St. Joseph's or Rose-which Is Better Place to Give Birth in Denver, CO

Hi K.,
I recently delivered @ St Joe's and know someone who has delivered all three of ____@____.com are both awesome. Good luck to you. KB

I gave birth 4 almost 5 years ago at St. Joseph's Hospital. It was a wonderful experience. My sister almost 16 years ago gave birth at Rose and also had a good experience. There both good. Sorry, K. I hope this helps some.

I'd say Rose. I work there (not on the L&D floor) so maybe I'm biased, but Rose has had a reputation as being a great baby hospital for a long time. Also, I know they just remodeled their L&D suites...they're really nice. My friend just had her baby there in January. The post-partum rooms are kind of small, but I think that's true wherever you go. Good luck to you!

I have given birth at Exempla Lutheran in 2005 (recently very beautifully remodeled) and St Joe's in 2011 and am due again in January 2014.
I would never deliver at St. Joe's again, it is mainly an indigent hospital and Kaiser hospital so it is flooded by teen moms, welfare moms, etcetera and the nurses are fried.
Exempla Lutheran was fantastic and my daughter was a preemie so I know they have a fantastic NICU too which is always peace of mind. The nurses are very warm and kind and empowering. I also like their classes including their 6 month long support group after you deliver called Survival for New Moms. The friends I made in 2005 with our first are still close friends today and our kids are all great crib mates.
I think Lutheran has a more wholistic approach to incorporating the whole family and accomodating visitors and hubby. The recovery rooms are lovely and are even more lovely now.
Rose, I hear, is fantastic.
Steer clear of St. Joe's please.

I had all 3 of my kids at Rose, as have alot of my friends. The nurses are really awesome. I'm glad I didn't deliver anywhere else. They have suites on the 6th floor, which cost an arm and a leg, but are apparently wonderful. I didn't stay there, but the room I did have was a single room with private bathroom. I think all of their post-delivery rooms are singles. But, really, the best thing about Rose is the quality of the nurses. I really felt like I was in good hands there. And since the nurses take care of you more than the doctors, it's important that they're good. Make sure you pre-register (you can even do it as early as now), take a tour of the hospital and sign up for some of their pre-natal classes (they're good, too). Good Luck!!

I delivered at Rose Jan 2006 and the nurses and doctors were terrific! I was very happy with Rose and would highly recommend it

Definately Saint Joseph's! I had both of my children there and had great experiences! I also felt really comfortable there knowing they have a great neonatal intensive care unit. Everything was fine with both of my deliveries, but it gave me piece of mind to know that IF anything had gone wrong my baby could stay there and get the best of care. I also know they have recently remodeled their labor and delivery unit. It is so nice it almost makes me want to have another baby.

I had my son at St. Joseph's and had a wonderful experience! I really enjoyed all the labor and delivery nurses (and I had a lot as I was there a long time). They were very prompt when I requested my epidural and I felt comfortable even when I had to have a C Section. I also really enjoyed the prenatal classes there, and I even took a prenatal exercise class there that I really enjoyed.
The problem that I had was that it was hard to talk to the Lactation Consultant the day after the birth when I was having trouble, although the nurses were very helpful and I'm sure it was just because it was busy.
I would definately go to St. Joseph's again.

I delivered last May at St Joe's, as did several friends. We all thought it was great. The nurses were all very nice, I got the epidural immediately, and it was close to my doctor's office so she was able to swing by on her way into work. Take a tour of the labor & delivery area if you haven't already, the rooms are really nice.

Oh, how exciting!! I recently had my first child 6 weeks ago and did so at Rose Medical Center. I have had a few surgeries there and have not had any problems. I felt very comfortable there and feel they have a wonderful maternity center. As an added bonus they have redone their maternity ward and it is great!!! I started there only to be moved to the older rooms due to an emergency c-section. Hopefully you won't have to experience anything unnerving. Also, you can take a tour of the maternity ward to see if is something you would be comfortable with. Good luck to you!
M.

