Advice on Hospitals

L.,

I have heard good things about St. Mary's, and not many good things at all about Communtiy. I had my son (first and only so far) there in the spring of 2006, and swore I would never ever set foot in that place again. I won't give you the full list of complaints because I could go on for a really long time, but I will give you a few examples. First of all, when I was about 9 weeks pg, I started bleeding heavily out of the blue, and waited 4 hours in the ER. The nurse actually told me that it was because "it's not like you're having a heart attack or a stroke or something serious." Thank God I wasn't actually having a miscarriage. Then, after my delivery, my ob ordered an EKG because I was having heart palpitations, and the tech gave it to the girl in the bed next to me. The nurse came in a few minutes later to tell ME that everything checked out fine. And if you're thinking about breastfeeding, forget it. They'll treat you like you have six heads. Sorry, I'm getting worked up just thinking about the whole experience. Not the way that I wanted to remember the birth of my first child. Anyway, check out St. Mary's. Or St. Anthony's, which really is the best around here. Good luck. And let me know if you'd like to hear about my "fabulous" delivery nurse.

J.

Sorry I am a day behind on reading my emails. I delivered at St. Mary's July 2006 and had a great experience. I loved their spacious rooms but there maternity ward is very small. I just gave birth to my son 2 weeks ago at St. Anthony's in Crown Point and loved every minute of it, their rooms are not as big but they have a huge staff and huge maternity ward and I had a scheduled c-section and all went well and they even allowed my family in the nursery to see the baby's first bath, etc....St. Marys only allowed everyone to view from the window. I have a wonderful ob/gyn if you need a recommendation and are unsure of yours. I had my c-section and was up walking around the next morning....and I left the hospital on day 2 instead of 3 and at St. Mary's with my old dr. I was there for 4 days. I was walking around the block and out and about 5 days after my c-section this time. You can call me if you have any questions or need more advice. I also own a stork business where we put 8 foot tall storks up to announce your new baby...and we can put the big sister info on them also. Let me know if you are interested or have any more questions. Take care, J. ###-###-####

Just to let you know...Community and St. Mary's are the same! I was going to deliver at St. Mary's and HATED the staff! I could not even get in for a tour! I HIGHLY recommend St. Anthony's in Crown Point. No complaints. in fact all my friends have gone there and are VERY happy! I had my first delivery at Community and hated it as well. Good luck!!

I also wanted to avoid Community, and have since heard stories that made me glad I did!! I don't know much about St Marys, but I would REALLY suggest looking into St Anthonys if your dr will go there!!!
E.

I am all about St. Anthony's in Crown Point. I can't enough good things about it. The people and the care are phenominal.

I agree with you on avoiding Community. I avoid it like the plague. I had to go there a couple of months ago (wasn't happy about it) and the lack of communication was appaling. The nurse put an IV in my forearm. I had no idea what she was doing. I've never had an IV place there. I thought she was taking blood because she didn't tell me what she was doing. Then she got mad because my entire body jumped. And that was just the beginning.

I've never been to St. Mary's but I've heard good things. If you're that area, you may want to consider St. Margaret's. I've had all three of my children there and I loved it. Some put it down because it's Hammond. I'd avoid the ER but the OB section is great. They have private rooms so I never had to share. The nurses are great and my care was top notch.

If you're really undecisive, take a tour. Talk to the nurses, look around and get an idea of where you'll be the most comfortable. Differnt people have differnt experiences. So only you can make the decision for yourself.