GW is a dump. The food is awful. The rooms are dark. After 4 days with a jaundiced baby in a tiny dark closet of a room, I paid extra for the VIP room for my 2nd delivery there and the lamp shade was cracked and the windows were dirty. The only reason to delivery at GW is to deliver with the midwives.

Delivery experience 10/10 x2
Post-delivery care 3/10?

I heard Sibley is beautiful since the renovation. I’d go where you feel most comfortable.

Anonymous wrote:I was totally fine having students involved, particularly knowing that teaching hospitals generally have the most updated tech and knowledge. If it makes you feel weird, pick a different hospital. Everyone at GW was incredibly respectful of me and I was aware of the attending physician in charge so I knew that trainees were not acting unsupervised. I prefer teaching hospitals across the board, not just labor and delivery.

I allowed students and anyone who wanted to observe.

So the larger of the multiples settled on the bottom breech and the "show" was the external version (ECV) in labor and delivery. Fact is prior to that day there was not a c section conversation. Volume of utra sounds for a multiple birth. I don't know why so many articles have it done at 37 weeks separate from the actual labor and delivery. Babies can even flip to breech during labor.

I decided to stick with GW as I don't want to change my doctor in middle of a high risk doctor. If I have another I will go with Sibley from the start.

Anonymous wrote:I have delivered at both and Sibley was a thousand times better. There were so many med students in and out of my room at GW while I was in labor and I was too distracted to say anything but it really bothered me. Then my doctor didn’t even deliver the baby — she was busy and a midwife delivered him, even though I never saw the midwives during pregnancy. There were also like ten med students there. After the birth, the recovery nurses were terrible. They never came in and when they did they were so mean. I still have bad feelings about it.

When I delivered my second at Sibley, I had a scheduled c section w my doctor who I saw through the whole pregnancy. And the recovery nurses were so amazingly nice. Plus everything just went so much more efficiently at Sibley. It was like night and day. I would never deliver at GW again after experiencing Sibley.

Sorry, your GW experience sounds horrible.. thanks for sharing.

I have delivered at both and Sibley was a thousand times better. There were so many med students in and out of my room at GW while I was in labor and I was too distracted to say anything but it really bothered me. Then my doctor didn’t even deliver the baby — she was busy and a midwife delivered him, even though I never saw the midwives during pregnancy. There were also like ten med students there. After the birth, the recovery nurses were terrible. They never came in and when they did they were so mean. I still have bad feelings about it.

When I delivered my second at Sibley, I had a scheduled c section w my doctor who I saw through the whole pregnancy. And the recovery nurses were so amazingly nice. Plus everything just went so much more efficiently at Sibley. It was like night and day. I would never deliver at GW again after experiencing Sibley.

Anonymous wrote:Agree, how else are residents supposed to get training. I appreciated having residents raise things to the attending more quickly too.

They get their training on people who want to be practiced on by students. I am not a textbook and they are not paying me tuition. You have every right to decline care by students even in a teaching hospital.

Anonymous wrote:Agree, how else are residents supposed to get training. I appreciated having residents raise things to the attending more quickly too.

Sure, that’s fine for those who don’t care. But some of us did not have a good experience with residents and med students during our births even if we supported the idea of them in theory. Some women may have a history of anxiety, abuse, or rape and not
Want to further increase the people present while she is laboring or giving birth. Some women do not want the experience of being a Guinea pig
Or having a younger doctor practice and a skill they may not be great at yet (like suturing a second degree tear!). Some women want an experienced physician, not a learner, handling their major medical events. We are lucky that we can all choose what works for us. And surprise, just like many women want a natural birth in theory and then realize how bad labor pains are and change their mind quickly about an epidural, many women also may find that they don’t want to give birth with enough people to fill a 12 passenger van.

Also wanted to add that for every single appointment I had, they asked if a student could join which I accepted and never felt they were unprofessional. I ended up recognizing one from my weekly 35+ week appts at delivery which was nice too.

Agree, how else are residents supposed to get training. I appreciated having residents raise things to the attending more quickly too.

I was totally fine having students involved, particularly knowing that teaching hospitals generally have the most updated tech and knowledge. If it makes you feel weird, pick a different hospital. Everyone at GW was incredibly respectful of me and I was aware of the attending physician in charge so I knew that trainees were not acting unsupervised. I prefer teaching hospitals across the board, not just labor and delivery.

Anonymous wrote:There are two medical students per shift on L&D at GW. Each is assigned a patient. There are no medical student class attends a birth. If you don’t want a student, consider declining. You will be fine at either place. Think about convenience. Which is closer to your home/work as pregnancy comes with a lot of appointments.

I don’t remember med students at GW during L&D, but one held my hand during my amnio, and another one asked me cutely awkward screening questions at my appointment to get an IUD 6 weeks post-partum. I would not have minded them being there during L&D either. I feel like it’s an honor and a service to be part of their education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I delivered at both. Much preferred Sibley. At GW, it was like a whole medical class came to watch the delivery.

Sibley might do this too now since they’ve been bought by Hopkins.

Teaching hospital or no they still need your permission to have students in the room. If it is something you feel strongly about just cross out that section on the informed consent paperwork and say you do not consent to students present.

Lol I had students and residents all involved in my GW birth. No one ever asked for my consent, they just showed up in the room. They seemed basically giddy that I was having complications and excited to see my delivery when I was in extreme agony and worried about my baby dying. It was just horrible, and a huge part of the reason I selected Sibley for my next delivery. There I was treated with respect and professionalism by everyone and I was not left to
Feel like I was on display for a group of immature amateurs.

In all probability the students presence was on the general “informed consent” paperwork you signed on admittance. I specifically refused students in mine (and photography!) but you have to know both to look out for it AND that you’re allowed to say no which is definitely not well advertised in teaching practices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I delivered at both. Much preferred Sibley. At GW, it was like a whole medical class came to watch the delivery.

Sibley might do this too now since they’ve been bought by Hopkins.

Teaching hospital or no they still need your permission to have students in the room. If it is something you feel strongly about just cross out that section on the informed consent paperwork and say you do not consent to students present.

Lol I had students and residents all involved in my GW birth. No one ever asked for my consent, they just showed up in the room. They seemed basically giddy that I was having complications and excited to see my delivery when I was in extreme agony and worried about my baby dying. It was just horrible, and a huge part of the reason I selected Sibley for my next delivery. There I was treated with respect and professionalism by everyone and I was not left to
Feel like I was on display for a group of immature amateurs.

There are two medical students per shift on L&D at GW. Each is assigned a patient. There are no medical student class attends a birth. If you don’t want a student, consider declining. You will be fine at either place. Think about convenience. Which is closer to your home/work as pregnancy comes with a lot of appointments.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I delivered at both. Much preferred Sibley. At GW, it was like a whole medical class came to watch the delivery.

Sibley might do this too now since they’ve been bought by Hopkins.

Teaching hospital or no they still need your permission to have students in the room. If it is something you feel strongly about just cross out that section on the informed consent paperwork and say you do not consent to students present.