Delivering at North Memorial -- What Was Your Experience?

I delivered all Three of my kids there, I worked there for 7 years, and I have never had an unpositive thing to say about North. They do a wonderful job accomedating as many of your needs as possible. The only time they don't let you get up and move around is when you are hooked up to an IV epidural. I walked the halls for hours, lay in the bath as many times as I wanted, and I did not even once think about what was going on as far as music or television. My hubby I think was watching something, but really when I was in labor I zoned all of that out and just tried to stay comfortable. The water jets were about the only thing that helped with back labor. You'll love North.

My experience in a word - - fabulous. I had music the entire time, I guess I didn't even think to ask about dim lighting, but your doctor should know. The nurses alone would have made the experience a pleasure! I wasn't allowed to eat, but I had ice chips & frozen Luigi treats that we brought with us. And yes, they encourage you to labor freely!

Good luck & God bless!

I delivered there last October and had a wonderful experience. Jennifer Arnhold was my OBGYN (for my entire pregnancy) - I know she was engaged so maybe Woodland is her married name?
Anyway.
I had music, TV, and food was offered to a point, though I didn't want any. Pain management was good as well.
Best part? My nurse, Kaci (sp?). She was awesome. Very supportive, great listener, great advocate. Personable. Friendly. And was with me the entire day, even staying a bit late to see me through. Amazing. :)

I had my 2nd child at north and had a great experience. I though had a planned c/sec. You are allowed to eat lightly until or if you have an epi. I am now pg with my 3rd and will be at north again. Good luck I am sure you will like it there. Also if you want to go on just the tour its free all you have to do is call and reserve a spot. Since I knew I was going to have a c/sec thats what I did. I had great nurses that never made me feel like I was bugging them.

Congratulations on your upcoming delivery! You are at such an exciting time in your life.

I did not deliver at North, but I know a nurse on the Labor/Delivery floor there and she teaches hypno-birthing classes if you are interested in drug-free delivery options. You can contact the hospital to ask about class schedules and fees.

My only advice is to be open to anything at your delivery. It seldom goes the way you have it pictured in your mind so be willing to go with the flow. It's just one day out of your life -- the important thing is having a healthy child to take home. Trust your doctor and the hospital staff and enjoy the experience, whatever it is.

My sister delivered there last January and had a great experience. You are allowed to bring in any kind of music that you want, and can dim the lights (although they may require to be up for certain portions while they are examining you). She was actually admitted the night before so my whole family brought pizza in and cards and just hung out. They were really great. They let her eat until pretty close before the delivery. She wasn't able to walk around due to having an epidural, but if you aren't going that route, they will let you walk around, or have a ball in there as well!

Hello R. - First of all, congrats on your pregnancy and I hope the rest of it goes well for you. You will LOVE North Memorial. I delivered my first baby there in December 2007 - it was a great experience. The only thing bad that happened was it was so busy the morning I went in to labor I had to do a lot of my hardest laboring in the L&D room (not really suited for that). But, once we were able to get in a birthing room it was great. I had my iPod hooked up to a little portable player I brought with me, I was in complete control of the lighting (unless the nurses or doctor needed to do something with more light) and the birthing rooms have a whirlpool tub and you can request a birthing ball. They recommend to use theirs - that way you don't have to worry about lugging one around with you and if it were to get messy - they have to clean it up - not YOU! The nurses were top notch - I don't recall eating - but the nurse that was there through my delivery was awesome and she got me some dinner right before I was moved to our permanent room (I delivered at 5PM and missed dinner). The overnight nurses were great too - if you are breastfeeding they will help you out and make sure things are going okay. Overall, I found the whole thing to be a great experience and look forward to having our second baby there when the time comes.
Good luck with everything! Take care!

Congrats on the baby! North is great and we delivered our 1st 2 there and will again on our 3rd late January 2009. The staff is great, most nurses are super. If you feel like you ever have a nurse who you don't like, just let your doctor know and they can usually change nurses. Just like anywhere, personalities don't always mesh so speak up if you feel like you need something else. My father-in-law is a retired OB and has delivered at North as well as several other local hospitals. When we had our first he said in his professional experience as far as knowledge, experience, comfort and responsiveness, that he recommended North for our delivery.
Good luck!
D.

I had a very positive experience there. My only complaint was that the room we were shown during the tour was very spacious and the room we actually stayed in was quite small. The labor/delivery room was a good size, though.

We walked the halls for a LONG time. I used the birthing ball they provided. They had a CD player and a whirlpool tub, but I didn’t use those. The nurses were great! I had lots of water and juice throughout the day. I had toast with peanut butter around lunch time (I delivered at 9 PM). Around 11 PM or midnight one of the nurses found a box lunch for me because the kitchen wasn’t serving meals at that time.

I agree with all the others. It was fantastic! And the nurses are truly amazing. Just tell them what you want (yes cheer-leading, no cheer-leading) and they'll do it for you. I really appreciated how well they took care of my husband too. They have a little area where the parents-to-be can get coffee and a small sandwich all for free. And although they technically said the food was only for the moms, my husband was given one when it looked like we were going to be there for a while. Your nurses truly make the experience so make sure you talk to them and get them on your side!

My sister delivered a premie there in July. Of course, because she was premature labor, she couldn't do the normal stuff yo uwill get to do. But I saw a radio, so I'm sure they'll let you listen to music if you like. THe bathroom had a nice worlpool (sp?), so I think they'll let you use that if you want (as long as your water hasn't broken). No hospital will let you eat after you start labor, but you can usually have ice and water. The nurses were very nice to my sister. They also have a wonderful NICU (not that you'll need it.

R.~
I had a c-section (planned) at North Memorial 1 1/2 years ago, and was very pleased with how everything went. They were respectful of all our wishes (the baby not leaving the room without one of us, letting her stay in our room at all times, etc). The only thing that didn't go the way I wanted was the epidural... I had wanted my husband to be in the room with me, but because it took place in the o.r. he came in after it had been administered which in retrospect was no big deal. I won't mind at all if he's not in the room for the next epidural. He was in the o.r. well before she was born. Nurses were all very nice and helpful. I will plan on delivering #2 there with no hesitation.

S.

I, too, delivered at North Memorial with Jennifer Woodland - I loved her! And the rooms were nice too. I wanted a natural birth with little intervention and she was very accommodating - we talked a lot about it beforehand. the biggest thing she did (until catching the baby) was standing up on the toilet and fixing a noisy bath fan! We had good nurses, but feel free to ask for a different nurse if you feel rubbed the wrong way by one of yours. I used the squatting bar at the end of the bed and we did have a birth ball available (that I didn't use). I also labored in the tub a bit which REALLY helped me relax and relieved a lot of pain. I would have birthed there again with my second, but I really wanted a waterbirth, so we opted to do it at home (which was fabulous too!). My only complaint at North Memorial was how much they wake you up and interrupt you afterwards. It always seemed like we finally just barely fell asleep and there was another knock on the door, but I'm sure that's the same in any hospital- which was another great thing about the homebirth!