Best Labor and Delivery Hospital in Atlanta (North Atlanta, Decatur: obgyn, living)

[orbgirl]

Hello...we will be moving to the ATL area next month. I am 2 months pregnant and will be needing to find a hospital and physician soon. Any suggestions about the best Labor and Delivery Hospital in Atlanta? These are my 3 front-runners so far based upon proximity to where we will be living - Piedmont, Emory Crawford Long, and Northside. Thank you!

[johnatl]

Well, orbgirl - not sure if you are aware of it, but Northside is jokingly refered to as the "Baby Factory" because of the huge amount of births there. More babies are born there than any other hospital in the country. Most of my friends that have had babies have had them there.

All three are excellent facilities.

[rvbrad]

Northside or Piedmont are each great hospitals. I've had two children delivered at Piedmont and was greatly pleased with the level of service.

[rackensack]

My wife and son and I owe a lot to Emory Crawford Long -- my wife was identified as a high-risk pregnancy with our first child, and was referred by her regular OB/GYN to a high-risk specialist at Emory who practiced/delivered at Crawford Long, so that's where we ended up. Her doc was outstanding, as were the other doctors we saw on occasion. The staff is extremely experienced with difficult pregnancies, and the hospital has one of top neonatal ICUs around in the event of problems. My wife ended up having an emergency C-section at just under 35 weeks, and everything went as well as it could have. God help you with the Emory hospital system's billing process, though. We didn't get everything resolved from my son's birth until after my daughter was born 2.5 years later -- one of the people we worked with actually left the hospital system, was away for a year, and came back to work there and was again assigned to our case.

That being said, there's probably no reason to pick it over the others if you're not high risk. Northside cranks out babies by the truckload, so just on a statistical basis they're likely to have seen practically everything. Their popularity stems in part from all of the amenities they offer (far more than Crawford Long) in an effort to deliver a designer "birthing experience".

Don't know anything about Piedmont, but the word from people I know who've delivered there was positive, and they seemed to be slightly less impersonal than Northside to people who'd experienced both.

Our second two were both delivered at DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur. Very competent, more than adequate facililties, but we had to butt heads with the staff (both doctors and nurses) more than we should have on issues like breastfeeding, being released to go home, etc.

[scarlettpriscilla]

Hi - I am delivering at Northside but have been gathering some information about all local hospitals that you should be aware of. The ceserean rates at both Northside and Piedmont are VERY high. And the epidural rates are through the roof (I have heard close to 98%.) If what you are seeking is a predictable, medicalized birth and you don't mind signing up for a lot of routine medical intervention, these places are all comparable - Crawford Long similar, though I heard they had a policy that you could not have anyone with you during administration of an epidural (like - not your husband - not anyone) which is a bit offputting! Obviously you should check that out because that's word of mouth.

If you are looking for a more natural, non-medicated birth, then North Fulton is the place to go from what I have learned. Their staff is much more knowledgeable and supportive of the natural birth process and they are more comfortable not being in control of your labor and delivery.

I am hoping for a natural birth at Northside but I recognize it will be swimming upstream and had I done some more research sooner, I may have tried to switch. Good luck!

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by scarlettpriscilla

Crawford Long similar, though I heard they had a policy that you could not have anyone with you during administration of an epidural (like - not your husband - not anyone) which is a bit offputting! Obviously you should check that out because that's word of mouth.

It's been nearly twelve years since my son was born, and memory is notoriously fallible (mine more than most), but I seem to recall being in the room when they administered the epidural for my wife. She was being prepped for a C-section, so that might be a difference, and of course we've been through two more C-sections since then (at DeKalb Medical Center) so I could be conflating experiences. Also, a lot can change in policies and procedures in a dozen years.

[NEastBound]

Depending on your OB/GYN, your options may be limited. All of the hospitals you mentioned are really good. Check w/your (or future) OB/GYN and see what hospital they are affiliated with. Not all Drs have access to every hospital. Usually it's just 1.

[gumboula]

I think the degree of "medicalization" you experience is more the result of your obgyn (or other practioner) than the hospital. I used a midwife at Piedmont and the nursing staff didn't seem to think that was unusual. I liked Piedmont. Fount their lactation consultants to be great. Two big negatives though... Awful waiting area for families and no comfortable place for your partner in the recovery room (birthing room was great, other rooms not so much). Heard very good things about North Atlanta, but much too far away for my comfort level.

[smoothrat]

The new facilities at Dekalb Medical Center (in Decatur) are very nice, and we had a great experience there.

[orbgirl]

Wow! Thanks everyone for all of the great information. I have friend of a friend that has just recommended Piedmont. However, I am still undecided and will likely tour each one upon arriving there to decide. I agree your Dr and their group is very important in the process as well, but for me I want to make sure I like the facility because my options for Drs. that practice there will be huge as opposed to finding a Dr. I like, but not where they deliver. I will check back for more suggestions and update with our decisions. Thanks again!