Sibley!

[mando323]

I've searched older posts and I know Sibley has been a hot topic, but I haven't seen any recent posts. I'm a first timer and I'll be delivering at Sibley in August and I'm curious if anyone has any info on the recent renovations (looks like they were renovated in '08 or '09?) I also read that it looked like they were addressing some nursing concerns, just wondering if anyone has had any experience there lately. I apologize if this has been recently discussed and I blame my inferior searching skills. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I just recently delivered there and nurses are great. The best kept secret is: get the semi-private room. It is extremely rare that they are requested, so most likely you will be there alone, end up having a bigger room, and save $230 a day!!!! I requested one after staying the first night in the private room ( due to complications had to stay in the hospital for a week) and then my DH had to get back home to our toddler and could not stay very long, so I moved to semi-private. Then he was still able to stay overnight with me, as well as my friend. Nurses were totally awesome and accommodating, and they told me that semi-private rooms are almost always empty

[Anonymous]

Delivered there last week and three years ago. Nursing is much, much better. Huge improvements. HOWEVER, they still have problems answering the call button. For me this was a real problem, since I had a c-section and a baby that kept spitting up and choking on it - it was absolutely terrifying to know I wouldn't be able to get up to help him if needed and it routinely took them a few minutes to answer my call, then at least several more for someone to show up. And the idea that DH can sleep in is a joke.

I don't think I noticed anything different (in terms of renovations) since my 2007 delivery. Definitely get the single room.

[Anonymous]

I had a scheduled c-section there 2 months ago. Overall, I'd say the experience was just ok.

L&D Nurse -- L&D nurse that assisted with my c-section was great. Loved her.

Doctors -- My OB did the c-section, but Sibley's anesthesiologist was really great (very slow and calm while doing the epidural; took pics of us in the OR when DS was born without even being asked (although he of course asked us if we'd like him to first!).

Food -- Awful. I hadn't eaten for 3 days and still didn't eat much of what they brought. And I'm not a picky eater. Also, you order for the whole day in the morning, and I always missed that window, so I got stuff I didn't want throughout the day.

Recovery nurses -- Mixed. I had two that I absolutely loved. They were awesome. Particularly the one that took care of me on day 2, which was when they turned off the epidural, removed the catheter and I got up and walked around the first time. I had the same nurse for the last two days that I just really didn't like. She was really pushy and abrupt and I just wasn't in the mood for that.

Lactation consultants -- Mixed on this, too. I met with two that were super nice and pretty helpful. One was insanely pushy and sort of had a know-it-all attitude I found off-putting. One complaint, though, was that when I suggested that maybe DS was tongue-tied, they disagreed. Because of that, I was slow to bring it up with my ped, who agreed with me. But by the time we got him clipped (the ENT also agreed) DS was a month old, and likely had already developed bad nursing habits. Plus, nursing never took during that month and constantly caused me to get cracked nipples, etc.

Facilities -- The private rooms are small, but worth it IMHO. DS seemed to sleep fine in the chair (he's 6'4" but thin), although we didn't send the baby to the nursery, so we were both really tired when we did sleep, and DS probably could have slept well in a cave at that point. The bathrooms are really small, which was a bit annoying (e.g., in the shower, it was hard to keep the water from hitting my scar without pressing myself up against the wall). FWIW, my sister delivered at Gtown and said her room there was just as small as mine. Not sure about the bathrooms. You have to pay for TV, which seems odd, although I never had any downtime where I wanted to watch TV anyway.

As far as requesting the semi-private room, I'd be careful. I took a childbirth class at Sibley before I knew I needed a c-section, and the woman running it said if you're in a semi-private room, odds are that you will have a roommate. I've known more than one person that asked for a private room and didn't get one right away, so it does seem that the semi-private get used, too.

Lastly, it was probably just a fluke when I was there, but the heating and cooling system seems to have some issues. I delivered in January and it was on the warm side for January, and the hospital rooms were broiling. Even DH, who is from Texas and wears long underwear from October through March thought it was really hot. For me, that coupled with post-partum hormones were brutal.

[Anonymous]

I delivered a year ago and had a semi-private room (my choice). I had a roommate who came in late the first night and left first thing the next morning. Otherwise, I was alone. The semi-private next to me was full for my entire stay. I disagree that they end up empty; I just got lucky that it was empty for most of my stay. The semi-private rooms do not have showers so you have to walk down the hall. I agree with PP that it is really warm in the recovery rooms.

[Anonymous]

This is all very helpful! Thank you all so much!

[Anonymous]

Sibley has a very high csection rate. Highest in the DC area.
Anecdotally, I've heard some pretty awful stories of Sibley - almost all ending in a csection and a bad recovery.

If you want a private room, go GWU - all private rooms there. If you want a midwife, use Washington Hospital Center.