preferred hospital?

[Anonymous]

I am new to the area and my DH and I are planning to have another child. What hospitals have good maternity facilities in the area? We live in MD but close to DC. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Sibley, georgetown, GW are popular choices. At Sibley you are not guaranteed a private post-partum room, though. If they run out of the private rooms you end up in the 2 person rooms. Otherwise great hospital. The other 2 are all private rooms (I think) but are teachinh hospitals...

[Anonymous]

I like Sibley

[Anonymous]

People tend to like Sibley. However, I have heard that they have a much higher rate of Caserian Section babies than the other nearby hospitals. This could be a rumor, but it might be worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

I have heard people describe Sibley as "too posh to push" - if that means anything.

[Anonymous]

I asked my doctor about the rumor of a higher rate of c sections at Sibley and she said that it's the doctor's choice and not the hospital's. Also she believes the reason why Sibley may have a higher rate of C-sections (if this is indeed true) is because the average age of mother's delivering there is older than surrounding nearby hospitals, and the older a person is, the more likely it is that they will need a c-section.

[Anonymous]

I read the C-section rate at each of the area hospitals and Sibley was higher than Georgetown or GW, but not incredibly so. (I can't remember where, though, so take that for whatever it's worth.)

There are three main things that make me glad to be delivering at GW instead of Sibley, but none of these things might apply to you or matter to you:

1. GW is much more convenient to our house -- lots closer to us than G'town or Sibley. Obviously this might be the opposite situation for you!
2. GW has all private rooms; as a PP has mentioned, Sibley does not. My understanding is that you can pay extra at Sibley for a private room, but only if one is still available.
3. GW has a higher-level NICU (does Sibley even have a NICU? I'm not sure).

In addition, GW seems less busy when it comes to deliveries, but that's just my impression. I also really like that GW is a teaching hospital, but I know that some people would do anything NOT to be at a teaching hospital.

[Anonymous]

Sibley does not have a NICU, they transfer to Georgetown.

Most of the things the PP said about GW I can ditto for Georgetown. Private rooms only, highly-regarded NICU, and a great place for a high-risk pregnancy. I delivered there last year (not high risk), had an overall good experience with the hospital and their services.

OP, I would tackle it from the other end - find the doctor/practice you like first and then decide on the hospital. I personally think that the choice of the doctor is more important to the overall pregnancy/birthing experience than the choice of a hospital.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

If you live in MD, what about Holy Cross?

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you're looking for...high-level NICU, guaranteed private postpartum rooms, staff supportive of natural childbirth? You might look for a practice that meshes with your wishes first, and then plan to deliver at the hospital where they have privileges. You'll find that your particular practice/OB will impact your birth experience far more than the hospital itself. There are loads of OB recommendations on this forum to sort through.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to correct something one of the PP wrote - Sibley does have a NICU, just not a level 3.

[Anonymous]

VA Hospital Center

[Anonymous]

Depending on where in MD you live, Shady Grove (in Rockville) or Holy Cross Hospital (in Silver Spring) may be a good choice for you. I am expecting to deliver my first child at Shady Grove and have been impressed with the facilities there. The labor and delivery unit is recently renovated, with all private suites. From what I've heard, they are trying to have more of a holistic approach than a lot of hospitals traditionally have had, with a focus on keeping mother and baby together.

[Anonymous]

Sibley. Had a c-section-and I am AMA. Great hospital.

[Anonymous]

Just a heads up. Sibley doesn't have all private rooms if that's important to you.

I'd search the archives on hospitals...plenty of info available.