Hospital w/ good Maternity Ward -- Help! (Atlanta, Smyrna: hardwood floors, obgyn) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

vsmoove · 03-22-2009, 03:08 PM

Hi everyone -- recently moved here and looking for a hospital with a good maternity ward up here in Cobb County. The OBGYN we were referred to is affiliated with Kennestone and I hear nothing but negatives about that place but we are unaware of the different options. Any advice will be well appreciated.

gt6974a · 03-22-2009, 03:34 PM

My sister gave birth in K-stone, I know one nurse in 'delivery' and her mom, retired. It's not bad, just not great. My sister set hers up by apt. i.e. once she passed her date, had it induced. Hardwood floors in the room were a nice touch.

Other than that, my sister works at Children's and my mother won't go to anywhere but Piedmont. I'm not impressed with Piedmnot. I was born at NorthSide.

DeaconJ · 03-22-2009, 03:35 PM

Northside Hospital is known for specializing in women's services...it is considered Atlanta's best maternity hospital: Welcome to Northside - homepage (http://www.northside.com/home/index.aspx - broken link)

Northside Hospital
1000 Johnson Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30342
404-851-8000

lastminutemom · 03-22-2009, 06:59 PM

Ugh. I hated Northside.. one of the busiest maternity wards in the country. It is somewhat of a baby factory. Piedmont, on the other hand, is calm and serene by comparison. Both have excellent neonatologists on staff, which is very important. Piedmont is probably to far, Northside may be manageable.

AutumnRose · 03-23-2009, 06:48 AM

I am currently trying to conceive, the OBGYN that I see only delivers at Kennestone... anyone care to share what isn't good about it?

My neighbor delivered at Northside and said although it's the most popular it's busy and choatic.

Is Kennestone bad enough I should switch Drs?

kagmypts · 03-23-2009, 12:36 PM

I have delivered 3 kids at Piedmont, and I loved it there! I would highly recommend it. The staff was friendly and knowledge, and the setting was calm (as another poster noted). Also, when it was time for my epidural (also highly recommended!), the anesthesiologist was there in no time! That was almost worth it alone! The recovery rooms were not fantastic, but it is a hospital... I liked that you could pick your meals too! However I have not delivered anywhere else so I have no means of comparison.

Here is the one thing that I know about Kennestone. They do not have a baby nursury so the baby stays in your room the entire time. As a first time parent, I thought we would want our baby in the room with us anyway so this was not a big deal. As it turned out, we sent our oldest to the nursery every night we were at the hospital, and with our two younger children, we loved having help the first two nights. In fact, we missed the nursery after we left!

Having said that, I am sure that most maternity wards in Atlanta are fine for delivering babies. I would recommend finding an OBGYN that you like and suits your needs. If that group/doctor delivers at Kennestone, I am sure it is fine. I looked for a while before deciding on a practice, and it just happened that my OB delivered at Piedmont. In terms of the distance, yes, Piedmont is a decent ways from where you are living (although I am not sure exactly where in Cobb you are located). We also live in Cobb (Smyrna), and I did not find the drive that bad. However, I personally would drive a little longer to find a doctor/hospital to bring my baby into the world. Is there really anything more important that the person you are entrusting to bring a new life into this world?

AutumnRose · 03-23-2009, 04:58 PM

Thanks for the advice! This will actually be my second child so I know we will want the baby in the room the whole time, so maybe Kennestone will be ok. I am pretty 'hands off' when it comes to medical intervention, I'd rather be left alone and I will likely check out early assuming baby is healthy.

DeaconJ · 03-23-2009, 05:44 PM

Northside Hospital isn't just the most popular or busiest, but is rated #1 in Atlanta for:

Highest Patient Safety
Most Personalized Care
Best Nurses
Inpatient Hospital Stay
Imaging (Radiology)
Maternity/OB
Womens/GYN
Outpatient Testing
Outpatient Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Bariatric Surgery
Best Accommodations/Amenities
Hospital Web Site Used Most Often

vsmoove · 03-24-2009, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kagmypts

I have delivered 3 kids at Piedmont, and I loved it there! I would highly recommend it. The staff was friendly and knowledge, and the setting was calm (as another poster noted). Also, when it was time for my epidural (also highly recommended!), the anesthesiologist was there in no time! That was almost worth it alone! The recovery rooms were not fantastic, but it is a hospital... I liked that you could pick your meals too! However I have not delivered anywhere else so I have no means of comparison.

Here is the one thing that I know about Kennestone. They do not have a baby nursury so the baby stays in your room the entire time. As a first time parent, I thought we would want our baby in the room with us anyway so this was not a big deal. As it turned out, we sent our oldest to the nursery every night we were at the hospital, and with our two younger children, we loved having help the first two nights. In fact, we missed the nursery after we left!

Having said that, I am sure that most maternity wards in Atlanta are fine for delivering babies. I would recommend finding an OBGYN that you like and suits your needs. If that group/doctor delivers at Kennestone, I am sure it is fine. I looked for a while before deciding on a practice, and it just happened that my OB delivered at Piedmont. In terms of the distance, yes, Piedmont is a decent ways from where you are living (although I am not sure exactly where in Cobb you are located). We also live in Cobb (Smyrna), and I did not find the drive that bad. However, I personally would drive a little longer to find a doctor/hospital to bring my baby into the world. Is there really anything more important that the person you are entrusting to bring a new life into this world?

Thanks for this. We are trying out an OBGYN in East Cobb on Wednesday that is affiliated with Northside. Unfortunately, we are new here so we don't have a big circle to ask for referrals. It will be trial and error. I will be going with my wife to assess this one. This will be our second child and about the 3rd or 4th OBGYN so we now know what to look for in a good doctor.

MilkMachine · 03-24-2009, 06:10 PM

North Fulton has the lowest c-section rate and is known as the best place to go if you want a natural or low-intervention birth. Piedmont and Northside both have c-section rates closing in on 40%. I wouldn't go to either of those hospitals.