New to the Board - Hospital recommendations?

Ann679

Hello.  I'm new to this board.  I usually post on thebump.  I was hoping you wouldn't mind sharing some experiences with me.  As you can see from my siggy, I'm 10 weeks pregnant and trying to decide which hospital I want to deliver in.  I don't have an OB that I'm really crazy about.  I live really close to Riddle Hospital, but Bryn Mawr, Lankenau and Paoli are all close enough.  Where did you deliver? Did you like it?  How did you decide?

Thanks, in advance, for any help you are willing to give me.

Krystal6826

I just delivered at Lankenau and absolutely loved the hospital and the nurses.  My Dr. only delivers at Lankenau so I did not have much of a choice on that aspect.  I was in L&D at 36 weeks for 6 hours of monitoring, and then again when LO was born for 6 hours.  The L&D nurses were really caring and helpful.  The postpardum nurses were amazing.  The rooms are nice and fairly new.  Overall it was a great experience and I would recommend Lankenau. 

kross605

I delivered at Bryn Mawr (thats where my OB practice had hospital privilege). My experience was just okay but that was largely based on my lackluster maternity nurses.  Ive had friends that delivered at all the other hospitals you mentioned (including Bryn Mawr) and all of them had positive experiences. Paoli has a really nice new maternity ward so thats a bonus! Because all of your options are good places, Id go with whatever OB practice you like best rather than the hospital.  Also, you might want to check your insurance just to make sure all of those hospitals are in your network.

ering1115

all of my friends/family who have delivered at lankenau have had great experiences there.  the baby lojack security is serious- i was changing my niece's diaper and it slipped off of her foot and the nurses were in the room in less than a min to check on things.  whoa.  i think they are all private rooms too.    

on a side note- when my mommom was hospitalized there she loved the fact that they play a snippet of brahms lullaby when each new baby is born.  even in the not so happy wards the song makes people stop for a second and just about everyone gets a little smile from hearing it.   

amy052006

I hear stuff like the anecdotes in this post, and I truly wonder how Pennsy got its reputation as being "the" place to have a baby.

I swear, the further I am removed from it, the more disgusted I am about my whole experience. 

icebunie

I go to the ob/gyn at Lankenau and have had 2 good friends deliver there. They had complications during delivery but had nothing but great things to say about the doctors and nurses there. They are all private rooms. 

Shannon1110

I had a very negative experience with my delivery at Bryn Mawr.  My labor was just messed up from start to finish.  I have heard good things about Paoli and Lankenau though.  Paoli is all private rooms too.  Bryn Mawr is not. 

eSynergy

First of all, congratulations!  

I delivered at Pennsylvania Hospital (and I was really happy there -- Amy, I always feel bad when you say you didn't have a good experience there!). When we're ready for our next baby, the only other hospital I'd consider is Lankenau b/c it has a level III NICU --- DS had some unexpected complications at birth, and most likely my next pregnancy would be high-risk (so I want to have the highest level of care where ever I deliver, just in case!). 

amy052006

eSynergy:

First of all, congratulations!  

I delivered at Pennsylvania Hospital (and I was really happy there -- Amy, I always feel bad when you say you didn't have a good experience there!). When we're ready for our next baby, the only other hospital I'd consider is Lankenau b/c it has a level III NICU --- DS had some unexpected complications at birth, and most likely my next pregnancy would be high-risk (so I want to have the highest level of care where ever I deliver, just in case!). 

I know we were not the norm!  I just really think the laborist system blows chunks, and that I had a really bad draw with both day nurses and LCs.  My night nurse was great in theory, except twice she "took the baby for tests" and we woke up four hours later.  I am sure she thought she was doing us a favor, but in reality I am pretty sure that hurt us with breastfeeding and his jaundice.

The NICU and the fact that CCP is there is what would make me go back.  I think next time around we are going to seriously look into hiring a doula, and basically I will hold my breath and pout until they get me Linda Derbyshire as an LC. 

