How did you choose your hospital?

[agm04]

If you had a choice of hospitals, how did you choose?  We live less than a mile from all the wonderful hospitals in Houston, and my doctor delivers at two of them.  I think both are great options, but I can't decide!  we are *hoping* for an unmedicated birth, and do not have any reason to anticipate needing the NICU, but of course are aware that anything can happen.  cesarean rates are very similar, both are 'family focused', both have great reputations.  our doctor is very well respected at both, and i think that does make a difference; nurses like working with him, etc.

hospital A:
- where we delivered DD; we had an excellent experience overall.
- huge
- level 3 NICU
- HUGE suites you can upgrade to if available (a small thing, but with DD it was absolutely wonderful to have an area where DH could take her while I slept and vice versa, plus not too crowded when family came for brief visits.  the other hospital's "suites" are quite small.)
- teaching hospital, so lots of residents
- i'd have to be alone in triage

hospital B:
- smaller, more intimate feel
- smaller rooms, suites are almost exactly the same as regular rooms
- i can have DH and our doula with me in triage
- no residents
- level 2 NICU; if we needed level 3, baby would go like 2 doors down the street to a different hospital (not hospital A)

there's probably some stuff i'm forgetting.  major first world problem.  did you guys get to choose?  i'm leaning toward A because we had such a good experience there the first time, but on the off chance that my doctor isn't there (can't make it in time or something), i worry that we're less likely to get what we want out of it.  i know residents tend to be jumpier (as they should be; i am a lot more comfortable with my extremely experience doctor making a judgement call on something than a resident who is learning!), but i also really like the idea of being part of the learning experience.

[cateyes]

If those were my choices, I would want hospital B. I am kind of tired of students and others being around and like the idea of needed personal only in the room. I would also want H with me the whole time so that would be the big factor for me. I also like the idea of the smaller feel.

[marshian]

First to your choice: I would go with hospital B. It sounds like you might have more say in getting your birth preferences there if your doc isn't able to make it. Residents are actually a great thing in many instances, but since we're due around the same time, you might deliver when they have just switched over to the new set for the year and you do not want brand-new residents. They might not be new residents, but are new to the position they're in. My H is a resident and gives the same advice to everyone we know.

As for me, we had a choice of three hospitals. One we didn't even consider because my doctors aren't there and H doesn't work there. So we really looked at the hospital where H works and the one where my PCP practices. Both H's and the other hospital are teaching hospitals.

H's hospital:
- Same distance by car, but much more difficult by public transit, which would have made appointments a pain to get to
- Just started expanding their midwife practice this year (only had 1 or 2 on staff before)
- We know many residents and attendings there (more of a con than pro for us)
- H could likely have made more of my appointments by ducking into them

My hospital:
- Very easy to get to by public transit
- Big, well-known and well-liked midwife practice
- New and up-to-date facilities
- I'm already in their system so super easy to do paperwork, etc

It was a really easy choice for us. The only benefit to H's hospital was that he would have had more of a chance to duck into some appointments. We got lucky and he was given time to come to my A/S so we think we absolutely made the right choice.

[agm04]

thanks for the input cateyes and marshian. i'm glad i asked! i plan to talk to my doctor about this tomorrow. my doula very clearly prefers hospital B, although she says she loves them both. i guess the smaller room probably isn't that big of a deal. marshian i hadn't at all considered the time of year and that the residents will likely be new to that position. definitely do not love that.

[marshian]

agm04 - Yeah, we tell everyone if they have an option (e.g. elective surgery) to avoid the end of June and all of July. Give them a month to settle into their new roles. For most residents, it's a drastic change in responsibility. H is a senior resident and he gets so many more questions and pages during July and August than the rest of the year as they all settle in and learn how to do new things.

[leloyd]

Given your options, I would also go with Hospital B. It sounds like you would have more control over your birth experience, and the lack of residents would also mean less intrusions on your PP time once you are in recovery.

We have 2 main hospitals to choose from. With my 1st, I chose Hospital A because it had the lowest C-Section rate, great midwifery program, very big on letting you dictate your birth experience, and was also the teaching hospital not 5 minutes from my house.

This time, I am planning a home birth with backup to Hospital B, emergency backup to Hospital A (since it is still only 5 minutes away). In the short time since I was pregnant with DD1, Hospital B has completely revamped its program. The facilities are fully updated, they have implemented an even better midwifery program than Hospital A, they strongly encourage women to choose their birth experience, and there are no residents so you get a bit more privacy.

[agm04]

leloyd i hadn't thought about the PP intrusions either! you guys are so smart. this is good stuff to discuss with DH. previously we were both leaning toward A just because we are familiar with it.

[PA Mom]

I am an oddball and would say "A". We had a choice between 3 when I gave birth to DD. One I ruled out due to distance and lack of quick access to. Hospital B was closer to my house at the time, but was much smaller and with a lower level NICU. I chose Hospital C because it was bigger, with more services, and a level 3 NICU (plus a helipad to a level 4 NICU). I had no reason to believe I needed the NICU, but thankfully I did pick that one because DD needed it. I am a big worry wart so it was my main reasoning.

[iris1264]

We chose the best overall hospital in our area, although there are several closer. It has everything we could possibly need, including a level 4 NICU. Thankfully we didn't have to use it with DD or DS, but knowing that LO wouldn't have to be transferred to another hospital if necessary was a big attraction for us. They are a very modern facility, capable of just about everything. I'm glad I have gone there for my two previous births, as the first was an emergency c-section and the second was minutes from another emergency c-section. I felt very secure I was in the best hands possible.

[iris1264]

agm04 I would also probably choose hospital A. Having had a good prior experience there, you might feel more comfortable (I know I would). The teaching hospital part doesn't bother me; my hospital is also a teaching hospital.

[maggie6424]

agm04 I'd go with A if your stay will be long enough to make the suite worth it. Also, better food and better equipped to handle anything. The odds you'd be in triage for very long with a subsequent delivery are pretty small. If your stay will be short and you're worried about residents, I'd go with B.
My hospital only has you stay one night after baby is born, so a suite wouldn't be worth the extra hassle or cost.