baby during the ambulance transfer to help translate and register at the Children’s hospital?
Do you have fulltime international pediatricians to follow my baby throughout their first years?
Is there an opportunity to meet with these pediatricians now/soon?

Breastfeeding

Do you have Certified Lactation Specialists on staff?
How often will I be visited by a Lactation Specialist (other than the postpartum nurses and midwives) during my stay?
What percentage of babies will be exclusively breastfeeding at the time they discharge from the hospital?
Is there a lactation consultant available to consult with after I leave the hospital? Is a post-discharge Lactation Consultation included in my birthing package?

Logistics

What is the process for applying for a Birth Certificate? Can this be issued everyday?
Do you accept my insurance for Direct Billing? Are there any costs that can’t be covered by my insurance?
If I am insured but pay a package- at what stage will I receive the documentation so I can claim this package back from my insurer?

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At Am-Sino International Women’s Health and Birth Center, we pride ourselves on providing compassionate, comprehensive, and culturally sensitive care to women of all ages.

Our bilingual team of experienced obstetricians and gynecologists offers a full spectrum of services, from routine health check-ups and prenatal care to advanced treatments for complex gynecological conditions.

In our comforting birth center, we strive to create a safe, supportive, and personalized environment for you to welcome your baby, respecting your choices and preferences throughout your birth journey.

From adolescence to menopause, and from contraception to parenthood, we prioritize individualized care, empowering you to take control of your health, wellness, and reproductive journey.