Jacksonville, FL - question about hospital

[Tristan]

I have finally found an OB. Dr. vanScriver and Dr. Slade at A Place for Women came highly recommended from a local doula here.

I saw Dr. Slade yesterday and she was reassuring that the nurses at St. Lukes were very cooperative and understanding about things like delayed cord clamping, birth bonding, no bath, rooming in.

Has anyone had their baby at St. Lukes and did you experience understanding nurses or the mean ones who will do what the please no matter what the birth plan?

Just wondering.
Thanks!!

[Mainstream Hippie]

I had great nurses for my St. Luke's birth. They accepted a copy of my birth plan, and, because of time, asked for the gist of it. I said, unmedicated, low-intervention, don't do anything to her before asking me.

They were very respectful and awesome. My OB sucked, unfortunately. But the nurses were great. (Dr. VS, Dr. S, and Evelyn are great, though.)

I have heard occasional stories of a bad apple, someone rude or uninterested in supporting a natural birth, but they are the exceptions. All of Sharon's risk outs and transfers from home or birth center go to St. Luke's, so they are familiar with the standard deviations from standard hospital procedure (they still do not "allow" eating in labor, birth balls (though you can bring in your own liability waiver), and bathroom births (water or on toilet).)

They did give me a hard time (nearly 8 years ago) about the delayed bath- they needed to wear gloves until I bathed her, and needed to keep the warmer in the room until after the bath. I delayed it about 24 hours, and gave her the bath myself. They also ended up keeping me many hours longer than necessary/ desired. That is a very common theme. Start asking to be released earlier than you actually want to leave.

Rooming in is standard there. One of my friends did have a nurse come and take the baby from the room in the middle of the night for a jaundice blood draw. There is no reason for anyone to take your healthy baby from the room at any point; if anyone wants to, just decline. Everything can and should be done in your room.

Congrats!

[Tristan]

Thanks for the info.

Do you have to take your own birthing ball to the hospital? Is that standard to have to bring your own? Will they let you labor in the tub as long as you aren't pushing?

I'm dying to go and take the tour so I can ask them all my silly questions, but the OB said probably around 26 w you do that kind of stuff.

[Mainstream Hippie]

Ball, they'd stop you at the door with it. You'd have to bring it in, deflated, in your bag, and inflate it there. And have a waiver on hand.

Standard is that no hospitals here offer them, and I think none specificallly alllow them. There was a lawsuit a few years back when a laboring mom's 4 year old child was playing with their birth ball and rolled off it into a cabinet or something. They claim it isn't allowed for mom's safety, though.

No tubs. You can labor in the shower, though, as long as you aren't complete.

No video of the delivery allowed at St. Luke's, a new rule as of St. Vincent's buying them. You are allowed to take still photographs.

I always highly recommend laboring at home as long as possible. Even in a good hospital, things seem to just become more stressful.

[Tristan]

Originally Posted by Mainstream Hippie

I always highly recommend laboring at home as long as possible. Even in a good hospital, things seem to just become more stressful.

This is totally my plan! I think after I get one baby under my belt I will feel more confident and maybe do a home birth. But for this one, laboring at home with my doula for as long as possible then off to the hospital is what I am hoping for.

[e(Lisa)beth]

they still do not "allow" eating in labor

I'm giving birth at St. Luke's in June, and I was wondering about this. If I bring my own food, are they going to try to take it away from me? And if I refuse, then what?

[kimberjeb]

I had my baby @ St. Luke's in September. Dr. Slade was on call and was wonderful. I went into labor @ midnight Saturday morning, water broke @4pm, went to the hospital @ 8, 8cm, never progressed further. C/S @ 5pm Sunday.

My night nurse was awesome. Sweet, supportive, patient with the fact that being in bed was AWFUL for me, and would be patient when she did HR monitoring (she'd just get a contractions worth and let me up, I HATED laying down - baby was OP). And totally supportive of natural birth plan.

Day nurse was HORRIBLE. Really unsupportive and when I was asking Dr. Slade for more time before Pitocin, she was arguing against me. ANnoyed me to no end. I was really uncomfortable with her in the room and I don't think that helped my labor at all. And she made me stay in bed until she got 15 minutes of STRAIGHT contractions on the monitor --> 30 minutes plus if I moved. Hate. Hate. Hate.

The post-partum nurse told me I wouldn't have had a C/s if I had just had an epidural. Yeah...I think Dr. Slade would have suggested that. She then insisted that I give Jack a pacifier. And I couldn't really fight since I still had machines attached to me.

