Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Gosh, there are some snarky people in this thread. Probably the same kind of people who felt the need to reduce my wife to tears when she was unable to breastfeed despite torturing herself for 6 months trying everything the doctors or anybody else suggested might work.
Perhaps I should clarify what I'm asking. I want to know about Rex, Wake Cary, Big Wake or other birthing hospitals closer to Apex. I want to know what the difference is between a NICU and the "Special Care Nursery" Wake Cary and Rex are so proud of on their websites. I want to know if Big Wake is on par with UNC. I want to know general opinions of these places from actual users and the nurses or other medical people who frequent this site and know about hospitals, instead of hype from the hospitals' marketing departments. Why would I drive forever and pay the ridiculous parking fees at UNC if there is an equal or better option closer to home? Maybe it's because I'm a guy that I think this is a reasonable variable to factor into the equation.
We do not currently have an OB. The OB/GYN my wife has loved for years is retiring and hasn't gotten back to us about recommendations yet. My wife does not like the others in that practice. The midwife group we had last time completely abandoned us in our hour of need, so we are not going back to them. And, silly me, since most OB groups have privileges at only one hospital, I thought I should check out hospitals first. If one of the hospitals had completely terrible reviews from the people who actually used it, that would certainly help narrow the search for the new OB. Maybe it's backward thinking because, again, I'm a guy. And before the snarks come back, we LITERALLY found out about this baby the day of the original post, and my wife has been getting proper care. We've been trying for over a year under the care of the retiring OB/GYN. We haven't even completely unpacked our living room in the new house yet, and we were focusing on finding a new pediatrician for our (now perfectly healthy) daughter. (And the fact that I feel the need to "justify" my situation is a sad state.)
Please give us the benefit of the doubt. We are not stupid, selfish people who would ever do anything to endanger our baby. We simply relocated and are trying to find out about our new area and new options, while trying to remain reasonable in the face of waffling hope for a healthy baby and fear of a repeat.
Big Wake on New Bern Ave is not a great choice. My daughter had surgery there, and the hospital was both an administrative and medical disaster.
Rex has a great rep and even good food.
Congrats on the new baby. We just had another grandson who was born at UNC-CH since he needed the NICU.
We do not currently have an OB. The OB/GYN my wife has loved for years is retiring and hasn't gotten back to us about recommendations yet.
I would have chosen the OB first, rather than the hospital. But there is no excuse for treating this poster so rudely. FWIW, HeathGrades.com is a good source of reviews on doctors.
Apex seems to be thinly served with only one doc in an obstetrical practice. I would not want to be in a practice with only one doc. The couple probably should find a practice in Cary. Both WakeMmed Cary and Rex Hospital have received good reviews from previous posters on this forum. For example, see this thread: Best Hospital for Child Birth in Raleigh-Cary-Durham
Hi again - I'm sorry you were targeted by snarks. I figured your wife must be newly pregnant - many people look for a new practice at that time. The search for a practice and a hospital goes hand in hand. I chose WakeMed Cary because it has the lowest C-section rate in Wake County, and that is a direct result of the large midwife/physician group that delivers there.
Another tip...If you find a hospital you like first, call up the nurses station in the labor and delivery department and ask them to recommend an obgyn or midwife. Since they work with the same docs/midwifes daily they will know the inside scoop.
This was reccomended to a friend of mine that moved across the country in the middle of her pregnancy and I thought it was a good idea.
I delivered all 3 of mine at Rex and had no issues with them at all. I did end up with c-sections, but not emergency and I don't think they had anything to do with the hospital. It's been a few years (my youngest is 7), but I know tons of people that have delivered there and been happy.
I also have friends that have delivered at WakeMed Cary and have loved it.
I think both are fine choices for a minimally complicated childbirth.
I loved my experience at WakeMed Cary a few years ago, and I know a lot of women love Rex. I see Dr. Welch, and personally like going to a solo doc practice. Though, he did not end up delivering me, so there is always that risk.
If your wife is up to it, she should join the Raleigh Moms Group on Facebook. She will get a ton of helpful responses. Good luck!
Gosh, there are some snarky people in this thread.
Just to be clear, as near as I can tell, there is ONE snarky person in this thread. They posted three times, but one person. Otherwise, people took time to give the best advice they could.
I thought the other posts were all helpful and encouraging.
As for Duke PICU: As a trauma center, they are among the best anywhere. Once the trauma is over, they have a hard time with daily stuff, and my experience was that they made a LOT of mistakes, some of which were life-threatening. I think this is pretty much par for the course for ALL hospitals. The people that work there care, but they are bound by corporate objectives and quotas which leads to problems.
OP, first off, congratulations! I have not delivered at any of the hospitals here so I unfortunately can't give you an opinion on that. I can answer your question regarding the difference between a special care unit and an NICU. A special care unit is unable to provide some of the care that you could get in an NICU. For example a baby in need of a ventilator would need an NICU a special care nursery could not manage their care. If a child were born at a hospital that did not have an NICU and required that level of care they would be transferred to another hospital. The baby's mother would remain where she delivered. I believe this is what MyGhost described in his post.
My preference was to deliver at a hospital that had an NICU, but that is me. I ran into some complications towards the end of a pregnancy and it ended up being convenient to have the extra services needed, offered where I was delivering.
There has be a lot of info tossed around in the responses here, not all of it valid. As far as C-section rates go, sometimes they are lower at some hospitals because they do not handle high risk pregnancies. Just because a hospital has a higher c-section rate it is not a direct indication that they are doing anything wrong. I would expect hospitals that are equipped to deal with high risk births to have a higher C-section rate.
The nice thing about this area is you have options. You can deliver at UNC or Duke or you can deliver at a smaller hospital. Good luck!
Just to be clear, as near as I can tell, there is ONE snarky person in this thread. They posted three times, but one person. Otherwise, people took time to give the best advice they could.
I thought the other posts were all helpful and encouraging.
As for Duke PICU: As a trauma center, they are among the best anywhere. Once the trauma is over, they have a hard time with daily stuff, and my experience was that they made a LOT of mistakes, some of which were life-threatening. I think this is pretty much par for the course for ALL hospitals. The people that work there care, but they are bound by corporate objectives and quotas which leads to problems.
Again, mostly just Congrats!
I will piggyback onto this and state yes, that in any hospital, no matter what the reputation you need to be your own advocate and your baby's advocate. Don't be afraid to ask a question or want an explanation as to why a medication or procedure is ordered. The staff is working for you and you have a right to be informed about your care. Not all staff members appreciate this, that is ok, it is your right as a patient and they are working for you.
I delivered my son at Rex in 2006. I was with Atrium Ob/Gyn. Pretty happy with that practice - no complaints. But it was a pretty routine delivery although there was a bit of a "trauma situation" right after he was born that was handled really well. It is a nice hospital. I've since had surgery there too.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
