Hospitals to deliver in with a nursery?

Hi Nora, I'm not sure what you mean about the nursery.  I delivered at Alta Bates in 2021 and they did have the option for the baby to be in the nursery.  I feel like it's not a nursery like you see in the movies where you can peak at the row of babies, but they definitely kept and cared for my baby for a stretch of hours.  If you plan to breastfeed they will want to bring the baby back to you every 2 hours for feeding (including overnight) unless you ask for something different.  If you want to have uninterrupted sleep, make sure to ask a nurse to put a sign on the door saying do not disturb. I think someone came in to either check on me or the baby every 1-2 hours.  Postpartum nurses kept coming in to offer me Advil or Colace or take my temperature (to monitor for postpartum fever) and by the end of I wanted to be like "get the **** out I just want to sleep!" But I was too overwhelmed and tired to think to ask for a Do Not Disturb sign.  

There may be financial considerations to switching providers at this stage - you could ask your current OB office on how billing would work if you were to transfer care.  

Hi Nora, I gave birth in May at Eden Medical in Castro Valley - it's about a 20-25 minute drive from Oakland except for afternoon rush hour. For my prenatal care, I went through Stanford Castro Valley. I saw the same doctor (Dr. Kragie) for all but one appointment - not at all the "revolving door" medical model. I had a great experience with her as my primary OB care provider, as well as with the labor and delivery team at Eden. The Labor and Delivery ward at Eden is super small, I think it's only 4 or 5 rooms.

I didn't ask about nursery since we left the hospital ~24 hours after birth, and people were coming in every few hours for something or another anyways. 

Echoing here. I don't have any information about UCSF or John Muir (though I have generally heard good things about both), but FWIW, I had a baby at Alta Bates in 2022 and am about to have another there. You can definitely send your baby to the nursery, but you have to ask for it--they won't offer. I had an extremely long labor with my first, and before I transferred to the postpartum ward the L&D nurse made sure I knew this was an option. I was grateful to her for that. I also had intermittent monitoring during labor, and have heard from my doula that wireless monitoring is available this time around. 

My one knock against Alta Bates was the postpartum ward. I found most of the nurses were kind of brusque (at least compared to the AMAZING nurses in L&D) and I was anxious to get home. I successfully asked for care to be bundled and and sent away nurses a few times in the middle of the night, which I'm sure I will do again. But your experience will depend on the nurses assigned to you. It's also important to know that you can ask for a different nurse--both in L&D and postpartum if you're not vibing with the person assigned to your care. 

If switching is complicated, I think you probably can have the experience you want at Alta Bates. Wherever you end up, I'd recommend a birth plan and a doula to help! 

I delivered at Alta Bates 11 months ago and 3.5 years ago, and agree with the things you've pointed out: not having wireless monitoring had a definite negative impact on my experience during my first birth in 2021. I was lucky enough to be able to use the one wireless monitor they had, for about 12 hours, during my second birth which was really helpful. But they only had one so it was really luck of the draw if you got to use it.

I don't remember my baby ever going to the nursery in 2021, but my baby in 2023 did a few times, but it was only when staffing allowed. A lot of times there wasn't staffing of the nursery to allow it. So again, pretty hit or miss.

Another huge affect for me was Alta Bates' blanket policy last year during the winter that no one under 6 years old was allowed to visit to reduce RSV risk, which was very unfair to postpartum parents with older kids. It meant my older child couldn't visit me or the baby when I was in the hospital for 9 days. This added a huge layer of trauma to my already traumatic birth that my older kid and I I think are still repairing from.

Last thing: If you're looking at other hospitals, I would also ask them about their induction policy. In 2021 Alta Bates wasn't giving people medication or balloon to start the induction and then letting them wait at home for things to get started like I've heard other hospitals allow. If I could have stayed home for 2 more days instead of being in the hospital for the full 4 day induction I think my experience would have been so different - I would have been so much more well rested and capable during the actual birth. As others mentioned, once you're in the hospital they are coming in constantly to give you meds or more annoyingly to fix the monitoring every 30 minutes - you will not sleep well once you've been admitted. So if you can be home and actually sleep in the early stages of an induction I would highly recommend prioritizing that!

