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choosing to deliver at swedish

(18 posts)

Started 3 years ago by willow
Latest reply from Tortie

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swedish childbirth

willow

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has anyone recently delivered at swedish ballard campus? i went on a tour and love the facility. would like to hear your experience.

Posted 3 years ago #
loyalmom4

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Hi Willow,
I delivered at Swedish Ballard and it was the absolute BEST experience possible. The nurses were incredible and I was very well cared for. The intimacy of the birth floor was so nice to have - I really felt like they did everything for me. I cannot recommend it enough.

Posted 3 years ago #
boardbrown

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We had our first at Swedish First Hill, and our second and (gulp) third at Swedish Ballard 2 months ago. Ballard was the better experience, hands down.

Posted 3 years ago #
Bamber

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I agree with Boardbrown - actually...I delivered both children at Ballard. With my first - he ended up having to go to the NICU, which Ballard does not have. He was transferred to First Hill, and I was transferred later in the day. I had a c-section, so I was hospitalized 3 days. I was SO upset that I had to leave Ballard. At First Hill they shoved me into a room that was the size of a closet and the nurses NEVER came around. On a side note as well....I had one nurse at First Hill that claimed to give me my pain meds twice - but she DID NOT...and I was in excruciating pain.

I had my daughter, also a c-section at Ballard last year and it was a COMPLETELY different experience. Because it's so small and intimate, we had TONS of attention from the doctors and nurses. And instead of pushing me out the door like they did at Swedish First Hill...they were actually trying to get me to say 4 days instead of the standard 3 after a c-section.

And the room service can't be beat as far as hospital food goes!

It was a lovely experience. You will be treated like a Queen. Congrats!

Posted 3 years ago #
jeffo

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the curved rooms around the circular hub are pretty cool. if you play your cards rigt, you might be able to see your house from the room.

the tubs were a little puny however.

Posted 3 years ago #
Anonymous

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I had my daughter at Ballard Swedish and had a really good experience with all of the staff there. My pregnancy "went wrong" after 24 difficult hours and I had to have an emergency C-Section the my daughter was on a respirator in NICU for two hours (FYI - they have a NICU now but it's not as extensive as the one at First Hill so they sometimes transfer the mom and infants - I'm not sure why they didn't except that she couldn't breathe by herself so maybe they thought it was too risky to transfer her?) Anyway, I thought everyone was great and they also encouraged me to stay the full 4 days because of the surgery and my daughter's health issue. I had one nurse during the 2am-ish shift who came in to give me my pain meds and was brusque and rude, but I figure one bad shift out of four days is pretty good. During labor the nurses were great too, better then the doula my mom hired for me. We ended up kicking her out of the room. Had I known the nurses would be so good at Ballard Swedish we wouldn't have bothered with the doula (which by the way we were unlucky - there are plenty of excellent doulas out there who can handle an emergency - ours just happened to not be able to).

One of my friends had vehemently planned to have a home birth but after our labor class toured the Ballard maternity ward she turned to her husband and said, "No way! This is so swank! We're having the baby here!"

Posted 3 years ago #
Amy J

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Swedish Ballard is great. Especially compared to what I have heard about other area hospitals. The nurses are a huge part of that. We had two births there.

Overall, the experiences were great. We had a doula each time (which was great for me *and* my husband). The 1st baby was a 24-hour labor followed by a quick c-section. 2nd baby was VBAC and fairly quick. Our second baby was born right as they were finishing the remodel (July 2006) and during some sort of staffing shortage. Baby 2 needed oxygen and the nurses and OB didn't know how to use the new equipment, so they zipped into the baby/nursery area where, luckily, an anesthesiologist just happened to be there and knew how to use the equipment and got her oxygen.

Both times there was confusion over procedures and whether they had been done or not. Our doula was able to be our "talking birth plan" and voice of experience. Yes, the nurses are great--but they work for the hospital. With Baby 2, the nurse said my doppler belt readings were abnormal (I had to wear one as a VBAC patient), and said, "With results like this the on-call doc is going to go for a repeat c-section, so you should prepare for another c-section." Our doula said, "Can you try another doppler belt?" And, whaddaya know? I was fine, baby was fine, it was a bad belt!

I did learn last year that if you have had a c-section, Swedish Ballard no longer is offering VBAC. You have to go to First Hill or Northwest.

Enough yammering: Congrats Willow -- enjoy your baby (and your freetime until that baby is born!)

