Crestwood Offers New Option for New Moms
After reading my pregnancy announcement here a few weeks ago, Stephanie Sarah (I blame pregnancy brain for that mistake) over at Crestwood Medical Center called me to say congratulations and to invite me to take a tour of their new LDRP rooms. “Do you know what an LDRP room is,” she asked. No, I admitted I had no idea. Then she told me they were rooms designed for the Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum processes. Mom, Dad, Baby (and whoever else is invited) stay in the same room throughout the hospital stay. The rooms are large so they can accommodate all the moving around and activity that surrounds labor and birth and they are usually decorated to look more “homey” and less like a hospital room.
Turns out I DID know what an LDRP room was but I didn’t realize it. When I had my daughter in 2008, we lived in North Carolina and the only rooms in the maternity center were LDRP rooms. I just assumed all hospital maternity centers were like that now. So when Sarah told me that in fact, Crestwood was the first (and currently only) hospital in the area with these rooms I was a bit surprised.
Also, REALLY GLAD they are here now. Just in time for ME.
So yesterday I took a tour of the new rooms with my friend Laura who is expecting her third child in June. Our tour guide was Donna Ammons, RN, BSN, MSN, and director of Women and Children’s Services. Donna is a super sweet woman and just the kind of nurse you’d want in charge of a maternity center. She, along with maternity nurse and RCM fan Molly Harvey, proudly showed off the three new LDRP rooms which are located on the 2nd floor along with the other LDR rooms, the postpartum rooms, the nursery, NICU, and OB operating room. As you can see below, the rooms are very nice and designed to recreate a home like environment.
My husband was especially excited to hear that there is a pull out bed inside those couches with a real mattress (something the rooms in our North Carolina hospital did not provide). The rooms are very spacious and the goal is to make EVERYONE involved comfortable. There is even a game/play area right outside the rooms for older siblings.
If you want to go check it out for yourself, Crestwood is holding an Open House tomorrow (Thursday, January 26) from 11 AM – 2 PM with refreshments provided by the Crestwood Cafe. If you can’t make it on Thursday but are interested in getting your own personal tour, email Donna at donna.ammons@crestwoodmedcenter.com and be sure and tell her that Jennifer from Rocket City Mom said “Hi!”.
To learn more about Crestwood Maternity Center including information on their free prenatal classes, visit their website here.
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I love Crestwood; the nurses are wonderful, it is an extremely private and quiet ward, and there’s plenty of flexibility when it comes to birth.
The choice for hospitals for the birth of our 3rd child was Crestwood, and it was THE BEST decision!! Having two other children, one 13 and one 6, we had the opportunity to use 3 different hospitals (Huntsville Main, Huntsville Women & Childrens, and Crestwood). I can express enough how friendly and caring an environment there was, especially after weekly visits for tests. They were more than accomodating for siblings and family, and very concerned about making sure I had everything I needed, including rest!! It was a wonderful experience our family will never forget.
I gave birth at Crestwood a little over 2 years ago and it was an awful experience. I had pre-approved my birth plan ahead of time with the head L&D nurse (and my doc) assured everything on my plan would be accommodated, but when I got there it was a battle with the nurses over everything on it even just drinking water. My nurses where extremely rude. Three of them held me down on my back against my will while I was begging to sit up. I don’t care how “pretty” they make the rooms, I would never birth there again….I realize that’s just my experience and sure other women may have had fine experiences there…I’m just saying…not me and it takes a lot more than a pretty room.
Dear Chelle,
I would first like to say how sorry I am that you did not get the experience you desired. I would have made every effort to address the rude nurse and also any other issues you may have had. The behavior you discussed above is unacceptable behavior under my leadership. If this issue would have been brought to my attention it would have been immediatly dealt with. To all of my future expecting moms and dads. If the above issue should occur you are to immediatly ask for the Director of the unit. I believe that a good leader should intervene and handle any issue that is going to impact your special day. My dedication to the birth process goes back 33 years. So Chelle, thanks for sharing your experience so that moms know they need to voice their concerns to someone that make a difference. I would also suggest you contact the Director of that unit and give her information so that she can research the issue.
Thank you for your reply Ms Donna, I certainly do wish I had been ALOT more demanding and vocal and fired them all and told them to get the heck out of my room before I called the police….At first I was trying not to be *that* difficult patient. I was trying to be polite and keep asking and reminding that it was all on my approved plan, later I was just in labor and out numbered. looking back I’m pretty certain they wouldn’t have listen to me if I had, had the mind to ask for the director…they were ignoring pretty much everything else I said. “Leave me alone, do not touch me, STOP! Please stop!” was met with more nurses to hold me down and one grabbing my face forcing me to look at her while she yelled at me.
I also certainly wish I had been more vocal filed a million complaints after the fact to, but I left in shock, traumatized and in LOTS of pain. PTSD. I did try to address some issues with my doc (at the time no longer)on a couple occasions but he absolutely would not listen to me…did not care.
It took a couple/several months to really kinda process the abuse that happened to me. At that point I felt it was to late to address it with the hospital. I spent alot of time feeling guilty and mad at myself for allowing them to do such awful things to me. I was to blame because I chose that doc, that hospital. I’m not the sueing kind of person and I really felt that I wouldn’t be able to change anything. Also I was so filled with fear, I had nightmares and flashbacks. I couldn’t go near a doctor or hospital without almost panic attracts for over a year. Once several months after, I ran into that doc in ‘regular’ world I busted out in tears, shaking, so dizzy I was sure I was about to faint and threw up. I would bust out in tears and violently shake at just remembering or sharing part of my birth story. I tried soo hard to just forget it and move on…’it’s the past, nothing can been done about it now’
It’s better now. But that traumatic experience diffidently still affects me. I can now share my experiences with out totally melting down and feel I should/have to so maybe another woman will not have to experience anything so awful.
