[gill909]

Hi I live in Milford and am planning on having a baby soon and am looking for the best hospital in the area. I am willing to travel to surrounding towns. Can someone give me a good recommendation? I do not have a doctor yet and will be choosing my doctor according to what hospital they are affiliated with. Thanks so much!

[JayCT]

"Best" is a subjective term. Since you live in the New Haven area, Yale New Haven Hospital is considerd to be one of the best in the country. Even woman who live in other parts of the state go to Yale to have children when there are problems with their pregnancies and they require "world-class" care. My cousin had her children at Yale and loved it, but she use to work there and her husband was a doctor there at the time.

That said, Yale is a huge facility and sometimes people get lost in the vastness of it. Milford Hospital is nice because it is so small and personal. Griffin Hospital in Derby is also small and is always rated very high for employees to work at and happy employees can mean better service. Most hospitals in CT are good. Personally, I think you need to look for a good doctor first and use that to choose the hospital. You need to decide what are your priorities when you say "best". The choice is yours.

[mels]

Based on their maternity wards only I would say Griffin in Derby or Milford Hospital. Many people like Yale or Bridgeport b/c if something does happen during delivery you have the access of a big hospital right there for mother or baby.

My sister delivered twice at Griffin (she lives in Milford) and had wonderful support there and the rooms are rather nice too. Much nicer than Yale. Most of the hospitals I can think of in the area are good and I am sure you will get quality care no matter what you pick.

For an unsolicited recommendation, I will say that Greater New Haven OB/GYN is a great group. I used to go to the office in Orange right on Rt. 1, there are a few other locations (New Haven, Branford, Cheshire I think). I know they are affiliated with Yale and a few of them St. Raphaels, I am not sure where else.

[joanchris2000]

I have heard wonderful things about Griffin as mentioned above. That being said, I had "high risk" pregnancies, and delivered both my girls at Yale, and they were fabulous when I needed an emergency C-Sect with my first, and just as fabulous when I delivered my 2nd "normally". Rooms were good sized, plenty of room for visitors.

My ob/gyn was at Greater New Haven Ob Gyn Group in Orange, they were very good.

[Back Home]

Go with Yale New Haven, although Griffin is a wonderful small hospital with good staff, if your thinking a hospital with NBICU unit go with Yale.

[bsrams45]

Yale New Haven has the best pediatric ward in the state. If any of my children were to get hurt or injured I would take them to Yale immediately. Best of luck with the baby.

[sun]

I would choose the hospital that's closest with the easiest and quickest access. Sometimes things develop so rapidly approaching the delivery that getting there on time is the most important factor. Besides, your doctor might not even be available at the time you do eventually deliver.
And it's also important to start lining up who your infant's pediatrician will be.
Good luck.

[sally0]

Yale New Haven Hospital is one of the best in the nation. Constantly ranked first in everything. They do everything there and have alot of buildings not too far from Yale University. I would not ever go to any small town hospital anywhere. Never again. I'll travel 100+ miles for quality medical doctors and competent staff. Boston also has #1 hospitals in the nation. A whole cluster of them. Providence does not have a good reputation and their VA Hospital has always had horror stories since I heard as a child. Apparently, they are still bottom of the barrel. Vets say the only way they will go there is if they are on their death bed, otherwise, they value their life.

[sleepingbeauty742]

Hi! I live in Branford and delivered both of my children at Milford Hospital. I was high risk for both children and my OB/GYN was outstanding. They sent me for consults at Yale, but managed my care and made me feel comfortable throughout both pregnancies. (Southern CT Women's Healthcare in Milford).
For Milford Hospital itself- the nurses were kind and compassionate. They were so helpful in giving pointers on breastfeeding and took a lot of time answering questions that arose. You can arrange a tour of the facility as well. The rooms are private and dads or a guest can stay in the room with you on a cot.
For pediatricians I use Milford Pediatric Group. They have practices in Milford and Stratford and the hospital they send you to is Yale Children's Hospital. They are great! The hours are wonderful - trust me as I've been in there on Christmas Eve and many Sunday nights at all sorts of hours. They don't leave til every sick kid has been seen.
Hope this helps! Feel free to email if you have any questions!

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by Back Home

Go with Yale New Haven, although Griffin is a wonderful small hospital with good staff, if your thinking a hospital with NBICU unit go with Yale.

I agree with Griffin. It's a wonderful, small, well-run and family oriented hospital with excellent staff. It's very well kept and anytime I've been there, everyone is so friendly. IMO, they have the best hospital food of any place I've been to, including the cafeteria. Griffin is also consistently ranked on Forbes top companies to work for (high on the list, too). It most definitely reflects the attitude and efficiency of those who work there.

I live in Westport and if we have a non-emergency, I don't mind traveling an extra 10 minutes past Bridgeport to go to Griffin. Highly recommended...check it out.

I don't recommend hospitals in Bridgeport, Norwalk or New Haven. Yale really isn't what some people make it out to be. It's all in the name.