Alabama Babies
Misty, wife of 8 years to DH, mama to Miss M (7), Miss L (4), and expecting a new little Miss in Sept. '11
Options
s/o HH or Crestwood
Which of these two is more natural birth friendly? I had a horrible experience at the hospital where I had my 2nd (in MS)...they were very intervention minded, and I really prefer labor/delivery as intervention free as possible. I've already talked to my doctor, and he's fine with most of my wishes, but it really comes down to the hospital and thier policies. Which has more natural birth supportive nurses? How are they with breastfeeding mothers, i.e. not giving artificial nipples, etc?
Misty, wife of 8 years to DH, mama to Miss M (7), Miss L (4), and expecting a new little Miss in Sept. '11This discussion has been closed.
Re: s/o HH or Crestwood
I asked the question below to get a feel for this as well. My goal is to have a natural birth, too. I definitely got the feeling that Crestwood has more of that mindset than HH. In regards to breastfeeding, Crestwood stressed how important they think breastfeeding is and how they like the baby to latch immediately after birth. As soon as the nurse began the tour, she started telling me how "pro-breast" they are (before I ever shared any info with her about my desire to breastfeed).
I will say this about CW. If you are having any difficulty with BFing, then they will treat you like a moron. At least, that's how the nurses treated me. They gave me articficial nipples and then told me that I should just use formula.
I have no idea when you delivered and I don't want to argue with you, but I cannot believe this based on my experience at Crestwood in February. They were very pro-BF. They have a lactation consultant, Jane Mitchell, who comes to your room within an hour or so of you delivering to help you with BF. I had a lot of trouble and she came back 6 times in 2 days. She even came back right before I left to see how it was going. She gave me her card and told me to call with any questions. All the nurses encouraged me on BF and showed me various techniques. Elijah had a terrible time latching, so they even gave me a nipple shield that helped him learn to latch.
As far as natural birth, I know they encourage it, but I ended up with an emergency C-section after only 1 hour of labor so I can't speak to specifics on this.
All I can say is that Crestwood is amazing, and I will go back again for sure. The nurse to patient ratio is much better than at HH, and even though they were completely over-crowded while I was there, my nurse was available constantly, bringing me snacks, drinks, checking on me, etc.
PP, Why would I lie? I delivered in November of 09 and yes, Jane was wonderful, I agree. They must have fired a good chunk of nurses, because the nursery nurses I had made me feel terrible. I don't know how long you've been around the board, but my story is always the same when someone asks about CW. There's always a good and bad experience.
Jess -- oh for the love. A lot can change in staffing between 3 months ago and 18 months ago. Take a chill pill -- no one is calling you a liar!
OP -- I have nothing to add here since I'm delivering in B'ham, but I think it's awesome you plan to go as intervention-free as possible! I feel the same way about med free delivery and found my OB practice/hospital by word of mouth... Do you know other mamas in the area that delivered med-free? If not, could you contact a Bradley/Hypnobirth/Lamaze instructor in the area to see if they had any helpful advice? I actually ended up at my hospital thanks to a Bradley instructor I was in communication with early in my pregnancy.
I don't understand why you're jumping down my throat. She said she didn't believe my story, so I pretty much told her that I wouldn't make it up and that there are good and bad situations. And obviously I understand there can be staffing changes, which is why I said it in my post. Women like you are the reason why I tend to shy away from these boards. I know you're in your 3rd trimester, but it doesn't give you the excuse to act like a mean girl.
I'm sure you didn't, but when you said you couldn't believe my story based on your experience, it was like a slap in the face. I'm not freaking out or needing to take a "chill pill", I'm just saying how I took it.
This is the internet -- when you act ridiculous you're going to get called out on it. Okay, I'm in my 3rd tri. What's your excuse for being oversensitive and b!tchy?
People say things like "I just can't believe that!" all the time and mean nothing by it. Rebekah is a total sweetheart and wouldn't say anything purposefully harmful. I can't say the same about myself, so step off.
Wow. You're crazy.