New Jersey Babies
Morristown Memorial vs. Somerset Medical
Just found out we are expecting.... 
My hubby and I need to make a decision to deliver at either Morristown Memorial or Somerset Medical. I have heard greater things about Morristown than Somerset. They are both equal in distance from our home, so that does not matter. We plan on taking tours, but just wondering if anyone can give me info. about delivering at either and what you liked or did not like about your experience??
thanks
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Re: Morristown Memorial vs. Somerset Medical
First Congratulations!
I delieverd my daughter at Morristown and I loved it. The nurses in L&D and Maternity are wonderful! I do not have one complaint about Morristown. I was in the hopital for 4 nights as I had a c-section. My daughter was breech so I had not chioce, but my c-section recovery was fantastic and I had all the help that I needed from the staff at MMH.
I'm not sure if you want to know anyting specific and if you have a specific question I would be happy to answer it for you.
You really cannot go wrong with Morristown.
Personally I would go to Morristown over Somerset. I'm sure Somerset is very good and that most deliveries there are great, but if you need more urgent care you're SOL. Similar to my "local" hospital (Hackettstown) - if my baby needed a NICU and I delivered at Hackettstown, they'd medivac the baby to Morristown. This means I'd be stuck at Hackettstown until being discharged, and my baby would be 45 - 60 mins away! Not cool.
Morristown has a Level III NICU. If a baby is born at a regional medical center and it is in some sort of distress and requiring intensive care, they'll stabilize baby and transport him/her to a higher level care facility like Morristown. I believe I had heard this before, and wanted to verify I wasn't nuts, so here:
Our Nursery is certified to provide Level II intermediate neonatal care, recognizing our state-of-the-art technology and capability to diagnose and treat selected high-risk pregnancies and neonatal issues. However, should your baby need more specialized care, our staff is trained to stabilize infants and expedite a transfer to a Level III perinatal center.
https://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com/body.cfm?id=269
A few additional highlights about Morristown:
- Recently renovated maternity ward (last 5 years maybe?) includes ALL private rooms - I don't believe there's ever a chance that you get put into a double. Each room has a very nice private bathroom, flat screen TV, nicely decorated.
- The nursing staff is amazing. You have one nurse for you and one nurse assigned to baby at all times. They're so sweet I cannot even tell you.
- Medical students are not allowed to give you an epidural - residents only. (Something to look into when you're dealing with a teaching hospital!)
GL!
I delivered 7 weeks ago at Somerset and had an amazing experience. I live 5 minutes away so it was nice that my husband could run home for the items we forgot to pack (I delivered 2 weeks early and it was my first...who does that?). If you are equal distance from both being at the location with the NICU is a comforting thought. For what it's worth, I liked the idea of being at a small hospital rather than a large one where the potential for being 'just a number' is greater. The rooms were a great size and I didn't have to share it, and the staff and volunteers were all amazing.
Good Luck with your decision :-)