So YES!! laboring woman know your options/rights and demand them! You will remember the birth of your child for your entire life. It should be beautiful memories, filled with respect, care, support…..
I can’t say enough great things about Crestwood. I had my son there in 2006 and my daughter in 2009. The facilities were great and the nurses were so friendly and helpful. They really went above and beyond the call of duty to make me feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the whole experience. As a nursing mom, I was very impressed with the lactation specialist, Jane. She is so wonderful and knowledgeable and it was great that I could call her or the nursery staff for advice, even after my stay at the hospital was over. The food was very good and my husband and I were even treated to a wonderful in-room steak dinner for the two of us. I would highly recommend Crestwood to anyone expecting a baby. I can’t imagine wanting to go anywhere else!!
Looks beautiful! Do the rooms offer birthing tubs also? Will Crestwood soon offer privileges to CNMs so that mothers can have the option of choosing a midwife to attend her birth there? That would be truly progressive. 🙂
I hear there are water tubs now, including the ability to monitor mom while she’s in them. I have had a home waterbirth, and it was absolutely fantastic. How long before we can labor AND birth in the tubs at Crestwood? Because that would be a huge draw for a number of women I know. I am so not a fan of hospital birth, and at 34 weeks am trying to figure out what my options are. I just received the good news that I no longer have a previa, so back to the drawing board!
What about those of us that must have a c-section? Will these rooms be available to us or will be be stuck in a standard looking hospital room?
If you labor but end up with a c-section, you will return to this room but if you have a scheduled c-section, you will get a regular room. It’s private but definitely a regular hospital room.
While women who have short hospital stays and easy recoveries are treated like queens with large rooms and a bed for their spouse, my long and painful recovery will be spent in a tiny room with my husband forced to sleep in a chair? As if a long and difficult pregnancy with multiple complications isn’t bad enough, the hospital adds to it by treating me as inferior.
Maria – I don’t work for the hospital (and am certainly no expert on anything medical) so take this with a grain of salt but I wanted to be clear about the info I was sharing. At Crestwood (I can’t speak for HH because I don’t tour there until Feb. 8th) your recovery is in a more “regular” room but there are two beds, one for you and one for your husband and they are private but not as large as the LDRP rooms.
To be fair, there is a medical necessity behind the large LDRP rooms. If you are laboring and delivering in the room there are going to be times when nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel are all going to be in the room with equipment and whoever else you want in the room (husband, children, family) at the same time.
All those same people are in the room with you during a c-section but they are in the OR and not with you in your room. A laboring mom also needs space to move around (walking, squatting, birthing ball, etc.) all things that a c-section doesn’t require.
I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s personal against c-sections and they certainly aren’t trying to make you feel inferior.
I delivered my son at Crestwood in 2010 (as comparison my daughter in ’07 was born at HH), and I absolutely loved it. I had to have a C-section and he also spent a week in the NICU, and I can not say enough wonderful things about the nurses and everyone I encountered during my stay there. I was even able to pay a small amount out of pocket to stay in my room until my son was released from the NICU so I wouldn’t have to leave without him… which wouldn’t be possible with a larger hospital due to space issues. If we have a 3rd I can’t wait to experience the new rooms!
I had my son at Crestwood in 2005. I had a great experience. They had the LDR rooms even then although I don’t remember such plush decorations. Nothing against Huntsville Hospital but I prefer Crestwood being smaller, more nurses to patient ratio and usually many less babies in the nusery. I plan to have my third and final child at Crestwood in late June. I can’t wait to see the new and improved rooms and if they have birthing tubs, even just for soaking while in labor, that is wonderful!
Add my name to the list of expectant mothers who are inquiring about birthing tubs in a hospital setting. Since midwives are not legal in Alabama, and I’d honestly prefer to have an MD in a hospital setting, it leaves us very little choice but to deliver siting up in a hospital bed. I’m exploring my options and would like to know that I have the option to walk around, squat on all-fours, or breathe through the contractions in a tub of hot water if that’s what my body desires. Thanks!
I just called Crestwood today, and they said no birthing tubs in the room. I wonder if I could bring in my own?
We all win some and lose some. I loved Crestwood! But I did have a couple bumps in the road. I was 16 when I had my son, now 6. some nurses were nice while others not so much. The father of the baby had not been supportive, he literally just showed up for the birth to take pics with his family and leave. A nurse while he was in the room told me I was lucky to have him, most guys just leave and are not supportive. I didn’t say anything back to her I was dumbfounded! Also I told them NO visitors ONLY my mother could come! After I gave birth I feel asleep and woke up to a bunch of random people holding my baby ( the bio dad and his friends ) and I didn’t know his friends, it made me feel horrible and uncomfortable. They all took pics so he could make it look like he was apart of everything and left soon after not to return…. Noone was supposed to be allowed in the room period!! but other than that setback, I did love how the nurses made me feel at home and were kind. I am expecting my 2nd baby in march and I am willing to give them another try. But this time I will enforce my voice on who is in my room and who isn’t allowed! im not 16 anymore.. This time is all about my husband and I to bond with our baby!