Anonymous wrote:I was awake 50 hours straight (full workday, then long labor) and then given my baby to care for the first night at GW. I was delirious and could have easily been one of the moms who dropped their baby. I could hardly walk or see straight to get up for feeds I was so tired and nurses never offered to take her so I could rest. It’s about time they brought back the nursery, but shame on them for having ever gotten rid of it in the first place.

+1. Similar experience. It was a lawsuit waiting to happen. I would have absolutely sued if I had hurt my baby given GW was forcing me to take care of it by myself when I'd just had surgery and had been awake for days. Oh and I was on opioids. I remember feeling dizzy multiple times when I stood up to get my baby to breastfeed and could have easily fallen with the baby in my arms. Giving a post csection mom strong pain pills and then leaving and closing the door to the room while the baby is across the room and the csection mom has to painfully make it over to the baby is criminal.

Anonymous wrote:Shame on them prior poster?
The well baby “respite” nursery was closed at GW in 2013 in order to expand the number of NICU beds for sick babies.

Shame on the city for requiring hospitals to get certificates of need that take over two years to increase the number of beds they have.

The city is in complete crisis due to UMC and Providence shutting down their maternity wards without a plan in place.
That is another story.

GW does not have the “baby friendly designation.”
They want you to room in yes.
The respite nursery is open now because the certificate went through.
Put a sign on your door.
Med student no longer round on you.
They may with the pediatrician but not alone.
Make sure the managers know how much you like the nursery.

Ok so apparently you work for the hospital. And yes, shame on them. They did have a baby friendly designation when I delivered there in 2016 and touted it proudly. 5 babies dropped? There is no excuse for that and each time is one time too many.. Their ratios for postpartum sucked when I delivered. I think each RN had like 5 mother baby couplets. There is no way to deliver quality nursing care with a ratio that high.

Anonymous wrote:Haven't given birth there yet (36 weeks now) but for what it's worth, I asked at the hospital tour a few weeks ago about their nursery. I got a fairly condescending response from the tour guide indicating that there was no more nursery because it's so much better for mom and baby to establish breastfeeding if the baby rooms in. This is not my first baby, but first at GW, and was annoyed at the response.

Dear god stay a million miles away from this hospital.

NP -- thank you for this information, 21:02. My premie was born in 2013 and was in the annex of the NICU because the regular NICU was full. So many babies in need.

Shame on them prior poster?
The well baby “respite” nursery was closed at GW in 2013 in order to expand the number of NICU beds for sick babies.

Shame on the city for requiring hospitals to get certificates of need that take over two years to increase the number of beds they have.

The city is in complete crisis due to UMC and Providence shutting down their maternity wards without a plan in place.
That is another story.

GW does not have the “baby friendly designation.”
They want you to room in yes.
The respite nursery is open now because the certificate went through.
Put a sign on your door.
Med student no longer round on you.
They may with the pediatrician but not alone.
Make sure the managers know how much you like the nursery.

Anonymous wrote:I delivered at GW twice without a nursery in 2014 and 2016. I had an easy vaginal birth - no stitches - meaning I could get out of bed by myself. Both times my husband went home to sleep. Both times I had plenty of help from nurses to help me position the baby for nursing, to swaddle the baby, to show me how to clean up the sticky meconium poop, etc. I just asked.

And no it wasn’t a slow day. The night I delivered my first my doula told me they were diverting women in labor to Sibley because they were so full.

I delivered there in November 2013 and April 2017. Both reasonably easy vaginal deliveries, minor stitches, I was up and about. The nurses were helpful when I asked, but not unless I asked. And as first time parents my husband and I felt uncomfortable asking, or didn't even know what to ask. As it happened I didn't want to use the nursery either time, but I had my husband there overnight the first time and my sister overnight the second time. Would've been a far different story if I didn't have that. Not everyone wants or needs a nursery, but they should have one for those that do. My second kid screamed all that first night unless being held by someone who was either sitting bolt upright or walking around. (Turned out to be a harbinger of things to come in the sleep department, ha ha.) My sister and I took turns and by 5 am she took the baby and I conked out so hard I didn't even wake up when they took my blood pressure at 6 am. I would have been even more of a wreck doing it all myself.

I was awake 50 hours straight (full workday, then long labor) and then given my baby to care for the first night at GW. I was delirious and could have easily been one of the moms who dropped their baby. I could hardly walk or see straight to get up for feeds I was so tired and nurses never offered to take her so I could rest. It’s about time they brought back the nursery, but shame on them for having ever gotten rid of it in the first place.

I delivered at GW twice without a nursery in 2014 and 2016. I had an easy vaginal birth - no stitches - meaning I could get out of bed by myself. Both times my husband went home to sleep. Both times I had plenty of help from nurses to help me position the baby for nursing, to swaddle the baby, to show me how to clean up the sticky meconium poop, etc. I just asked.

And no it wasn’t a slow day. The night I delivered my first my doula told me they were diverting women in labor to Sibley because they were so full.

This is awesome news!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just delivered there dec 27! I was going to make a post about this but haven’t yet. They have a nursery and it’s great. I delivered there in nov 2016 as well (failed IUD for number 2) and there was no nursery at that time. This time my husband stayed with me and we went baby tonnurswey all three nights for
3-4 hours overnight. I had a c section and it helped us just get some sleep. The nurses offered it and were very supportive. I made sure to tell every manager who came to ask about my stay how much we appreciated the nursery. The nurses told me they had a few moms drop babies in the past year so they are making a big push.

The other mom here that was offered the nursery - one of the nurses told me that 5 babies were dropped this year!!!

Oh my, that is awful!

And ^^PP with the almost-Irish twins, congrats, and I am glad you got to start out with some extra rest!

Anonymous wrote:I just delivered there dec 27! I was going to make a post about this but haven’t yet. They have a nursery and it’s great. I delivered there in nov 2016 as well (failed IUD for number 2) and there was no nursery at that time. This time my husband stayed with me and we went baby tonnurswey all three nights for
3-4 hours overnight. I had a c section and it helped us just get some sleep. The nurses offered it and were very supportive. I made sure to tell every manager who came to ask about my stay how much we appreciated the nursery. The nurses told me they had a few moms drop babies in the past year so they are making a big push.

The other mom here that was offered the nursery - one of the nurses told me that 5 babies were dropped this year!!!

I just delivered there last week and multiple nurses offered to take the baby to the nursery.

Anonymous wrote:I just delivered there dec 27! I was going to make a post about this but haven’t yet. They have a nursery and it’s great. I delivered there in nov 2016 as well (failed IUD for number 2) and there was no nursery at that time. This time my husband stayed with me and we went baby tonnurswey all three nights for
3-4 hours overnight. I had a c section and it helped us just get some sleep. The nurses offered it and were very supportive. I made sure to tell every manager who came to ask about my stay how much we appreciated the nursery. The nurses told me they had a few moms drop babies in the past year so they are making a big push.

So absurd to expect heavily medicated women recovering from abdominal surgery (and likely having been awake for at least 24 hours) to be able to safely bare for a newborn. Baby friendly my ass. Kudos to GW!

I just delivered there dec 27! I was going to make a post about this but haven’t yet. They have a nursery and it’s great. I delivered there in nov 2016 as well (failed IUD for number 2) and there was no nursery at that time. This time my husband stayed with me and we went baby tonnurswey all three nights for
3-4 hours overnight. I had a c section and it helped us just get some sleep. The nurses offered it and were very supportive. I made sure to tell every manager who came to ask about my stay how much we appreciated the nursery. The nurses told me they had a few moms drop babies in the past year so they are making a big push.

GW just reopened the nursery last month