Hellobee Boards Topic: Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Was a nicu at your hospital important to you? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 08 May 2026 03:37:32 +0000 creativemomma15 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you/page/2#post-2220878 Sun, 28 Jun 2015 13:56:46 +0000 creativemomma15 2220878@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yup! There are mainly 2 hospital options to deliver at and we chose the bigger one with a higher level NICU. We didn't expect to need it by ended up delivering at 36 weeks and DS spent 7 days in the NICU. Very thankful for it! jhd on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you/page/2#post-2220875 Sun, 28 Jun 2015 13:46:34 +0000 jhd 2220875@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Nicu was very important to me before I even knew we would need it. After having our LO who needed nicu care I would go with the hospital with the best nicu without question. yoursilverlining on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you/page/2#post-2220790 Sun, 28 Jun 2015 09:21:37 +0000 yoursilverlining 2220790@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes, a nicu was non-negotiable for us, even though we had no reason to think we would need one. Mrs.Pinecone316 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you/page/2#post-2220643 Sun, 28 Jun 2015 00:29:33 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 2220643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @avivoca: Yes that is much better than an ambulance ride! Alivoo01 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you/page/2#post-2219330 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 08:09:02 +0000 Alivoo01 2219330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ When I delivered DS, yes. He was less than 5lbs and quit growing in utero at 32 weeks. Even though I delivered him at 37 weeks, we weren't sure how developed his lungs were or if he needed additional care. youboots on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you/page/2#post-2219311 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 07:59:38 +0000 youboots 2219311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ No, besides GD I had no risk factors. Where I delivered only has 8 birthing/recovery rooms. If we had needed the NICU it is 30 minutes away. We ended up going to the larger hospital when T was 3 days old- she was dehydrated. We were transferred by ambulance to the PICU. We received such awesome care I may want to deliver at the larger hospital next time. ETA the hospital I delivered at won't deliver babies younger than 36 weeks gestation. catomd00 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219243 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 07:02:42 +0000 catomd00 2219243@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes! I wouldn't want to be separated from baby if they needed Nicu care. avivoca on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219203 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 06:02:13 +0000 avivoca 2219203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs.Pinecone316: That information is good to know. If I had gone into labor early, I would have gone to a different hospital that is attached to our local children's hospital. Then the baby and team would only have to cross a led way before getting to the Level IV NICU. blackbird on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219197 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 05:37:35 +0000 blackbird 2219197@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I chose the hospital with the level 2 nicu, aka "special care nursery", which E spent a week in. I wasnr expecting complications requiring a level 3 or 4 nicu stay, but the level 3 was 10 min away and the level 4 was 30 should we have needed that. If I had gone into labor dangerously early, I would have skipped straight to the higher level hospital gingerbebe on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219171 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 01:33:07 +0000 gingerbebe 2219171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yep. I had 2 choices near me and one had a Level 3 NICU and one did not. I was told if my son needed NICU, he would be airlifted to the other hospital and I would have to stay at my hospital until I was discharged or in severe cases, they would ambulance me over at some point. We didn't see the point of risking it annnnd my son needed to be in NICU for 3 days, so I'm SO GRATEFUL he was just an elevator ride away. The hospital even "let" me stay in-patient for an extra day so I didn't have to be discharged and leave my son. Worth it. Mrs.Pinecone316 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219143 Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:03:07 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 2219143@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @bluestriped bee: yes I do. :happy: Can't believe you are 24 weeks!! So exciting sapphire on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219116 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 23:11:31 +0000 sapphire 2219116@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I had a lot of reasons to pick my hospital, but I especially liked that it has a level 4 NICU. Wouldn't need any transfer if there were problems. She did go to the NICU, but only for a few hours. But I had previously worked in the NICU, and loved that I knew the staff. Mrs. Bee on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219064 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:55:02 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2219064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ i delivered at the best hospital in ny. unnecessary for charlie, but olive had an extended stay since she was born 5 weeks early and the care she received was incredible. 78h2o on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219043 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:23:29 +0000 78h2o 2219043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I went to a hospital 45 min away because the one that is 5-10 min away doesn't have a NICU at all. I didn't end up needing a NICU either time, but it gave me peace of mind. I had heard stories of friends' babies having to be transferred and the mom needing to stay behind or check herself out against medical advice. I didn't want to risk that! pinkb on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219041 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:12:09 +0000 pinkb 2219041@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It wasn't something I really thought about until I went into labor at 32 weeks. Then is became very important and something that was important when I had #2. avivoca on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2219034 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:00:56 +0000 avivoca 2219034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ No, I chose my hospital because they were the only hospital in the area that allowed midwives to deliver. If things had been bad, we would have transferred to Kosair Children's Hospital which is right over the state line. BSB on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218924 