Hi K.~
I am a certified labor doula with DONA. I have seen births at both hospitals. They are both very nice hospitals and the staff is great. I think the most important thing is to choose where you feel the most comfortable at. Taking tours of both and asking the questions that are most important to you is the best way to make a decision. Everyone's experiences are different and you want this to be one of your best memories. You may also consider looking into hiring a labor doula. There are some great resources out there for every pregnant mom. I wish you the best on your new journey.....

M.

HI K.,

I have friends that have delivered at both and have heard goog things about both but Rose is great. I witnessed a birth there and the rooms are great. Good luck!
--C.

I gave birth at St. Joseph's and it was a wonderful experience. The doctors and nurses were wonderful, clean hospital and the service was great. They have a lactation nurse that is available anytime you need here. The food wasn't horrible. I even had a full size bed so that my husband could sleep with me for the nights I was in the hospital. The baby was well cared for. A great hospital.

My experience has been with St. Joe's. I had one difficult birth and one easy birth. In both cases I felt like I received great medical care. With the difficult birth, the staff was on top of things and I felt sure they weren't going to let anything bad happen to me or my baby. It sounds like both places give great care. Maybe when you tour both, you will get a feeling that one suits you better than the other. In any case, you will be in great care! One thing to consider is circumcision, if you are having a boy. I am of the new age belief it is not necessary--I think general attitudes of maternity wards are important!

St.Joseph's is beautiful, but I don't know anything about delivering there. I delivered at Rose and it was not a bad experience for my delivery but the postpartum room was the pits! The floor finish flaked off underfoot, the food was awful, and the nurses were not good at all! I was quite disappointed given all the hoopla about Rose.

I delivered both my children (in Aug 2004 and Jan 2006) at Rose. Both experiences were great. We loved all but one L&D nurse (she was on loan from CU), but we did not love the nursery staff. I'm sure they're busy and stressed w/ all those babies. I would recommend Rose to all my friends. Plus, Rose has room service!!!

Good luck!
-L.

Hi! I just joined this website and hope you were able to get your answer before this e-mail. I have attended births at St. Joseph's and Rose. Hands-down, I would choose St. Joseph's. If you have already chosen Rose, that's okay. Just know that they are not quite as supportive if you want to have a birth that is outside of the normal, medicated, structured birth experience. Write a birth plan! This will help you immensely.

Hope that helps!
A.

Heard that St. Joseph's has redone their maternity ward and it is very nice now. I had both my children at Rose and had very good experiences there. They even have a suite floor which costs more per day..the 6th floor. i didn't want to pay for it and found the regular floor to be great. I know that Rose is one of the best and so very popular so there may be a better ratio nurse to patient at St Joseph's. Our reasons for not doing St. Joseph's was personal. they do not offer tubal ligation because of religious beliefs within the hospital. Although I didn't have one, I thought that was BS. good luck and congrats!

I recommend St. Joe's. I had my son there last August and the delivery rooms were beautiful and very spacious. The nursing staff was amazing and I had my own nurse for quite some time. I ended up needing a c-section (baby was breach and my water had already broken) and the staff was really great about making me feel comfortable with the decision and getting things done quickly. I also liked it because of the neonatal ICU and that it is right across the street from Children's Hospital just in case you need it, it's nice to know that they are prepared. I hear that Rose is great too!

K.-
i delivered at north suburban because of location, but a close friend of mine is a nurse at Rose Medical! i'd say go with the care of Rose. Good luck! L..

Hi K.,
I had an emergency surgery (ectopic) and a cesarean for a healthy baby boy 1.5 years later both at Rose. The experience for both a sad and happy occasion were great. I highly recommend Rose, and now they have rennovated the Birthing rooms so they should be even better for you!

You probably have more information than you needed at this point, but I delivered 2 children at Rose. I thought it was a great place with terrific nurses and 2 really helpful lactation consultants. I would probably go to whichever one is closest to your house or whichever one your pediatrician recommends.

