Anne Arundel Medical Center vs Holy Cross

Haysbaby

These are our options!! Has anyone had any experience, more so with AAMC? I have a few friends who have delivered at HC and had nice things to say, we actually did a hospital tour of HC last night and it was nice, the L&D rooms are nice but the rooms you stay in after delivery are a bit dated. Our nurse at Kaiser (our ins provider) had such wonderful things to say about AAMC that now my DH is hellbent on that being our delivery hospital. The only issue I have with it, is being with Kaiser my OB is not licensed for AAMC only HC or Washington Hospital, so if I decide on AAMC i will have to change to an OB at the Annapolis Kaiser Center, which is about 35-40 min from my house and I dont think when I begin to do my weekly appts Im gonna like driving so far once a week. So my question I guess is AAMC is it really that amazing!!! Share your stories!!

hollace

I have friends that delivered at AAMC and seemed to like their experience.  To be honest though, at 28 weeks I would not think about changing OB's unless you moved.  Stick with your original plan.  Holy Cross births the most babies in MD each year, I wouldn't worry about the rooms.  It's a room.  Frankly, you're not really going to care once you've given birth you're going to have your eyes on getting out of the hospital and going home to start your new lives.  FWIW, I did not deliver at either hospital (or WHC) so there is no bias here whatsoever

 

 

WinesNot Whines

I had a great experience at Holy Cross. I don't think you're going to care how dated the recovery rooms are when you have a newborn baby to take care of! Unless AAMC has something in particular that you want that HC doesn't have, I think you'll be fine with HC.

Haysbaby

Thanks, I am not thrilled about switching at this point either, I was just curious since my husband thinks its so much more Amazing at AAMC, Im not worried about the room it was just an observation more so than a complaint. I was just curious if others did have really great things to say about AAMC as compared to Ann Arundle.

MrsPhilDunphy

I can't imagine a hospital being so much more amazing than HC that it would make me switch OBs in my third trimester. I delivered at HC and it was perfectly fine. If your doc already delivers there, I don't know why you'd go out of your way to go somewhere else.

hollace

I can tell you this, when places renovate, and this is true of all things, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, etc. people think oh it's oh so beautiful they must have the best_______(fill in the blank: care, rooms, food, etc.)  Its aesthetically pleasing and people will comment in high regard about how the place in amazing on first impression alone.  That's not to say they don't have amazing care.  I don't know enough about the place to even comment on that, and certainly hospitals are in the business of trying to provide the best care for people.   I just think sometimes the perception of something makes a bigger impact on people. 

Haysbaby

Thats why I was asking you guys if maybe you have had experiences with this place to say they had anything that was really good? This is our first, and I know that HC is a good place (from what I have heard) I was just curious if others had more experiences with the other option thats all. HC is just as far for me, its just I can continue to see my Dr at a Kaiser location close to me until delivery. The hospitals themselves are the same distance for me to travel to.

victoria1212

I did not deliver there but have known people who have and most say the hospital is pretty but the care is not so great.

Also, my sister and mom live in Annapolis and both have had emergency situations in the last year and the care at AAMC has been horrid.

Stick with HC.

ch ch ch chia

If you like your OB, I think it's really dumb to switch now.

I had a "meh" experience at HC... but, I recognize that it was an anomaly, since I delivered during the worst ice storm of the season, and a lot of the nurses were forced to work extra shifts, because of the weather.  Otherwise, my experiences with HC have been generally positive.

vtkgirl77

I had a great experience at HC in every aspect. The nurses were wonderful and the postpartum care was top notch in my book. I've delivered 2 babies there and both times I was there for 3 days. One thing to consider is that they have a level IIIB NICU, god forbid something go wrong. That gave me peace of mind.

Regarding your doctors, if you are currently seeing a Kaiser OB at a Kaiser center, then I don't think there's a guarantee that the OB you've been seeing for your prenatal appointments is going to do your delivery. I have Kaiser and my doc told me that whichever Kaiser doctor was on call for HC when I went into labor (or had my c-section for #2) would be the one to deliver my baby. With that being said, I think that if Kaiser doctors deliver at AAMC, then you should be able to continue seeing your current OB but deliver at AAMC by whichever doctor is on call at AAMC. So, I would discuss this more with your doctor or call your insurance company to better understand your options if you really want to deliver at AAMC.

Also, FWIW, I was nervous about delivering with a doctor that I might not know but it turned out fine both times. With the electronic medical records, they have all of your medical information and all of the doctors I've met at Kaiser have been excellent. 

 

Haysbaby

vtkendra:

I had a great experience at HC in every aspect. The nurses were wonderful and the postpartum care was top notch in my book. I've delivered 2 babies there and both times I was there for 3 days. One thing to consider is that they have a level IIIB NICU, god forbid something go wrong. That gave me peace of mind.

Regarding your doctors, if you are currently seeing a Kaiser OB at a Kaiser center, then I don't think there's a guarantee that the OB you've been seeing for your prenatal appointments is going to do your delivery. I have Kaiser and my doc told me that whichever Kaiser doctor was on call for HC when I went into labor (or had my c-section for #2) would be the one to deliver my baby. With that being said, I think that if Kaiser doctors deliver at AAMC, then you should be able to continue seeing your current OB but deliver at AAMC by whichever doctor is on call at AAMC. So, I would discuss this more with your doctor or call your insurance company to better understand your options if you really want to deliver at AAMC.

Also, FWIW, I was nervous about delivering with a doctor that I might not know but it turned out fine both times. With the electronic medical records, they have all of your medical information and all of the doctors I've met at Kaiser have been excellent. 

 

Thank you very much for your help and you are correct my OB told me she probably will not be the one delivery our son because it would be whoever is on call which is why switching was not the worst "or dumbest" thing in the world to me. I knew that already and I also love Kaiser I just more so had questions about the 2 hospitals and others experiences which may help my decision in where to deliver. I appreciate your helpful response!!

mssaint

I also delivered at HC and had a good experience. I was pretty hellbent on delivering there as it is very close to my house, but it was a good choice beyond location. My LO was born 1 month early and it made it so much easier for me knowing they had a Level IIIB NICU if it was needed.

TheMakals

My brother and his wife delivered at AAMC in Dec!  It was an AWESOME hospital, I use to live near there so I have taken my daughter there numerous times.  It is a really good hospital.  I have had friends delivery at HC as well, and both are GREAT!

I think this comes down to, your comfortability.  It is so far in your pregnancy to do the switch, not to mention the short length of time between your appts as you get closer and that 40 minute drive will become cumbersome.  I think that you should just stick it out.  The rooms, like previously mentioned, will not be a concern, besides, all WILL go well, and you will not really be in the room longer than 24 hours!!