Posted 3 years ago #
Mamasings

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I am also a huge fan of Ballard Swedish. I had my daughter there al
ost a year ago withthe midwives, and it ws great. We wanted minimal intervention, andthat's what we got. In fact, when we wanted to use the tub during transition, the nurse and midwife helped us in, and told us to buzz them when it was time to push! I had my first baby at first hill, and we had unwanted interventions and negative nurses galore...thank goodness for our doula, or I'm sure we would have gotten a c-section. First hill does complications very well, but in my experience and in hearing from others, they tend to treat every pregnancy as if it wer high risk. Ballard just got out of our way and let us do our thing. For us, it felt like the best of both worlds...home birth intimacy, but at a hospital just in case we needed help. We were just at the er a few weeks ago for an issue my husband was having, and the nurses were thrilled when we popped upstairs for a visit. Many of them remembered us and our birth! I really hope they stay that way. I'm a little concerned that now that they've decided to no longer allow vbacs, and that the midwives are adding obs to their practice, that the hospital is moving in a different direction, but we'll have to wait and see. I can tell you that among the natural childbirth advocates I know, it's considered the hospital to be at!

Posted 3 years ago #
Ballard Dad

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My wife had our son there. Great place! The nurses were all very attentive and professional. If we ever have another it will definately be there. Good luck!

Posted 3 years ago #
Shoeless

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I had my twins there, and they were wonderful. We still go back to visit the nurses 2 years later! :)

Posted 3 years ago #
Frayed Knot

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I used to deliver two part epoxy to Auggie in the Swedish Hospital maintinence dept about 15 years ago. I always had a good experience. The more they bought the more I made so I was very happy to choose to deliver there and I highly recommend them!

Posted 3 years ago #
Mamasings

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Ha! That made me laugh out loud. : )

Posted 3 years ago #
20feet

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I have many friends who have had thier babies at Swedish in Ballard, and had great experiences! My experience was also great given the curcumstances... I was 8 weeks along and had already met the Swedish midwives and decided to go with them when I had to be rushed to the ER in the middle of the night. Turns out I had a corneal ectopic (corner of the uterus) pregnancy that had ruptured, and taken out the main artery that runs to my leg. The on call ob's were great, they rushed me into surgery and were able to stop the bleeding as well as save most of my uterus. I lost a LOT of blood. The dr's in the ER were very caring and good at what they do, they managed to not panic once they figured out I had internal bleeding, which kept me and the hubby from panicking! They just gave me more blood until the Ob's and the anesthesiologist could get there. Of course all of this happened during the middle of the night, it always does. I spent 5 days there recovering and most of the nurses were great, there are always a few surly ones. The doctors I worked with were all top notch, and very caring. I now go to the ob that did my surgery for all my female needs, plus since she has already been up in my insides, I trust her to do a c-section one day when I need it. Remember that they had to remove part of my uterus.... please don't rant about VBAC's to me, it truly is not an option. I will be very high risk someday when I do concieve again.

But congrats on the little one, and I would truly trust Swedish!

Posted 3 years ago #
Mamasings

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No rants from me! What a scary experience, and you are so lucky that you have the option of conceiving again some day. Good luck to you! You are exactly the kind of patient that c-sections were designed for. My only issue is docs that do them because they want to get to dinner, etc.

Posted 3 years ago #
20feet

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Thanks Mamasings, and I do agree about the over use of C-sections. That is why I had originally decided to go with the midwives, but now I can't. Alas, this is why we are lucky to have the technology of western medicine. But the great thing about Seattle is that even the ob's have other training. My ob did her internship in Japan where she followed Japanese midwives into remote locations to help them deliver babies. I am sure she learned a TON from them that she can apply to her work here.

Posted 3 years ago #
Mamasings

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That is awesome! Do you mind sharing her name? Lots of OBs go through their training without ever even seeing a birth free of interventions, and I have lots of friends who are looking for OBs who are more on the low intervention side. She sounds great.

Posted 3 years ago #
20feet

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@Mamasings, her name is Dr. Akiko Kurachi. She was at Swedish in Ballard up until a few months ago when she moved to Salish Women's Health at Northwest Hospital. I went to see her there not to long ago, it wasn't that far. Not Ballard, but a really nice hospital, and the team motto is women helping women. Gotta love that. Plus I think she lives in Ballard, so she is nearby if needed.

Posted 3 years ago #
Tortie

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We had Akiko for our second kid. She was great!

Nothing but good things about Ballard Swedish...it was nice to only have a 5 minute drive to the hospital.

Posted 3 years ago #