Questions about choosing an OB/hospital

kthappy76

I'm popping over from IF, so this may seem a bit cart b4 horse, but here's the deal...

I've been seeing the same gyne for the last 10 years and always thought that she would deliver my babies and at the hospital she is affiliated with.  Fast forward to our pre-conception visit two long years ago, and we find out she no longer delivers babies.  Ugh.  I went back to see her for my annual last year, as we still weren't pg and already w/an RE.  She didn't seem very concerned about my IF.  

Now I need to schedule my annual and since we are gearing up for IVF, there is actually a possibility that I may be pg sometime in the near future, so I think I might need to start thinking about finding a new OB/gyne who actually delivers babies.

Here's the problem.  The hospital that I always thought I'd deliver at is 30 miles from where we now live.  In Chicago traffic, that can be 30 mins or 2 hours.  A few years ago, we did maternity tours at said hospital as well as two others much nearer to our house.  While I'm sure the latter are perfectly adequate, the one downtown (where almost everyone in the city has their babies) is in a completely different league.  They have a huge brand new women's hospital and honestly it's a like a hybrid cutting edge hospital/lakefront luxury hotel.  I will likely only be doing this once, if I'm lucky.  Based on talking to friends/family, laboring in traffic is hellish.  I don't want to make a stupid decision because I love the hospital.

What would you do?  Keep on going to my current gyne b/c she knows me and has a partner who will deliver, or find another that delivers at the downtown hospital, or find a new OB/gyne that delivers at a local one?  TIA!

wiscgirl95

Honestly, I would find a hospital closer to home but make sure it has a NICU.  A hospital with a top NICU was my top priority when choosing.  My sister delivered a 8lb 40 weeker who unexpectedly needed 7 days in the NICU, another friend chose to deliver at a hospital without a NICU and spent the 1st 48 hours far away from baby.  You just never know. 

I assume you're talking about Prentice/Northwestern?  Prentice is nice.  No doubt about that, but that ride in could be horrendous if you live in the burbs.

Do you work downtown?  My SIL had the same dilemma.  Lives in Downers Grove but wanted to deliver at Prentice.  She decided to deliver there because she worked downtown and all her OB appts were downtown.  She knew she was facing a potential nigthmare if she went into labor at home, but she spent so much time downtown she figured it balanced out.  In the end, it was irrlevant as baby #1 was induced and baby #2 was scheduled c-section.

OscarQ

I can't comment on the traffic situation (although that hospital sounds fantastic and I might be willing to chance traffic for it) but I agree with the PP on going to a hospital with a great NICU.

I just switched OBs at the direction of my aunt who is a labor & delivery nurse with 30+ years experience.  I was all set to continue with my original OB who delivers at the hospital 5 minutes from my house but my aunt heard that my OB only delivers there and just shook her head no.  She wants me at a larger hospital more equiped to handle issues with me and the baby.

So I switched to a new OB who delivers at the larger hospital.  Depending on the time of day, it can take 45mins + to get to that hospital from my house (and I'll have to tolerate my DH's terrible driving skills) but it's worth it.  I know 45 mins does not compare to 2 hours.

kthappy76

wiscgirl95:

Honestly, I would find a hospital closer to home but make sure it has a NICU.  Thanks, good point.  One local hospital is level 2 going to level 3 soon, the other is level 2+ (w/link to Children's)

I assume you're talking about Prentice/Northwestern?  Yes.

Do you work downtown?  Not anymore.

nikinikinine

I'm not help with picking an OB, we've questioned our choice on more than one occasion. I can only tell you that I picked the hospital based on recommendations from others who had delivered there, the fact that they had a NICU (one of the best in the area), and the NICU was on the same floor as the maternity ward (i.e. I don't have to worry about being to upwardly mobile to get to see my babies!)

Our city is much smaller (obvs) but the hospital is like 20-25 mins away with no bad weather. I'm not overly worried about this.

For OB's we picked one that was recommended to us that delivered to this hospital. I like all but one of the OB's there and with my luck that will be the guy in the delivery room with me... 

OrangeSmoke

I went with the hospital that had a top notch NICU - For me, this meant driving from NJ to NYC to have my babies.  Cornell has a level 4 NICU and a great team of MFMs who I felt so comfortable with.

So depends on the time of the day, it was either a 45 min drive or 2 hours.  There was a level 3 NICU about 20 min from my house, but I didn't really *know* any OBs that delivered there. 

IT was all about giving my babies every opportunity.

(FWIW, my water broke at 7:15pm on a Monday evening, we made it to the hospital in 50 min.  DH was prepared to drive on the shoulder if necessary, figured no cop would give a laboring woman a ticket)

svp1537

I agree with wiscgirl, and I would stay close to home with a hospital that has a level 3 nicu.

I think Prentice is lovely too, but what if you got caught in bad weather and what is better known as YEAR ROUND construction season in Chicago! That is like 9 months of the year

DH and I had debated between Edwards (Naperville) and Good Sam (Downers). We live in Downers but he had heard so many great things about Edwards... I couldn't imagine sitting on Ogden or Maple Ave between Benet Academy and Illinois Benedictine or navigating through downtown Naperville during rush hour or lunch hour. We did it today. It took us 20 mins to get from Edwards to Ogden.

Stay near your house Find a new OB/gyn that will deliver you locally!

GenRN45

i'm going to differ from the group.... I'm a 7 year NICU nurse, and I'm delivering at a hospital with a level 2 NICU, not level 3. Granted I'm having 1 baby - and If I were having 2, my decision might have been different. But the 2 hospitals near me with level 3 NICUs also have L&D units that I wouldn't DREAM of having a baby on.

One of the hospitals I wouldn't take my worst enemy to, and the other (where I used to work), has an old old old unit and residents that deliver a lot of the babies. Additionally, if the unit gets busy, you have to share a post partum room - and I'm sorry. If there's one time in your life you should have a private room, it's post partum. If you're the person in the bed closer to the door, all of the other persons visitors have to pass your bed, no matter what you're doing, and if you're the person near the window, you have to pass the other person and all of THEIR visitors to get to the bathroom. Not to mention having to deal with someone elses baby and someone elses hygiene... no thank you.

Additionally, the quality of YOUR labor and delivery might significantly impact whether your child has to spend any NICU time at all.

For me, it was more important to have a doctor that I have absolute faith in that delivered at the hospital i wanted to deliver at. I was in a similar situation where my gyn no longer delivered, and she has a partner that delivers at the hospital where I wanted to have the baby. And as it turns out, she's the chair of the department. She's absolutely fantastic, and I have no qualms about delivering there. I have faith in the level II (as a NICU nurse, I know exactly what they're equip to handle), and worst case scenario, they're affiliated with the hospital where I used to work, and the baby (and myself) can always be sent there if necessary.

And the hospital where I'm choosing to deliver is an hour away.