Have you researched hospitals?

Peedy · July 2013

I was just wondering if anyone has thought about where they plan to deliver in the future. Did you do research? Or is it an obvious seeming decision? I live in Boston, there are so many hospitals around here.... I know this is super far in the future, but didn't know if anyone knew what they would be looking for in a hospital.

janda426 · July 2013

I work in a local hospital so the decision is pretty much already made for me.

EmilyA724 · July 2013

I did. However, I also needed to find a new doctor and so I did more research finding a practice that I liked and they only deliver at one hospital in my area so there went that. I did look up the hospital they deliver at though. If a doctor only delivered at a hospital I didn't like, I would have gone with a different doctor.

Pintobean39 · July 2013

I will be delivering at the hospital my DH works at so I don't have to decide.

I think the hospitals around here can give you tours in the beginning if you want to look around. Also here some ob's don't have privileges at some hospitals so that can make a diff too.

von1976 · July 2013

Hubs wants to use the one in our region that handles the most births, which is also the one he was born at. I'd prefer a home birth, actually, but he is completely against it so that isn't going to happen.

ETA: I made sure when choosing a new OB to choose one that works at the hospital Hubs prefers.

Peedy · July 2013

Pintobean39:
I will be delivering at the hospital my DH works at so I don't have to decide.

I think the hospitals around here can give you tours in the beginning if you want to look around. Also here some ob's don't have privileges at some hospitals so that can make a diff too.

I never would have thought about going on a tour. Sounds so informative. I'll definitely plan on doing that, in the future.

zg49 · July 2013

I haven't done much but I know I need to. We only have one main hospital in town but 2 major ob/gyb/midwife clinics. I haven't figured out logistically how it would work if I go into labor but am seeing an ob from a different hospital.

As for looking for what I want in a hospital, I'm pretty limited and will just have to go with what's available.

Peedy · July 2013

I don't have an OB either, maybe my first question should have been asking what you'd look for in an OB.

xWaterBabyx · July 2013

I've done a couple of tours, but have decided on a home birth for this one - hopefully.

Amy+Ryan · July 2013

I have. I will be attempting a VBAC so it's been important to find a place where that is supported and I wanted to make sure I had all of my ducks in a row before I get KTFU. I see a new OB on Wednesday for the same purpose and because my insurance changed with my new job so I was forced to find a new one. Only negative is I have Kaiser so I have no idea who will actually deliver the baby when the time comes.

EmilyA724 · July 2013

Peedy:
I don't have an OB either, maybe my first question should have been asking what you'd look for in an OB.

I don't have a lot of friends in the area that are TTC so I did my doctor research online. I used this website a lot: https://www.vitals.com/ It was really helpful.

Peedy · July 2013

EmilyA724:
Peedy:
I don't have an OB either, maybe my first question should have been asking what you'd look for in an OB.
I don't have a lot of friends in the area that are TTC so I did my doctor research online. I used this website a lot: https://www.vitals.com/ It was really helpful.  

Thanks!

von1976 · July 2013

Peedy:
I don't have an OB either, maybe my first question should have been asking what you'd look for in an OB.

My main thing when looking for an OB (and I realize this is kind of dumb), is the cleanliness of their office. I went to one OB who was perfectly fine, but their office was a DUMP. Seriously needed some updating and just didn't look clean. So now I look for modern, clean offices.

I took a recommendation from my BFF and went to one of the two she recommended. I picked the woman because I prefer women, honestly. First, I made sure she took my insurance, and also that she worked with the hospital Hubs prefers. But I did look her up online on HealthGrades to get a sense of the kind of doctor she was and I liked everything I saw (older, more experienced, short wait time, willing to talk to patients regarding their questions and concerns). So I'm happy with my choice.

I'd suggest getting some recommendations from women you trust and going from there.

Good luck!

Clarinet35 · July 2013

I have three different options when it comes to nearby hospitals, but I chose the newest hospital [rather, an established hospital in a brand new building]. It is the most chosen hospital of the three for births, and my OB is in the medical building right next door.

Peedy · July 2013

von1976:
Peedy:
I don't have an OB either, maybe my first question should have been asking what you'd look for in an OB.
My main thing when looking for an OB (and I realize this is kind of dumb), is the cleanliness of their office. I went to one OB who was perfectly fine, but their office was a DUMP. Seriously needed some updating and just didn't look clean. So now I look for modern, clean offices.
I took a recommendation from my BFF and went to one of the two she recommended. I picked the woman because I prefer women, honestly. First, I made sure she took my insurance, and also that she worked with the hospital Hubs prefers. But I did look her up online on HealthGrades to get a sense of the kind of doctor she was and I liked everything I saw (older, more experienced, short wait time, willing to talk to patients regarding their questions and concerns). So I'm happy with my choice.
I'd suggest getting some recommendations from women you trust and going from there.
Good luck! 
 

I'll be checking out HealthGrades. Thanks!