While my experience at each hospital was some time ago (youngest is 11) I do feel qualified to reflect on both. St Joseph was older at the time I had my son. But the staff was great. Rose had just finished being redone and the birthing rooms were large and lovely. Also a pleasant birth. Have you taken a tour of each? Those are available... But the main point to look for is your confidance in you delivering physician. No point in giving up your favorite Doctor just because you like the wallpaper at the other hospital. In labor you won't notice it at all. Also be sure to check with your insurance carrier. If some of the bells and whistles offered are not covered, why bother getting your heart set. I have had babies in three different hospitals here in Denver. Believe me, as long as you and baby are healthy when you walk (ride) out, I gurantee you will not look behind you as you go.

I know people who delivered at St. Jo's and had a great experience. One thing they have over Rose is the "family bed" vs the chairs at Rose.

But I had my baby at Rose and was so impressed with the care on the post-partum side that I wrote their bosses a letter commending them on their care. Can't say enough about them. Wonderful lactation help (and we needed it!). The nursery has everything you would ever need, and the rooms are quite nice. As I said, your husband may not find the fold out couch or recliner very comfortable but when you've just given birth he won't complain too loudly.

Have a wonderful delivery, wherever you end up!

B.

I have had 2 babies at Rose in the last two and a half years and I absolutely recommend it. The nurses are great, the birthing suites are huge and the recovery rooms are really nice. This last time I had a HUGE recovery room with enough space for ten people to sit around and visit comfortably! The kitchen is like having hotel room service with a full menu from breakfast to dinner, and the pediatric doctors were very professional and knowledgable. Good Luck!!!

I delivered at St. Joe's and thought it was a great experience. They offer classes to prepare for birth as well as breast feeding and child comfort and safety. The birthing rooms are very comfortable. The staff is very kind and helpful. They also provide in home follow up within in a week for mom and baby. The lactation specialists are very helpful and knowledgable especially when both baby and mom are still trying to figure out the breast feeding thing. They have a fairly comfortable sofa for dad. They will offer as much help as you want and will back off if you prefer.

I am a labor and delivery nurse. I have never worked at St Joe's, but Exempla is a terrible company to work for. Rose is known as the "baby factory" and has a very nice facility. HealthOne is a good company to work for. Unfortunately, I haven't delivered at either one so I can't tell you about that side of it. I think they both do a good job during labor and managing any situations that may arise. What does your doctor think? What do the nurses in the doctor's office think? Have you taken a tour of the hospitals? Which one did you feel the most at home in?

Sorry this is not really the advice you were looking for, but I hope it was a little helpful.

K.

I delivered at St. Joe's, and really liked it. Since my delivery took 4 days altogether and culminated in a c-section, I can safely say we enjoyed/experienced just about all the amenities that their BabyPlace and recovery ward had to offer. The rooms are very comfortable, almost all have jacuzzi tubs (which really helped with my labor pains) and lots of space for friends, family, doulas, etc. to hang out and feel welcome. The docs and nurses are fabulous too- and if you have Kaiser, it's wicked cheap. Our whole "birth plan" was shot to hell with our daughter because she was breach, but other than that, we had a great experience there and felt very safe and taken care of. I think Rose has great staff, but i'm not too impressed with their facilities. St. JOe's underwent a multi-million $ renovation only 3 years ago, specifically to make moms, babies & families feel as comfortable as possible and i think they succeeded. Plus, the food is healthful and tasty. Good luck with your birth!!

I gave birth at St. Joseph's and had a wonderful experience. I did my Lamaze class beforehand there and also did a walk through/pre-registration. The biggest thing I learned was to take charge of my birth and not allow the nurses and doctors to dictate actions that didn't feel right to me and they allowed me a lot of freedom in my decisions. For example, at one point, they wanted to do a C-section feeling that my daughter was in distress and I asked that they wait for 30 minutes before they made that happen. They waited for the 30 minutes and things ended up happening OK without needing the C-section.

Good luck in your decision.