Next day nurse was wonderful and pretty much left us alone. It was GREAT!

Next night was terrible - she was a NICU nurse being used as a LDRP nurse (apparently that's normal). At 3am she started threatening to take Jack from me because she didn't think he was eating enough. At this point he was 34 hours old and had had 5 wet diapers (which according to pediatricians and my NICU nurse SIL is VERY good). She said she would take him to the NICU and call social workers if I didn't supplement and I'd go home w/o him. I refused and told her that if his pediatrician had an issue in the morning I wouldn't hesitate but I wouldn't do it yet. Pediatrician said he was perfect.

Ok, so that's the nurses. Some were great, some awful.

Food - I tried to eat and would vomit immediately, but no one stopped me. I tried to be sneaky, but the nurses really aren't around THAT much. She saw me drinking a few times.

Shower - basically I could use it as much as I wanted except during torture-time (HRM)

Clothes - I wore my own clothes until they staretd prepping me for c/s. They acted a little like I was nuts, but no one really argued.

Wheelchair - I refused it on arrival and no one complained. (I didn't argue on the way out)

Birth plan - I forgot to give it to them, but made my requests clear (well, I think I did)


The LDRP rooms are great, but they were undergoing construction and kicked us out at about 4pm the day after he was born. Then we had to go to an OB room. It was tiny.

Co-sleeping - they would complain in the night if they thought I might fall asleep with him. I'd put him in the bassinet until they left the room. I actually wasn't planning on co-sleeping, but didn't want to let him out of my arms.

That's about all I can think of.

I really don't think I was pushed into the c/s (and even my Bradley instructor acted like it was reasonable under the circumstances), but I do wonder if things would have been different at the birth center. I don't know.

And I'm a bit nervous about a VBAC @ St. Luke's (one day, not planning on getting pregnant again for a while). I don't know how supportive they'll be.

Just try to stay home as long as possible. And ignore their breastfeeding advice. The nurses, that is. Their lactation consultant was WONDERFUL and very helpful.

[Mainstream Hippie]

Regarding food, they will tell you you "can't" have it, but I cannot imagine them taking it away? I was only there for 1.5 hrs before my daughter was born, so didn't need to eat there. Had applesauce and yogurt and a banana at home while I labored. And a full lunch at the start of labor. I did drink gatorade, which they eyed, but no one said anything.

[e(Lisa)beth]

I had my baby this week at St. Luke's and had a very good experience.

I labored naturally for about eight hours and the nurses were great about not dictating positions except for the 15 minutes of every hour when the baby had to be monitored, and even then as long as I stayed within reach of the cords there was no problem. I labored for quite a while in the shower. There were no snide remarks about pain meds or the lack thereof, and when I did choose to have an epidural late in the afternoon, they were gracious about that too, and did it as quickly as possible.

I reached 10 centimeters at about 8pm, so the night nurse had just come on shift (7pm to 7am). Her name was Alecia, and she turned out to be a goddess. She provided phenomenal support throughout pushing, delivery (babe born at 10:01 pm with Dr. Slade from A Place for Women) and everything afterwards. I'm seriously thinking of sending her flowers.

They respected all of my wishes regarding breastfeeding, declining the Hep B and eye ointment, not taking the baby from the room, etc. I was really nervous about birthing in a hospital - I was afraid it would be a constant battle with the nurses - but I couldn't have been more wrong.

[umsami]

Just saw your post...

I had my first at St. Luke's. The nurses were pretty good at the time... it was 5 years ago. The LC is wonderful...if it's still the same person. She visited me a few times, as it was my first birth. DS1 also had pretty bad jaundice... but she was very supportive of my continuing to breastfeed....and just putting him in the sun naked for a few hours per day.

They weren't as draconian as the hospital where my other two were born... in that they gave me popsicles during labor. For my next two births (in NYC), we just brought a cooler with us. I said the snacks/drinks were for my husband. Nobody said anything. Of course, should you need any sort of general anesthesia, be sure the anesthesiologist knows that you have been eating/drinking. They usually assume that... and ask you... but it's better to be up front regardless.

DS1 roomed in with me... and barely left my sight. The only time the nurses watched him was when we had to go the class to be let out. Basic newborn care stuff.

The food was hospital food. One thing I remember is ordering pancakes and receiving one pancake. Apparently, you need to specify 2 or 3 pancakes. :P DH ended up bringing in food for me, which nobody seemed to mind.

They didn't allow birth balls at the time... something about some Mom falling off of one at some JAX hospital. No idea if the policy has changed at all or not.

I agree with staying home as long as you can... wherever you give birth.