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Illinois Babies
mmks
member
FYI about St. Joseph's
mmks
member
I know that when I was pregnant and planning on delivering at St. Joe's I would have liked to know a little about what it would be like. Here is my take:
The good:
- They were very open to my plan for a natural birth (even though things didn't go quite as planned, it was b/c of how my birth went and not the fault of the hospital staff). No one ever asked me if I wanted pain meds. Everything was explained to me and I felt like I was able to give informed consent to all decisions I made. Although I did have a doula, so that helped too.
- The postpartum nursing staff was really wonderful!!! I had a c-section and they were great about helping me out of bed and letting me know what to expect. They also were very helpful and supportive about breastfeeding.
The bad:
- I wasn't allowed out of bed after my water broke. The reason they gave was b/c of a concern for cord prolapse, which is where the umbilical cord slips down the birth canal and the baby's blood supply is cut off. This is VERY rare, but they still wouldn't allow me out of bed. I will always wonder if my son would have moved down further in the birth canal if I'd been allowed to move around during the rest of my labor. I was also required to be continually monitored after my water broke.
- Kinda nit picky, but the showers and food were horrible! The water pressure was like a trickle (I didn't wash my hair the whole time I was there b/c it's really thick and I would never have gotten the shampoo out). The warmest that the water ever got was lukewarm. Also don't let anyone run water or flush the toilet when you're in the shower...it will turn ice cold! As for food - I'm a teacher and it was worse than cafeteria food. Have your partner go out and get you dinner at least. I will admit that breakfast was the best meal of the 3 though.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
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Re: FYI about St. Joseph's
Thanks so much for posting about your experience at St Joe's. I should be headed there any day now...
I have heard the same feedback about the showers and food from another friend who delivered there. Yes you are right, not a huge deal but good to know in advance anyway.
Congrats on your little one!