Thank you to Medical City Women’s Health for partnering on this post.
When we got pregnant with Liam I remember people asking us “well, where are you delivering!?” Growing up in Dallas, I knew we had a lot of great hospitals to choose from. My OB happened to deliver at Medical City, which was our first choice anyways. Choosing the right hospital can be a stressful thing to do but for those of you in the DFW area I want to share why we chose Medical City for our first birth and why that choice ended up being the best one we made. They say at Medical City they deliver dreams, and it could not be more true.
Choosing The Right Hospital
As many of you know I am currently pregnant again, expecting a baby girl this November! I feel like we know so much more this time not just about being parents but about what the hospital experience will be like and what we can expect. When we were pregnant with Liam I truly had no idea what to expect at the hospital. I had visited friends in hospitals after they had babies but what can you gather from an hour or two? Not much.
When we were newly pregnant with Liam I was researching Medical City and found out about the amazing childbirth preparation classes they had. Being first time parents, we felt like a class would be a great idea. We chose three classes! Yes, maybe that’s excessive but we wanted to be prepared. The first class we took was an all-day Saturday childbirth prep class. It went over everything from vaginal birth, to C-section, to how to swaddle a baby and change a diaper, to a hospital tour. The hospital tour was SO helpful and I suggest everyone do one. We were shown not only where we would be while in labor, but also after delivery, and the nursery. The next class we took was a morning breastfeeding class. While I did not end up nursing I found it quite helpful and informative. Lastly, Andrew took a “Daddy Boot Camp” class one evening. I will say he REALLY did not want to go and I kind of made him. But, when he got home he was so happy he went. He showed me pages of notes, and felt so much more confident. This is a class I think all dads should do! I saw such a huge difference in him after that.
When it got closer to having Liam I opted to do pre-check-in at the hospital. We filled out all the paperwork, gave our preferences and instructions etc. It made the actual check-in process when I was to be induced MUCH quicker! It also gave us the opportunity to design the childbirth experience that was JUST right for us.
I was induced on a Monday but checked in Sunday evening. Check-in took all of five minutes and we were quickly put in a room. I had the MOST amazing nurses and every shift change I would get sad about a new nurse but I loved each one. After 13 hours of labor I ended up having a C-section because my body was JUST not responding to medicine. My C-section experience was very easy and we saw our beautiful boy!
A few hours later things took an unexpected turn when Liam was sent to the NICU for low blood sugar and a low temp. We thought he would be in for a day or so but it ended up being 5.5 days. Our NICU experience, while scary, was wonderful. The nurses we had in the NICU were so loving and caring and were the biggest cheerleaders and support. The night before Liam was to be released from the NICU they let us sleep in a room with him. We got to care for him but they were close by if we had questions.
I have to admit while I was happy to take him home I was sad to leave an experience that even though was not what we had expected but nonetheless was everything we needed. We got to enjoy a celebratory intimate dinner just us which was great because it would be about 6 months before that happened again! I remember in our tour they talked about this but the food was SO SO GOOD!
Medical City Healthcare is one of the region’s largest, most comprehensive healthcare providers and includes 9 hospitals with maternity and childbirth services. At the hospitals of Medical City Healthcare, you can expect to find high-quality, specialized care for mom and baby – combined with thoughtful amenities designed to create a unique, personalized, unforgettable childbirth experience. As I mentioned, our experience was the highest quality.
Each year since Liam was born we have attended the Medical City Children’s Hospital NICU reunion! It’s a fun day to see the nurses who helped our sweet boy, and other NICU parents we met. It’s also a yearly reminder as to how much we love this hospital.
I will admit becoming a mom of two is a little scary to think about, but I know I will be in the best hands possible at a hospital we trust!
What was one thing about your hospital you really appreciated?
Wish I had options like you did where I live! Glad you had a good experience! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I wasn’t impressed with the first two. The last hospital we used was fantastic. The staff were efficient and there were enough staff available too. It made the last delivery a walk in the park in comparison to the previous two.
Congratulations on your pregnancy with you new baby girl. I wish you both health and happiness for many years to come!
Generally in the UK you just give birth at your nearest hospital, so it’s pretty straightforward… I don’t think I’d have wanted the additional pressure of choosing a hospital on top of everything else, lol!
I was at different hospitals for my two births. The first was Winnie Palmer in Orlando which was absolutely amazing! They took such good care of us there. The only thing that upset me at one point was the dr who came on-call when I was getting close to having Tyler was the only one in the entire 20-physician practice I didn’t like. But he was busy with another delivery when it came time so I had an awesome midwife deliver him. The hospital we had my second in, in Kingwood TX, was great with the actual delivery which was an emergency cesarean when he wasn’t moving. But their facility wasn’t quite as nice, especially for my husband since their cafeteria was only open a few days a week with no other option for him to get food without leaving.
This is a great article. I am very happy you had a great experience with your hospital which is very important. Delivering a baby is not easy, we mothers want to be comfortable when the time comes and choosing the right hospital is also important.
Congrats on the birth of Liam! What a great experience you had. I think that even though women around the world do this every day, at the end of the day it boils down to YOU, and it should be special. I had 3 good experiences and those are days I will never forget!
Its so funny to me when I hear about you choosing your hospital. In the UK because of our beloved NHS (free at the point of use so I never had to worry about any bills when I leave the hospital!) we don’t get to have a choice we go to the hospital that is nearest to us (although perhaps if you are in London you might get more of a choice and if you go private that’s another story). If we want to just go midwife led then there are options for this but if you need more than gas and air and a water birth you will have to be taken to the nearest hospital. In the hospital we have a more midwife led ward where there are pools, no doctors and the midwifes are allowed to give you gas and air and pethidine. If you require an epidural you can still stay on that ward but the doctors have to get involved. If things start going a bit crazy, you are wheeled round to the other ward which is still quite relaxed but more medical. This is where you tend to go if you need to go into theatre for any reason. I ended up having to go to this ward because I needed a spinal and forceps but they thought I might need an Emergency C-Section. Its fascinating learning how different countries do things!
This is not something I ever would have thought about. We don’t have kids and I know all my friends just choose a doctor and a backup and went where that doctor was. Maybe it’s the difference of Canada vs the US.
I never did a hospital tour for either pregnancy. I think our hospital charged for it, and it was fine. Congrats!
I haven’t been a parent but I hear from friends it’s an important decision. I don’t remember ever having a choice growing up in England so I think this is an American thing?
Choosing your hospital is very important and I did that for my second child. Congratulations on the birth of your angel.
I felt better prepared for my second child too. My first one was delivered in the biggest hospital, for my second, I opted for a smaller, more intimate space, which felt sooo much better.
There are so many choices you must make before giving birth. Thank you for making sense of the hospital options!
Congratulations on your delivery and welcome to the world Liam! In the US, choosing the doctor and insurance plan determines the hospital you end up in…