Any Mommies had their babies at Woman's Hospital of Texas and have any advice ,suggestions or information you wish you would have known or just want to share with lil' ol me? I have not gone on my tour yet and am afraid I just may go in before I have a chance to attend. So any info will be appreciated.
Thanks Ladies!!
Re: Woman's Hospital of Texas Question?
I did! I had a great experience. My advice is, if you have a vag delivery, bring the HUGE disgusting looking pads they offer you home with you for the first week or so after delivery. Ask them for extra if you need them....they are gross but are necessary ;-)
Other than that, I have no advice off the top of my head....feel free to ask me anything though.
As with any hospital experience, stay on top of your care. I had a scheduled c-section, and I adored the nurses in the OR and the one who took care of me before my surgery. I was only fond of one post-partum nurse. The rest seemed to pass the buck a lot. We managed by keeping track of what I would need when, and who told me what. Speak up for yourself.
The food situation is great. You order it like room service, and you can pretty much order one of everything (bread, entree, dessert, side, etc.). My husband and I were able to fill up on "my" food for every meal. You can also order whole meals for visitors.
They only have private rooms now and no additional fees related. I think this is because they have more room now with the expansion.
I had a wonderful experience both times - Good luck!
I attempted a natural birth with my 1st and labored for 17 hours. The nurses were very supportive of me during the whole thing. No one pushed the epidural. I think the support you get has a lot to do with your doctor, honestly.
I very much agree with the PP who said stay on top of your own care. Also, don't feel bad about saying something when you do not feel you are getting the attention you deserve. I had a nurses' asst who was... ahem... cleaning me... after #2 was born and she was in a bad mood and was so rough with me, she yanked my catheter. I should have said something and I didn't and she was crappy to me the whole time I was there.
If your pedi doesn't have privileges there, make sure he/she tells you which doctor to use while you are there.
If you plan to BF, make sure you keep track of your feedings and keep the baby nurse informed of them... you can call and let them know, since they will come by and ask. Request the lactation consultant... I found them to be really helpful both times.
I hated the really huge pads and wore some Always Overnite Thin ones the second day.
I had two natural births there... DH told me later he could tell the nurses exchanged knowing "looks" when hearing I was going med-free, but I had no issues with anyone offering the epidural or anything. Ask for hot packs!
Order plenty of extra food - especially at breakfast! The club sandwich is really big.
The only bad experience i had there was the lactation consultant. She was really rude and not very helpful. She said my breasts were "didn't look right" (I know how she meant it but there are other ways to say that to a post partum mom who can't get her boobs to work). DH shouted from behind the curtain that they looked great to him. She had a few other choice comments that really bothered me. Like the other said, speak up. I wish I had asked for someone else. Blame it on pp hormones if you feel like you're being rude, they're used to emotional women up there.
I had an extra long labor and delivery and went through many shift changes. All my l&d nurses were fabulous, as were my pp ones. If I still lived there I'd deliver there with my next one.
They have really good breakfast tacos
I thought the nursing care was hit or miss. I had one PP nurse that I wanted to stab in the eye with a syringe. She was borderline cruel, and I could NEVER find her when I needed meds. The rest, however, were fantastic.
The LCs are very helpful. The nursery, however, had a bad habit of taking my kids away for tests (hearing, etc.), and keeping them way too long to where they would miss a breastfeeding. So, they'd feed them a bottle because they seemed hungry instead of bringing them back to me to feed. That pissed me off -- I understood that they might supplement them because they were slightly preterm, but I repeatedly asked to be able to nurse first, then supplement, and they would agree... and then not follow through. I felt that the coordination of care with the nursery left a lot to be desired.
Also, beware of their billing department. They called my husband as we were being discharged, and convinced him to paying our portion of the bill before we left... except what they charged me was completely wrong, because I had already almost hit my out of pocket max for the year, and I actually owed them about $2000 less than we paid. It took FOREVER to get that straightened out... almost a year (!!!)
All that aside, I felt that the medical care I received there was good, if that makes sense. They're just not terribly organized.