And I will make sure my room has hot water, because really the fact it did not is just inexcusable. 

eSynergy

amy052006:

eSynergy:

First of all, congratulations!  

I delivered at Pennsylvania Hospital (and I was really happy there -- Amy, I always feel bad when you say you didn't have a good experience there!). When we're ready for our next baby, the only other hospital I'd consider is Lankenau b/c it has a level III NICU --- DS had some unexpected complications at birth, and most likely my next pregnancy would be high-risk (so I want to have the highest level of care where ever I deliver, just in case!). 

I know we were not the norm!  I just really think the laborist system blows chunks, and that I had a really bad draw with both day nurses and LCs.  My night nurse was great in theory, except twice she "took the baby for tests" and we woke up four hours later.  I am sure she thought she was doing us a favor, but in reality I am pretty sure that hurt us with breastfeeding and his jaundice.

The NICU and the fact that CCP is there is what would make me go back.  I think next time around we are going to seriously look into hiring a doula, and basically I will hold my breath and pout until they get me Linda Derbyshire as an LC. 

And I will make sure my room has hot water, because really the fact it did not is just inexcusable. 

I can't believe you didn't even have hot water. Linda and I were BFFs for the first two months after Oliver was born. Next time I deliver, I plan on requesting specific LCs. I don't care if they think I'm crazy.

ering1115

amy052006:

And I will make sure my room has hot water, because really the fact it did not is just inexcusable. 

for real.  my only hospital complaint was that the water kept going from warm to COLD.  doesn't seem like a big deal but after you had a c-section and your entire body tenses because you are being unexpectedly doused in COLD water, it freaking hurts.  a lot. 

SJU1982

ering1115:

on a side note- when my mommom was hospitalized there she loved the fact that they play a snippet of brahms lullaby when each new baby is born.  even in the not so happy wards the song makes people stop for a second and just about everyone gets a little smile from hearing it.   

This just made my morning.  What a sweet idea.

Kimbatron

I live near Riddle but delivered at Bryn Mawr because that's where my OB delivers. I was happy with my labor and delivery, but did not love my one post-partum nurse, who I had multiple shifts.

a friend had a baby boy at Lankenau and one time that they brought the baby to the room from the nursery, they brought the wrong baby. that was enough for me to not consider it. it sounds fake but it's my actual friend that it happened to who told me this (not a friend of a friend of a friend).

amy052006

Kimbatron:

I live near Riddle but delivered at Bryn Mawr because that's where my OB delivers. I was happy with my labor and delivery, but did not love my one post-partum nurse, who I had multiple shifts.

a friend had a baby boy at Lankenau and one time that they brought the baby to the room from the nursery, they brought the wrong baby. that was enough for me to not consider it. it sounds fake but it's my actual friend that it happened to who told me this (not a friend of a friend of a friend).

I can not believe I forgot this part of my story.

I had my son in my arms in the room, and a nurse walked in with a baby girl and said, "Here she is -- she did great!" 

Um, wtf?

Yeah, she was on the wrong floor. 

jewels2730

Well, not KU but this Penn convo is making me feel better about switching my gyn over to Jefferson. :-)

Krystal6826

I see how they could bring the wrong baby to the wrong room, but I don't see how they could hand you the wrong baby.  At least at Lankenau, I had to read my whole entire bracelet to the nurse as she checked it against the babies before she would lift him out of the bassinet.  They bracelet was full information and quite annoying.  

candkmc1021

I delivered at Riddle and my OB practice is Riddle OBGYN. I had such a great experience with the nurses there. I definitely cried when leaving the hospital because they were so wonderful.

I had an infection after delivery that needed weekly follow up 2 months post c-section and my doctor was absolutely wonderful. 

