I am having a very hard deciding which hospital to deliver my next child - due in November. I delivered my 2 1/2 yr old son at Christiana and had a good experience except that it seems that all OBGYN practices at Christiana have on-call coverage with other practices. For me it ended up resulting in a 66 hour labor with my first because I later learned that doctors typically won't induce patients not from their practice even when, in my case, I desperately needed it. Also, the practice I'm considering at Christiana has a midwife in the delivery rotation that has been delivering babies for all of 3 months - I guess it will be 9 months by the time I'm due. I'm not very comfortable with the thought of a relatively inexperienced midwife possibly being the only person there for my delivery.
I found a great practice at Chester County Hospital that is large enough that they deliver all of their own babies but the hospital is further away (45 mins vs 25 mins for Christiana) and I recently learned you have to share a room 50% of the time. This may sound silly but the thought of sharing a bathroom after childbirth grosses me out a bit ;-)
I don't know what to do - any advice or sharing of your own experiences would be greatly appreciated! TIA
I've delivered both my children @ Chester County. Both via C-Section (1st unplanned, 2nd planned) and shared a room both times. I love my OB practice, so I got over the room share. My ped doesn't have admitting rights @ Chester County, so my kids get evaluated by the CHOP docs - I think a major plus.
The only bit of info I have about either place is that I've not heard great things about the LD ward at Chester County...And I totally agree with you about the bathroom situation! I had to share a room after my first, but had a room to myself with the 2nd and 3rd and that's totally the way to go if possible!
Good luck!
J.- I was wrestling with the same exact decision a little over 3 years ago. Though I have to admit, my reasons for not wanting Christiana were way less noble than yours (basically I was being caddy and didn’t want to be at the same hospital where my stepdaughter had been born six years earlier--- oh, the silly things you worry about before you have kids!). But I am SO HAPPY that my ridiculousness led me to CC hospital! It was amazing. Now I honestly can’t imagine having a baby at a big hospital. Chester County is really the best of both worlds--- it’s small and friendly while still having a top-level NICU. You didn’t mention which practice you had found, but if it’s Chester County OB/GYN Associates then I say FULL STEAM AHEAD! They were incredible and were a big part of the amazing experience I had at CC hospital. You didn’t mention where you live, but if you are closer to Newtown Square, you can go to most of your appointments there so that you aren’t schlepping to West Chester every week. I’m not sure why anyone would have something to complain about LD—I thought it was great. You labor and deliver in the same room, so once you get there, you don’t have to move until you have your baby in your arms. Those rooms are very spacious and private. My only only complaint was that it seemed like a long time for my epidural to come after I asked for it. But this was completely my fault because I was trying to be superwoman and make it as long as I could. Who was I kidding? Just make sure to order your drugs before you feel like you are going to pass out from the pain Please feel free to message me if you have any more questions about CC hospital or CC OB Associates. My husband and I are both really passionate about the amazing experience we had there.
PS--- I also 2nd what Lady said--- I liked having a CC doc check the baby out at the hospital and then going to our regular pedi at Brandywine Peeds the day after we got home. I liked having 2 different, unrelated pedis, both tell me that my baby was a-ok.
PPS--- I was in a maternity room that was built for 2, but never had a roomate. They let my husband stay in the room with me all 3 nights! it was great.
I delivered all 3 of my girls at Chester County and always had a positive experience. My doctor is with Chester county OB as well and while he didn't show up until the last possible second it was always fine. The nurses in L&D are top notch and amazing. As far as recovery goes, you will only have to share a room if there are tons of other deliveries the same time you deliver. I would think November shouldn't be a busy time. Also, I always made friends with the nurses so they would give me a private room plus I come from a really large family who was always visiting so it made sense. I only had a double room with my first and they make a point of not making you share unless there are positively no other rooms. Its a chance but one worth taking if you ask me.
