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The hospital I delivered at did have a level 3 NICU, but most of the time in this city if a baby is really sick, they get transferred to the Children's Hospital 5 minutes away, so I knew if things were bad we'd be moved anyway, so I just picked the hospital I likd best for delivery experience.

I didn't because I didn't have any risk symptoms and if it were a severe issue, there are amazing nicus a 45 minute drive away and the baby would have been transferred.

Yes, we had a choice between two hospitals and that was the deciding factor. I wasn't high risk, but ended up needing the NICU with my first. I'm really glad we chose that hospital so we didn't have to transfer. It was upsetting enough, I can't imagine recovering and being at a different location. I was able to visit him every three hours since he was in the same building.

we didn't search out a particular nicu level when choosing a hospital, but the hospital happened to have a level 4 nicu. this time around, we are closer to a hospital with a level 3 nicu. i think that fact, combined with not being far from the level 4 nicu, makes me comfortable enough.

There are 3 Level 3 and 1 Level 4 NICUs within 20 minutes of us, so we didn't really have to think about it. But as a NICU graduate, it is pretty big. The NICU docs would come in to talk to me while I was in Antepartum and tell me Dylan's bed was already ready. It was very comforting to know. I wonder if hospitals typically transfer women with very early pre-term labor to a Level 3 hospital?

It mattered to me because I was having twins and knew there was a good chance they would need it. I delivered at a level 3 nicu and a level 4 was close if a transfer was needed.

Yes, an I would have been especially diligent in choosing if I were carrying twins I think.

It is important to me this time so I am most likely delivering at another hospital.

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.

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.

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.

@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.

@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.

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.

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!

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.

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: 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.