Krista99

I just delivered my twins at Paoli and everyone there was wonderful!  All the nurses were great--I didn't have one bad experience there.  Our babies were in the NICU for a couple weeks and the NICU nurses/doctors were also nice to deal with.  And every morning they'd send us an email from our babies with updates as to how much they gained/ate/pooped/etc.  It was nice to see how they progressed before we went in for the feedings. 

eaglesfan700

I had a wonderful experience both times at Jeff (which is also a Level III NICU). 

I am very close to both Lankenau and Bryn Mawr.  I think they are both great hospitals, but in asking around I didn't find one person who had a great experience at BM, but heard raves about Lankenau.  So if there is a #3, we will be going to Lankenau

GL!

Kimbatron

Krystal6826:

I see how they could bring the wrong baby to the wrong room, but I don't see how they could hand you the wrong baby.  At least at Lankenau, I had to read my whole entire bracelet to the nurse as she checked it against the babies before she would lift him out of the bassinet.  They bracelet was full information and quite annoying.  

Yeah I'm not sure how it happened either - I do know that it was VERY early in the morning and they came in and handed my friend a girl (they had a boy) and they were very WTF. I could say "the nurse was super tired" but it doesn't get around the bracelet protocol.

tracyd21

candkmc1021:

I delivered at Riddle and my OB practice is Riddle OBGYN. I had such a great experience with the nurses there. I definitely cried when leaving the hospital because they were so wonderful.

I had an infection after delivery that needed weekly follow up 2 months post c-section and my doctor was absolutely wonderful. 

I just switched from Riddle OBGYN because I had a horrible experience with one of the doctors when I had a miscarriage.  We are now with Great Valley OB and I will deliver at Paoli.  A few of my friends who delivered there refer to it as "The Ritz", so I'm pretty hopeful that I'll have a good experience there.

candkmc1021

tracyd21:

candkmc1021:

I delivered at Riddle and my OB practice is Riddle OBGYN. I had such a great experience with the nurses there. I definitely cried when leaving the hospital because they were so wonderful.

I had an infection after delivery that needed weekly follow up 2 months post c-section and my doctor was absolutely wonderful. 

I just switched from Riddle OBGYN because I had a horrible experience with one of the doctors when I had a miscarriage.  We are now with Great Valley OB and I will deliver at Paoli.  A few of my friends who delivered there refer to it as "The Ritz", so I'm pretty hopeful that I'll have a good experience there.

Im so sorry to hear that. I think I can probably guess who it was. It was really not until the last legs of my pregnancy that I really warmed up to the practice. 

MrsBeagle

I have no personal experiences, but both my SIL's delivered at Paoli and had great experiences.

KLF01

We live in Media, but my OB' practice delivers at Paoli. I stayed with them after we moved to Media because I loved the hospital/experience I had with our daughter. I had a great experience with the nurses, doctors and LC's there. It's a little drive, but not too far!

nomoreboozeforme

We are going to Lankenau and like it very much now that we are seeing the doctors.

Obviously haven't been through the big finale yet so can't comment on that. Good luck deciding!

OctoberBabyH

tracyd21:

candkmc1021:

I delivered at Riddle and my OB practice is Riddle OBGYN. I had such a great experience with the nurses there. I definitely cried when leaving the hospital because they were so wonderful.

I had an infection after delivery that needed weekly follow up 2 months post c-section and my doctor was absolutely wonderful. 

I just switched from Riddle OBGYN because I had a horrible experience with one of the doctors when I had a miscarriage.  We are now with Great Valley OB and I will deliver at Paoli.  A few of my friends who delivered there refer to it as "The Ritz", so I'm pretty hopeful that I'll have a good experience there.

 

I'm somewhat new to the burbs and I go to Great Valley OB (Exton office) and have had crappy experiences at the three appts. I have had there so far. 

I have an appt. with a new OB in February.  This means a new hospital too, though. (Chester County.) My daughter's pedi raves about the place and I took a tour and I think I am going to like it there.

lachute

I wound up at Bryan mawr because of my midwives. I think I got some special treatment because of them. But overall I wouldn't run back to BM.