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**Schwege** and other Chicagoland ladies.

DebateThisDebateThis member
in Natural Birth

If you don't mind me asking, which hospital did you deliver at? Can you provide any insight to Chicagoland hospitals to avoid?

I'm being released from the RE (assuming all is going well) next week and I need to find a MW practice.

So far I've got it narrowed down to OMG Women's Care at Adventist Hinsdale, Swedish Cov and their midwives, or West Sub/Oak Park Midwives.

I'm currently with a MW/OB practice in Evanston and have an MFM at Evanston Hospital but I'm not real thrilled with the c/s rates at Evanston so I'm looking elsewhere.

TIA!

Six years of infertility and loss, four IUIs, one IVF and one very awesome little boy born via med-free birth 10.24.13.
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Re: **Schwege** and other Chicagoland ladies.

  • sschwegesschwege member

    Hi There!

    I delivered at Swedish and have nothing but wonderful things to say about my prenatal care and L & D experience.  The CNMs are great and the hospital itself is very pro-natural childbirth.  Other than my first 20 minutes in triage I was able to have intermittent monitoring, was able to eat and drink, labor in the bath, had no IV, immediate skin-to-skin contact and BFing support.  I wasn't so crazy about the postpartum nurses (they were just OK) and I wish they did water births (I could only labor in the tub), but it really was great!  

    I know two other ladies who have delivered med-free at Swedish and had similar experiences.

    I don't know anyone who has delivered under the care of the Oak Park Midwives, but I have read good things about them as well.

    I hope this helps.   Please let me know if you have any other questions.  Also if you haven't done so already you might want to post this on the local board, it's pretty slow, but you will still get some responses.  

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  • nosoup4unosoup4u member

    Basically, stay away from Prentice/NW and Rush. 

    I had a med-free birth at UIC, and it was great experience. I was a VBAC, so my biggest concern was with a group that had a good rate (UIC's VBAC rate is best in the city/area), but I know other women who've had straightforward med-free births there, too. It's a huge MW group, so the chance of your regular MW being there at the birth is pretty slim. And the hospital itself is very bare-bones (but that wasn't high on my list of things I was looking for).

    West Suburban and Swedish are both good, too. I know women who've gone to Swedish and have had problems when their pregnancies weren't picture-perfect, though (Sshwege don't beat me up! :P). It seems like the MWs there don't have a huge amount of autonomy from the OBs on some matters (and some of the women I know were VBAC, which affects things, too).

    Is there a MW named Gaye at Evanston? I think she might work there, and I know women who've had her and love her. I think overall the MW group out of Evanston is good - do you have their rate separate from the hospital's overall rate?

    Congrats and good luck!

    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

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  • DebateThisDebateThis member

    Thanks, ladies!

    Nosoup - I am actually at Ga.ye's practice now (have been for nearly six years) and my care has been horrible - it took me til last January to realize exactly how bad. They openly mocked me for mentioning that I would be seeing an RE to try to treat our IF ("there's no reason for someone as young as you to see an RE - you're just impatient!" after TTC for 3 years) and they failed to refer me for further testing for my recurrent UTI's and kidney infections despite being aware of them for the entire time I've been at their practice. Turns out I have a kidney defect and it needed surgical correction last year when they'd just told me for years that "some people just get lots of kidney infections!" Uh, no.

     I wish I could stay at Evan.ston due to convenience (I work in Evan,ston and it's much closer to our house in the far north burbs than any other hospital that's supportive of med-free birth) but I will not be staying with their practice and I don't think the other MW practice at EH is all that great.

    Six years of infertility and loss, four IUIs, one IVF and one very awesome little boy born via med-free birth 10.24.13.
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  • sschwegesschwege member
    imagenosoup4u:

    Basically, stay away from Prentice/NW and Rush. 

    I had a med-free birth at UIC, and it was great experience. I was a VBAC, so my biggest concern was with a group that had a good rate (UIC's VBAC rate is best in the city/area), but I know other women who've had straightforward med-free births there, too. It's a huge MW group, so the chance of your regular MW being there at the birth is pretty slim. And the hospital itself is very bare-bones (but that wasn't high on my list of things I was looking for).

    West Suburban and Swedish are both good, too. I know women who've gone to Swedish and have had problems when their pregnancies weren't picture-perfect, though (Sshwege don't beat me up! :P). It seems like the MWs there don't have a huge amount of autonomy from the OBs on some matters (and some of the women I know were VBAC, which affects things, too).

    Is there a MW named Gaye at Evanston? I think she might work there, and I know women who've had her and love her. I think overall the MW group out of Evanston is good - do you have their rate separate from the hospital's overall rate?

    Congrats and good luck!

    The CNMs at Swedish are definitely under the thumbs of the OBs.  You could kind of tell when some of them didn't agree with something because it would kind of be a 'wink and a nod' response to certain questions I would ask.  I guess my impression would be that all hospital CNMs would have their hands sort of tied, but maybe that's not the case?  Did you feel like at UIC they had more control?  It is true that my L & D was 'picture perfect' and so were the other three births I'm thinking of, so that could definitely explain why I think so highly of the hospital and the CNMs.

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  • nosoup4unosoup4u member
    imagesschwege:

    I guess my impression would be that all hospital CNMs would have their hands sort of tied, but maybe that's not the case?  Did you feel like at UIC they had more control?

    At UIC I never had my MWs talk about having to discuss anything with the OBs. I think the hospital during birth is a bit different, but even then, OBs only step in when the MWs request them, and the MWs don't talk to the OBs about every birth.

    I gave birth to my first son in MIchigan, and the MWs there only consulted with OBs when something happened out

    imageDebateThis:

    I wish I could stay at Evan.ston due to convenience (I work in Evan,ston and it's much closer to our house in the far north burbs than any other hospital that's supportive of med-free birth) but I will not be staying with their practice and I don't think the other MW practice at EH is all that great.

    Oooh, that sucks they were dismissive of your health issues! Definitely go somewhere that your concerns aren't dismissed.

    West Sub and UIC might be far to go to, but if it's your first pregnancy, chances are you'll have time to get to the hospital when you're in labor. I would interview Swedish, but ask them if your kidney issues would effect their care. Hope that helps!

    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

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