Seeking Advice on Area Hospitals for Childbirth...

I had my son at Del Webb it was very nice. The rooms are large and you can open the windows. I used Sun Health OB/Gyn and they were good.The staff was nice. I had a planned c-sec. They were accomadating to visitors. Although as winter draws near the concern over RSV grows and they do not allow children. but that is typical of all the hospitals. All in all it was a good experience, new,clean,large rooms,kind staff,and state of the art facility. As the date draws near you are going to want a close hospital. Also I strongly suggest pre-registration.

I completely echo Desiree. I also had my daughter at Banner Thunderbird via C-section and had to go there for tests etc. before hand. Everyone was very, very wonderful, from the lab staff to the nurses for the baby and me and even the nutritionist. My Doctor was great as was his office partner. Thunderbird has 3 lactation specialists on staff and they were incredibly helpful as well. If/when we have another baby, I will go back there without question.
All the best for you!

I live in N. Glendale and I delivered both of my children at Good Sam. I choose Good Sam. because of their excellent credentials. Phx Pernatology and their docs are some of the best in the world at treating high risk pregnancies and they choose Good Sam for their patients. If you are looking for something closer check out Thunderbird. What ever you do avoid Arrowhead Hospital.

I had my daughter at Banner Thunderbird and they were GREAT. My daughter was born by C-Section so I was there from Tues to Friday and have no complaints. The nurses both mine and the ones in the nursery were great. I had to use a staff pediatrican for my daughter and he was great, took time to talk to me and answer all my questions.

The surgery staff were all very nice, helpful and they did a wonderful job of easing the nerves of a very anxious 1st time mommy!!

All the room there are private as well, so I didn't have to worry about strange people I didn't know coming through my room (as there would be with a roomie) and my room was quiet. They also gave my husband a bed to sleep on while he was with me there.

They also encourage you to keep your baby with you in the room, but are wonderful about taking them to the nursery if you need. They also had a great security system there for the babies too!!

I believe they can care for babies as early as 28 weeks, but I am not sure... but you can always call them and check. I know it wasn't on your list but from Surprise it's closer to you than some of the other hospitals you listed.

If we are still living in AZ when we decide on having a 2nd baby I will definately deliver at Thunderbird again!!!

Also... I had a lot of problems during my pregnancy and was sent to Thunderbird quite a bit for testing, an amnio and various monitoring of my baby... all very professional, courteous and they didn't make me wait forever either...

I am a mother of 3 children (4 and under) all of which have been delivered at Banner Thunderbird. I had a wonderful experience every time. The second two children were considered high risk pregnancies and I was in and out for testing for months before delivery and everyone I came in contact with was very polite and caring. The nurses are so wonderful, they make you feel like you're the only patient they've got and they take interest in talking with you throughout the whole process.

I had my son at Arrowhead Community it was not a good experience for us. The delivery was fine i have a really good ob Dr Saretsky ###-###-#### he is around 67th and unionhills. The delivery nurse was good too. But the nursery nurses I felt were very rude my son was deliverd 4 weeks early so naturaly I was more concerned, and before pushing I let them know just as a fyi he was a 36 week baby one of them rolled their eyes at me. The same lady was on staff all 4 days we stayed. I couldn't get him to latch on and none of them took the time to try and help. On the last morning there we got an awsome nurse but we checked out 2 hours later I wish she would have been there the whole time anyways thats my story I have never recommended arrowhead for delivery. But their surgery staff is wonderfull!!! Good luck

I, like you, was over 35 when I had my daughter. Actually, I was 41 and I delivered via c-section at Banner Good Samaritan on 10th Street and Thomas. It is recommended for high risk births as well a multiples. I choose this hospital for the same reasons that you are considering. Due to my age, I wanted the best care available for my daughter. I have a wonderful and healthy 2 yr old little girl.

The staff was excellent. One of the nurses even knitted a little cap for my baby. I have absolutely no complaints and felt they did a wonderful job from the moment I walked in to the moment we checked out. Even the food was good - ha ha.

Good luck!!!!

we live in El Mirage and we delivered at West Valley Hospital. I'm not sure how they rate with high risk but our experience was AWESOME. The nurses there were fantastic and gave us a lot of really good advice. They are located I-10 and McDowell.

I have now had 2 high risk deliveries. I delivered at 2 different hospitals. With my 1st I used St. Joes. They were ok but they didn't give myself or my daughter the attention that I felt that we needed.

With my son who is now 4 months old, I went to Banner Thunderbird. I was in and out for testing and pre term labor. They can handle babies born at 28 weeks now. They are the best! My nurse was in the room with me a lot while I labored. Then when I was taken in for an emergency c-section the staff was excellent. The staff at Thunderbird take pride in what they do. And they take great care of mom and baby.

JCL DV does not do OB anymore. Unless something has changed and even if they do I would avoid using that facility.

I had triplets down at banner good sam, and then all three were transfered to banner tbird (NICU closer to home). I can say that both are really great hospitals. I was not a patient at tbird, but the nurses there were wonderful. Good sam (since i had trips, that was the only place that I could deliver) nurses were my heros; they took care of me for almost two weeks, and I will forever remember them all fondly. I had a csection, and I was finally able to get up and try to walk around for a little bit. I could have curled up in a ball and cried when I passed gas (normal and a good thing for after surgery, but I did not know that). She laughed, helped me to laugh about it, told me that was great, and charted it. Another nurse took the time to help me figure out how to pump, walked with me, and just came into chat to see how I was doing. There was another nurse that told me she would try to find the time to stop in and wash my hair for me because I could not stand up to shower. She was not able to in that shift, but she promised me she was on the next day and she would do it then. I was discharged the next day, but the care and time she took for me was one of the largest reasons why I kept my cool that night.

The Tbird NICU staff took the same time as good sam, and they added little touches like scrapbooks with pictures of my babies as keepsakes. They all laugh a lot, and they me and my family feel at ease and very relaxed. They are a level 2 NICU, so very knowledgable. I have heard really good things about the staff too, so I am quite sure they are good place to look into. If needed, they can transfer the Level 1 NICU down at Phoenix Childrens.

I would say if you are concerned about high risk to baby, Good sam is one to look into. First, the staff is great. Second, they just completed an addition to NICU in the hospital. The NICU for Phoenix Childrens (located inside good sam) is nationally ranked. The addition they just completed made the NICU bed count to 120 beds. The rooms are 2 babies per room, so they are much more quiet and private. The staff is split 1 nurse to 4 babies. That may seem like a stretch, but they take very good care and take thier time with each baby. Even if you have questions, they will do everything they can to accomodate you and your husband, and they will take the time to explain every thing until you understand.

A recommendation for any hospital you look at. Take a tour of the NICU. Both banner NICUs are great. The benefit to taking a tour now would be that should you need to be there in the future, you will know what to expect and what to see. You will not need to as everything will be just fine for ya. It was a huge load off my mind when I took the tours before I had them because I knew what to expect "just in case." I am sorry this is so long, but I hope this helps. You and your baby are going to be great :)

Congrats!

HI K.,
I have had 2 children at different hospitals, The one that I liked the most is Banner Desert in Mesa just because they are the high risk hospitals, and there ped's dept is outstanding and I believe it's the best. I live in Goodyear, however my Dr. is in Mesa and attends at Banner Desert that would be where I would have my child. My fiance is also a surgery technician and has worked at Banner Estrella and says that is an excellent hospital as well. Good luck on your first child.

S.