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Boston Babies
cdbishop
member
Need some hospital advice
cdbishop
member
I will try not to make this too long...
My husband and I live in Hopkinton. Before we moved there we lived in Brookline and my OBGyn was in Needham. I still see the same OBGyn now because I work in Needham and for going normally (when not pregnant) once a year I thought it was fine. My doctor is associated with Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston.
We just found out that we are pregnant (haven't even gone to 1st appt with Dr yet) and my husband is already concerned about when I go into labor driving from Hopkinton to Boston which can take anywhere from 30 min to over an hour if there is traffic. He is especially worried because he is a firefighter in Brookline and works 24 hour shifts, so if I happen to go into labor when he is at work I couldn't drive myself somewhere.
Does anyone have advice about the distance of the hospital etc.? I know I haven't been to the Dr yet and already have questions, but your doctor that you see throughout pregnancy is the one who delivers right? And you deliver at the hospital they are associated with right?
Sorry for the long post! Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Need some hospital advice
I live in Franklin and my doctor is in Brookline (delivers at Beth Israel). With my first, i worked in Boston, so i could take the green line to all her appts, which made things really easy. My husband works in Boston and I am now SAHM. I know that my doctor said with my first, if i went into labor, to come when the contractions were 15 min apart instead of the 5 min or so they tell locals. She said they would not turn me away at the hospital. I ended up having to have a scheduled csection, so that wasn't a problem in the end.
With this pregnancy, I plan to have my husband work from home close to deliver date as much as possible. And, since i'm concerned about being put on pitocin if i get to the hospital too early (paranoid, i think), I will hang out at a friend's house that's local until the contractions are close.
Not the best situation, but I really liked my OB and was very comfortable delivering at Beth Israel.
It depends on your practice whether or not the doctor that you see delivers you. I go to a group practice and was delivered by the doctor/midwife on call. It was someone I never met, and it was just fine with me. But you do deliver at the hospital they have admitting privileges at.
You'd probably be okay with the distance. But I can't imagine any situation in which you'd be able to drive yourself to the hospital, no matter the distance! They tell you not to go to the hospital till your contractions are about 5 minutes apart. I cannot imagine driving through a contraction! The one thing to keep in mind is that for many women, the car ride to the hospital is the worst part of labor. You can't really get into a more comfortable position and you feel a little trapped. On the other hand though...I've heard that most women go into labor in the middle of the night...probably you won't be stuck in rush hour traffic. And you could end up with a scheduled induction or c-section, making all the worrying unneccessary!
I too live in Hopkinton and have delivered (3 year old son) and will be delivering at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. It is not as crazy as getting into the city and many of my Hopkinton area friends have delivered here as well. You will be going for appts with your OB at least once a month and then every 2 weeks and once a week, so you want something convenient to work.
My OB also had me come in a little earlier due to my distance from the hospital last time. My contractions were about 10 minutes apart or so (hard to tell, they were never that regular). This meant a longer time at the hospital but I wasn't really concerned about that. First time labor usually isn't that quick, so you have plenty of time to get to the hospital.
I also could have driven myself when I was in labor. I actually work in Newton, drove myself home during labor (it wasn't bad then) and then went back to NWH about 9:30 that night.
Congrats on your exciting news.
First of all, congratulations on the baby!
I have an answer MGH!
My baby is 4 months now, and I wouldn't mind to have another one tomorrow if I can deliver at Mass General Hospital...! Best experience ever, you are not going to want to leave, is that good.
My OB wasn't at the delivery, and I honestly didn't miss her at all. The nurses are so so so wonderful, you barely notice the OB is there.
The distance? Oh well, nothing happens in less than an hour (does it?). So I think you'll have plenty of time to make it (things being normal).
Good luck!
I live in Salem and had to go to Melrose.. which is about 30 minutes away. I too was concerned with the distance, but OB informed me that I would have plenty of time to get to the hospital once I began laboring.
I ended up being induced with Cytotec on a Sunday night but went home and stayed at home for hours before leaving to get admitted. I live in Boston and had just a ten minute drive and still had time. Granted, I was over 8 cm dilated by the time I got checked in triage! The point of my long response is that you have way more time than you think you do, unless you are some bizarre exception. GL!
[MC 11.20.11] [DS born 9.24.12] [DD born 10.15.14]
I live in Billerica, work in Waltham and will be delivering at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. My OB's practice has an office right on the hospital's campus and it is not as much of a hassle as going in to the city. The hospital is about 8 minutes from my job but 25 minutes from our house with no traffic. If I'm home when I go in to labor depending on the time of day I'll just make sure my husband and I give ourselves plenty of time to get there even if traffic is heavy.
As far as your doctor being the one who actually delivers your baby, it depends on your practice. At my practice, I see my primary OB for all my appointments. If I need to be induced or have a C-Section, they will schedule me on a day my primary OB is available. Otherwise, there are 6 other doctors in the practice and they take turns being on call. So if I go in to labor on my own my OB may not be the one on call on the day I deliver. For that reason they are also encouraging me to familiarize myself with other doctors in the practice whenever possible.
Baby #2 M/C 4/5/16