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How to choose between Sibley and HC?
My OB practice delivers at Sibley but Holy Cross is much closer to my home. I'm unsure of how to evaluate which hospital I would prefer. I'd rather do this sooner than later as I would have to switch OBs. Anyone have any advice? The maternity tours are all full registration for Jan. and Feb.!
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Re: How to choose between Sibley and HC?
I delievered at HC and had a good experience. I've heard good things about Sibley, too. Between your options, I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. I think you need to decide which is more important: convenience to the hospital or staying with your current OB?
I agree with the bold statement.
I delivered 2 times at HC and had wonderful experiences both times.
It will be my first, so I'm not sure how important it is to have the hospital be convenient to my home. I'm near downtown Silver Spring. But I work downtown so the location of my current OB is good but I could easily go to Capital Women's Care near home too.
I just didn't know if there were cost differences or anything significantly different between the hospitals I should consider.
I'd pick the one closest to home, unless there is only about a 20min difference b/w the 2
I would definitely check with your insurance company on that question. There could be differences depending on whether they are a preferred provider and based on other contractual agreements.
I don't have experience at either hospital, but a similar choice between a super-close hospital (suburban) and a 20 minute drive (without traffic) to Shady Grove, where my midwives deliver. I agree with pp's and would choose the hospital based on the doctor or midwives you're most comfortable with.
If you don't have a strong doctor preference, I'd probably go to the one that's closest. I was only 5 minutes from SG with DS and I was so glad we were that close. I'm sort of dreading a 20+ minute drive if we have a second, but I really love my midwives and SG is the only place they deliver.
I just delivered at Sibley last month. The rooms are indeed still tiny (to the point that we had to move the baby's bassinet any time we wanted to get into the bathroom). Also, if you want a private room, you have to pay $265 a night -- because Sibley also has shared rooms, insurance will only cover the cost of those. And if you want to watch TV in your recovery room, it is $5 a day. (The TV in the labor/delivery room is free.) So that's one difference -- I don't know if HC has shared rooms but if not, your insurance would cover the cost of the private rooms.
Aside from the irritation at having to pay for the private room, I was pleasantly surprised by our experience at Sibley. We loved our L&D nurse. While I'd heard bad things about the postpartum nurses, we didn't have any problems. The nurses we had ran the gamut from genuinely nice and warm to polite but unmemorable. When I asked for an epidural the doctor was there within 10 minutes.