Emerald27 · July 2013

It is important to me to deliver in a hospital that's accredited "baby friendly":

https://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/baby.htm

ChickadDeedee · July 2013

My OB only has privileges at 2 hospitals in the area, which narrows down where I can deliver. Both have level III NICUs, which is very important to me in case we were to need them, and the deciding factor was that one is closer to my home than the other. There are only two practices in my area that I trust to deliver me and with that being said, the other practice only delivers at my place of work. While I recommend it, it is a teaching hospital and I don't want a resident overseeing my care.

RMS112611 · July 2013

I'm actually among the ladies who will be planning a home birth, with a midwife! DH and I live about 5 minutes away from the closest hospital, and are within a 20 minute radius of 6 different hospitals, just in case. I would encourage you to decide what you want out of your birth, and then research online which hospital/birthing center would be most likely to give you that experience. If some sort of complication arose during my pregnancy that required monitoring at a hospital, I have looked into which hospitals are the best for neonatal care, as well as which ones have the lowest intervention rates.

There's no harm in researching and being informed beforehand... but it is nice to know that even after you get pregnant, you have a good amount of time before you have to choose.

ksuRN09 · July 2013

janda426:
I work in a local hospital so the decision is pretty much already made for me.nbsp;

Same here. Although, it wouldn't have been the hospital I chose for myself if I had a say. The unit I work on is great but the OB unit...meh

ETA: clarification

MMason12 · July 2013

There are two hospitals for us to pick from -- but our choice was easy. Every surgery that either of us have ever needed to have done, along with testing has been done at the one hospital (Sparrow). That is where we will deliver without a doubt.

WinningColors · July 2013

My OBGYN practice only delivers at one hospital so if I stay with them I don't have a choice. I'll do some research when the time comes just to be sure I'm comfortable with the hospital, but at the same time I like my Dr and don't want to leave at this point.

Sarah52Beth · July 2013

My OB/GYN delivers out of a certain hospital and I did take that into account with deciding on her, among a lot of other things. The hospital is super close to us and is very nice. Gets praised on being so well kept, nice staff, and such.

Peedy · July 2013

Emerald27:
It is important to me to deliver in a hospital that's accredited "baby friendly":

https://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/baby.htm

Thanks for the site!

Pepper6 · July 2013

I will likely choose an OB that has rights at one of the hospitals my company works with (we do all their office furniture, and they have awesome labor/delivery suites with super comfy pull out beds for H). It's about a 30-40 minute drive from my house, but a better facility. Also, almost all the hospitals closest to my home are Catholic run, and I prefer a non-religious hospital.

Snowflake312 · July 2013

I looked for an OB that delivers at the hospital I want, IMO, the best in the city. Met her in May for my annual and to get the all clear for baby making. Couldn't be happier.

I also specifically chose a hospital that I do not work at. I don't want any of my coworkers seeing my lady parts (I want it to be a more private experience) and I want to be somewhere with a NICU just in case. I also checked out all the data that my insurance provides on their website on costs,etc, and made what I thought was the best decision for me.

krdesi · July 2013

My present doctor only has privileges at one hospital, so right now, I know which one I'd probably be delivering at. That said, I may take a tour of the other one and find a different doctor if I feel the need later on.

Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston was fantastic for care when my mom was there, not sure what their maternity ward is like, but the nurses there are lovely and everything was top notch.

sitcom · July 2013

As of right now, I'm planning on delivering at the hospital my husband's aunt works in. She's a midwife and has delivered all of my husband's siblings and cousins, as well as all of their children so it's pretty important to us that she deliver our child, too.

heyitsme · July 2013

I have been doing a lot of research on hospitals lately. My 2 kids were both born at our small, local hospital. Both times when they were born and we were there for 3 days, we were the ONLY patients in L&D. It was SO nice having so much help and attention.

Shortly after DS was born, our insurance stopped using that hospital. Which is OK, since the L&D eventually closed...

Now my choices are 2 major medical centers. It's been really tough for me to let go of having to give birth in a much larger, less-personal hospital. So I've been asking around for information on doctors, the birth support services, postpartum, etc. I think I've decided (am 99% sure) where I will deliver, but need to talk to my OB when the time comes. It SAYS she delivers at that hospital, but I'm not sure she does...

mmb248 · July 2013

I researched the main hospitals in our area. There's one that's less than 15 minutes from my house and they are a well-respected hospital. They're very mid-wife friendly, have huge birthing suites, and they do a great job providing space for family/friends visiting.

However, there's another hospital close to my office (about 30 minutes from our house) that has a terrific neonatal unit. They're more clinical, less warm fuzzies, smaller rooms, but that's the hospital than can handle anything high risk.

When selecting an ob, I only looked at those who have privileges at both hospitals. That way, I'm free to choose either hospital, depending on how my pregnancy goes.

kimberpoo · July 2013

I think I will once I have a BFP. I'm a bit late with aunt flo, so I needed to make a doc appointment to see if I'm expecting or not....and boy, was it a marathon!! I had read on here that other ladies had to wait weeks just to get an appointment, and that is definitely the case by me. I don't have a regular ob/gyn and the first appointment I could snag with a good one is now 3 weeks away....and 3 weeks of stressful waiting!

I know that I would prefer a 'birthing center' near a hospital, so I guess that's step 1 in my decision. Once I get confirmation of the pregnancy I'll see if any are covered under my insurance and then which are the best. Good luck to you!!

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