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:34:26 +0000 BSB 2218924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs.Pinecone316: Oh, ok. Good to know. Do you work at level 3 nicu? Mrs.Pinecone316 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218919 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:26:34 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 2218919@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @bluestriped bee: generally 28 weeks or less although Intraventricular Hemorrhage can happen later than that. @ Mrs Green Grass: yes they do if there is time (sometimes the baby would have to be born right away so this wouldn't be a possibility) I work at a high risk maternal fetal hospital so the ideal situation would be to have a mother in preterm labor transferred to a hospital with higher level of care before the baby is born. I think it is important for people to be aware of this and bring it up to their OB if ever in that sitaution. Some are really good about wanting the mom transferred right away but I have also sadly seen some instances where a high risk mother sat for days in a hospital and waited until the baby was born to call the nicu to transport the baby which is not in the best interest of the baby, or the mom who now is stuck at a different hospital than her baby until she is discharged. birdofafeather on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218905 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:16:29 +0000 birdofafeather 2218905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs Green Grass: i know my GF who ended up delivering at 29 weeks was transferred to scripps LJ from encinitas pre-delivery, but they are both level 2 nicus, so not sure if it's because of insurance, proximity to sharp or what? BSB on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218896 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:07:27 +0000 BSB 2218896@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs.Pinecone316: I'm 24 weeks tomorrow. Yeah, I had to refresh my memory on what the difference between a level 3 and 4 nicu were. There is a level 4 nicu about 45 minutes from me. Oh, how many weeks is a micro-preemie? Oh, wow. Thanks for mentioning that. I didn't think about that. Torchwood on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218891 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:00:27 +0000 Torchwood 2218891@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I chose mine because it was where the only midwives in the city deliver (and they were AMAZING, so good call turns out), but it's also the best hospital in the city, and connected to one of the best children's hospitals in the state (which is where we are now). I felt comfortable not researching further, and am very happy with our choice now that we're in the nicu. Had the midwives delivered somewhere else, I'm not sure which would have been the bigger issue with me, but now that it turns out we need it, I would prioritize the nicu if we had another. Mrs.Pinecone316 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218890 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:56:12 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 2218890@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @bluestriped bee: How many weeks are you again? One thing to also keep in mind is that if someone delivered a micro preemie and that hospital wasn't capable of caring for it, even a short drive can be a big issue. Micro preemies brains are so fragile and they have high risks of getting brain bleeds which can cause CP or developmental issues later on. There are very strict policies on very minimal handling of these babies when they are at the highest risk the first 72 hrs so you can understand why a bumpy ambulance ride even a short distance to another hospital could be scary. Mrs.Pinecone316 on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218889 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:49:37 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 2218889@https://boards.hellobee.com/ As a nicu nurse... YES, so important to me. But I also see all the horror stories and get the transports from smaller county hospitals that have no nicu or a level 2 hospitals. Some of the babies we get from them are in far worse shape than if they delivered at a level 3 that is fully equipped and experienced in handling preemies or the unexpected. MenagerieMama on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218873 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:25:03 +0000 MenagerieMama 2218873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes. When things go bad with babies they can go badly fast. Didn't want to wait any longer. Granted I was low risk and need no help for LO in that department so it ended up not mattering. If Id had twins it would have been non-negotiable. renee on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218842 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:54:14 +0000 renee 2218842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ No, but my pregnancy was low-risk. I also delivered at a major medical center, so I wasn't too worried. If I was having twins, I would have probably looked into it. clover on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218820 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:37:49 +0000 clover 2218820@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Very important to me even though I thankfully have not needed it. With DS I delivered at a hospital with a level 3 and this time will be a hospital with a level 4. You never know what can happen so having highly experienced and specialized care available makes me feel more relaxed about everything. Ms.Badger on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218779 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:10:42 +0000 Ms.Badger 2218779@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It was very important to me. After Lucas' health issues, I wanted experienced doctors there in case decisions needed to be made regarding J's care LuLu Mom on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218773 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:06:37 +0000 LuLu Mom 2218773@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Both of my choices have a Level 3 NICU so I picked the one I liked best. We also have a highly rated Children's Hospital 40 minutes away that babies go too if necessary. DD1 ended up in our hospital NICU for 6 days, I was thankful to have it. Eminthevalley on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218758 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:02:35 +0000 Eminthevalley 2218758@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes, I had twins and wanted to be prepared...in the end I delivered at 37w4d, totally healthy boys who didn't need a NICU, but with twins and a higher likelihood of premature delivery I'd make sure there's a higher level one nearby. autumnlove on "Was a nicu at your hospital important to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-a-nicu-at-your-hospital-important-to-you#post-2218747 Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:57:30 +0000 autumnlove 2218747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It is important to me this time so I am most likely delivering at another hospital.