Delivery experiences at main Presbyterian?

mistresscox

Hi all,

I am considering getting pg with #2 soon but know I don't want to deliver the last place I did and am thinking I might like to deliver at the main Presbyterian hospital downtown in Albuquerque.  Has anyone delivered there?  What was your experience like?  I was looking a little online and it looks like you see an office full of ob/gyns for your pregnancy but then there are different ones that actually work in the hospital to deliver.  Is that right?  Or do you find an OB and they try to get to your delivery if possible?  Any tips/insight would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks! 

DaisyMom15

I'm 21 weeks and seeing Dr. Lebkuechner at Pres Main. You can select your OB but when it comes time to deliver, you get whoever is on duty at the time. I delivered my son at the old Gibson Lovelace so no experience yet with Pres Main. So far, my husband and I really like Dr. L and the nurses/staff. She's very patient, great bedside manner and involves both me and my husband. I've always been happy with all the care I've received from Pres Main. The only drawback is that their financial department will not do reductions on bill payoffs (important if there are complications, etc) like UNMH does. They will do payment plans though.

mistresscox

Thanks Daisy!  I will have to see if I can get an appt with Dr. L and see what info I can get.  Do they take turns rotating through delivery?  Like is there a chance you will get Dr. L for your delivery?  I'm just wondering because if it's a completely different group of docs then I wonder if I could get pre-natal care elsewhere (aka closer to home).  After you deliver will you come back and let me know how it went?  I'm sure I'll still be debating by then lol!  GL with the rest of your pregnancy!

sterfehr

I delivered DS at Lovelace on Montgomery but will deliver this baby at the new Presbyterian hospital in Rio Rancho. I specifically choose a doctor in Rio Rancho (we live in ABQ but I work in RR) so I could deliver at the new hospital. I do know that both Pres Main and the new hospital rotate doctors and midwives and you get who's on call to deliver that day. I am with a practice of midwives and have met several of them. I'm ok with any one of them delivering me though.

runnergirl326

This is a great question, as I have wondered the same thing.

My SIL gave birth to neice #1 at Lovelace, and neice #2 at Pres downtown. She did mention that she loved everything about Pres, and they really took care of her - which is why I am also considering there.

As a side note, they have a post-labor menu, kinda like room service, that you can call and order anything off the menu and have it delivered to the room. She ordered a burger and fries and it was really good...better than just cafeteria food. It was also delivered within a half hour. 

 Hope this helps!

DaisyMom15

Hey Mistresscox - yes I will definitely come back and let you know how it went! They take turns so there is a possibility you could get Dr. Lebkuechner but I'm comfortable that the other OB's are very competent. 

Wow...didn't know about the post-labor menu! Even better!!!

Good luck to everyone! 

mistresscox

Sweet!  Thanks for all the feedback everyone!  I know they do tours every saturday morning and I think I'm going to try to get to one after the holidays to really see.  I'm really interested primarily because I worked at main pres a long time ago and was really proud of the care that I gave and know all my co-workers felt the same way and I would imagine it's the same for the OB unit, and really that's what I'm looking for out of this birthing experience.  I sort of figured out with the last one that the whole delivery experience (during labor and after) is all about the nurses, and that I really need to find a place that has nurses that love their work since the last place I was at clearly didn't have that.    Hoping main pres culture hasn't changed much recently!  

TanishCur

i just went on the tour today it was good and informative my mom worked at pres for 8+ years on the L&D floor and maternal special care . A lot of the nurses there are really sweet and caring and on top of things . i like that they strive to keep baby with you

 

my mom had triplets there 7 years ago . their NICU nurses are excellent , its a level 3 NICU and has great visting hours .

 

in 2009 i had my son there just before midnight at 31 w 6 d along . he spent 54 days in the nicu and is about to be 3 now . i loved his nurses and still talk to some of them . my post part-em care was great and the La leche people / bfing people were a lot of help . my dr then was Dr. Rowe who is a great OB , if your comfy with a male dr. the cafeteria food wasnt the best but it's normal compared ot other hospital food lol and i was allowed to bring in my own ( or rather my friends brought it in). 

 

im pg again now and have moved form Edgewood so i'm going with Dr. Valdez who is a really sweet dr  , and im going to delvery there again . i feel like it's a 2nd home for me ( i went with my mom to take your duaghter to work days alot as a kid etc) and all the drs i've ever met are awesome .

  as for the drs you have the practice , and you see you ob and met the others in the practice . then when you go into deliver you have one of those from your OB's practice ( who you've most likely have seen atleast once)  and the one on call you get . 

MsMonica's1st

I delivered my daughter there and I liked the experience.  Once you get out of the labor and delivery area and get to your room it's very very quiet, almost too too quiet.  They were pretty good about following any instructions you had.  I asked for my own room and I had my own room.  They have all the people you need to come and take care of everthing you need and explain things that are going on. 

When you are delivering, you get the doctor or midwife who is on call.  The have the women's specialist office there at the main hospital so I believe those are the ones who are on call to deliver.

As far as their billing, I've never had a problem with it.  If I need a payment plan, they are very flexible with the repayments.

The meals after deliver are pretty good....not like stinky hospital food.  The person from the kitchen comes around and takes your order.

All in all I had a good experience when I delivered downtown Pres.

smeelay

I delivered both of my girls at Pres. My second delivery was a much better experience. I hired a doula through the Pres. Doula Program and would highly recommend it! My doula was amazing--she knew her way around the hospital and really helped me to speak up for myself to get the birth experience I wanted. I've blogged about my birth experience in a little more detail: https://www.michellesprouse.com/2011/12/why-i-hired-a-doula