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Experience with UWMC or Swedish Ballard?
Hi All,
I am new to the boards, but I have browsed from time to time and have gotten some helpful information from here. I am hoping I can get some feedback from anyone who might have any input (good or bad) about delivering at UWMC or Swedish Ballard. I just found out a couple days ago that I am pregnant with my first child (yay!) but I don't know anyone who has delivered in either location so if any of you have experience I'd love to hear it! I am particularly interested in these two hospitals because they are closest to my house. Also if you know of any good ob/gyns that deliver at either place, I would love to get that information too.
Thanks!
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Re: Experience with UWMC or Swedish Ballard?
I only have experience with Swedish Ballard, but I really liked the nurses and facility. The labor nurses was amazing and supportive, and the post-delivery nurses were also really wonderful. They helped me get well on my way to establish bf'ing. The one thing is that there is only one labor tub ad Ballard, but we were the only ones there that morning when I wanted to use it so it wasn't a big deal. (Some hospitals offer labor tubs in all rooms, but Ballard is a smaller hospital.)
We delivered with the midwives at Ballard Swedish, who were also really great, especially if you're leaning towards having a natural birth. Through the midwife group, we took part in Centering Pregnancy which is a group pregnancy check-up/class where you experience your pregnancy with others who are due around your due date. You have group appointments, meet all of the midwives (you don't have a commitment from a particular one b/c it depends on who's on call), and we had the opportunity to share our experience with other couples going through similar things. Btw, belly checks and other medical checks are done privately, and everyone signs a medical waiver form so that says you won't talk about other people's medical stuff outside of the group. We made some great friends through this, and I'd highly recommend it.
If you're looking for a more traditional OB at Ballard Swedish, my friend delivered with Dr. Leslie Miller. She loved her, but another friend who had a c-section with Dr. Miller had a different (not so great) experience. I started with Dr. Miller but moved to the midwives when we decided to shoot for a natural birth. I thought she would have worked for me had I gone the OB route.
Here's a link with more info: https://www.swedish.org/Services/Swedish-Midwifery---Women-s-Health/CenteringPregnancy-(1)
On a side note, Ballard Swedish has good in-room food and yummy milkshakes. Great for recovery!
I just delivered at UWMC a few months ago. I saw their midwives and was SO very happy with my care there. I scheduled almost all of my appointments at the end of the day so I wouldn't have to miss much work, and still they were rarely late getting me in. I felt more like a person than a patient, and never felt like I was being rushed in and out. When my H could come along for appts., they talked with him as much as they did me, and he felt highly involved and supported as well (which was important to him). They remembered who I was each time. I also had to see one of their prenatal specialists and felt like he communicated really well with the midwives and vice versa.
As far as my birthing experience goes, my nurses were fantastic and I felt like their L&D floor was quiet, spacious, and friendly. They and the midwife read my birth plan carefully and helped us follow it as much as possible. No one frowned on our choice to have a doula and again, my H was also very much included in the birth process. The follow-up care on the maternity floor was equally attentive. The only thing I didn't like as much was that the postpartum room was a little small, but that was actually nice to help keep all of the relatives to a minimum so I could sleep. They are a "baby-friendly" hospital, focused on helping to establish breastfeeding/bonding with great lactation support. Oh, and they make it really easy to donate cord blood through the Puget Sound blood center.
I had excellent care at the UWMC. I was high risk and hospitalized 4 times before DD's arrival, and once a week after. All of the nurses and doctors I saw on the L&D floor (and who visited me in the ICU & CCU during my 1st stay) were wonderful! Everyone made sure DH & I both understood what was happening, what our options were and what possible outcomes we could expect, as well as how they'd help us threw it.
I ended up having a c-section because LO moved out of position and I kept having problems with pre-e. I was still able to BF right away (within the 1st hour) and do skin to skin back in our room. The nurses took great care of all of us during all of our time in the hospital (familiar faces even came to check on us/offer support when I was admitted the week following DD's birth). BF support was great too.
I love that UWMC has midwife care, natural birth options plus care can be escalated as needed to high risk and they even a great PICU (my doctors had us meet the staff in case LO was born super early from some of my complications).
I delivered at UWMC last March and had a great experience there. They have everything from mid wives to high risk OB's. I was a high risk pregnancy, and felt the quality of the care I received from both the nurses and doctors was amazing. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I spent 11 days in the hospital and was amazed at the care I had. And my son was born with an infection and spent 2 weeks in the NICU, and I was amazed at the NICU nurses and docs too.
I'd have to say though that most OB's and nurses on the pre and post partum floors are a special breed in any hospital. You really have to have to be nurturing to go into that field, IMO. I've never really heard of anyone with horrible experiences due to docs or nurses at any hospital.