I gave birth at alta bates in mid 2023 and don't know if there was an option to have the baby in a nursery - they never offered. 

During labor, I did have wireless monitoring of the baby (not sure if that's what you're asking for) -- I'd ask for it right when you get there because I was told there are only a couple units available. It was super helpful to keep walking around until I had to stay put for various reasons.

On the last day, I did ask them to put a sign on the door because it was getting ridiculous how often multiple people came by and honestly, while the delivery nurses I had were FABULOUS, I had only one post-partum nurse who I felt comfortable with. They sent in sooo many lactation people who gave me completely conflicting advice. I don't know if this is just normal everywhere, but it was deeply frustrating for this first-time mom.

I'm sorry I don't have an alternative suggestion, but did want to affirm some of the things you're asking about re Alta Bates and Sutter. I did love my Sutter high-risk OB, but she was in the city and in addition to my regular OB who was the Milvia office. I wouldn't switch providers just b/c of your OB, since they might not be on call when you give birth regardless and you don't have a TON of time left but that's just me :)

I had my first baby at Alta Bates, and the nursery was my favorite part.  When I had my second baby, it was at Kaiser and not only didn't they have one, they said that no Bay Area hospitals do anymore.  They all want to be designated as 'baby friendly" but why mother torturing is a part of it, no one could tell me.  If you can find one, you should do it!

UCSF Mission Bay says they have a nursery, but when I delivered there last year they were understaffed and the nursery was closed during part of the time that I needed it. I was exhausted after a long labor and in the middle of the first night was struggling to stay awake when nursing. My milk was not yet in and my baby would cry when I put him in the bassinet. I told the nurse I was fearful that I would fall asleep and drop my baby. She said I just had to make do, so I ended up asking for supplemental milk to bottle feed the baby quickly and get him safely into the bedside bassinet so both of us could sleep. It was not ideal. I did not have family or friends that could stay with me overnight, and I had discussed my concerns before hand with my care team who assured me there was nursery care always available. I sent in a complaint but no one followed up with me as to if any changes were made. If you have the resources, consider hiring a postpartum doula or someone else that can reliably help you. I'm not sure if any other places would be better.

Just to contribute some anecdotal experience - I gave birth at Alta Bates in March of 2023 and was given the option of wireless monitoring, which I used for the duration of my labor until I needed an epidural. They were also totally comfortable with intermittent monitoring - so I walked around the L&D floor freely, etc. It is possible their policies have changed since then, but I found them to be up to date with the latest evidence. 

It is accurate that they don't offer the nursery option anymore. I am not sure what the other poster experienced, but I heard rumor of the nurses being open to watching your baby at the nurses' station. Similarly, I found the postpartum check-ups and administering of regular pain medication to be much more disruptive than my own baby. 

You should absolutely seek out a hospital/provider that will meet your needs, and provide the level of care you want and deserve. Just wanted to share my somewhat recent experience at AB. 

I delivered in 2011 at Alta Bates and they had nursery. I delivered in 2014 at the Alta Bates and they had none, justifying that absence of nursery promotes the bond between mother (however exhausted) and a baby. It also saves costs (minor point). Best of luck for finding a hospital that still offers a nursery...

Not sure about the nursery thing, but I gave birth at Eden Medical Center in May and I highly recommend it. It's still a part of the Sutter system, but a completely different vibe to Alta Bates. The birthing room had peanut balls and yoga balls, a tub for laboring, aromatherapy, and even a galaxy light for ambiance. The nurses were so knowledgeable and supportive, helping me labor in different positions. They also had wireless monitoring that I was encouraged to use until I got my epidural. Dr. Wigginton delivered my baby and she took great care to protect my body.

As far as changing providers, I feel like I never established a good relationship with my OB prior to delivery, and she didn't end up delivering my baby anyway. You might need to call and ask for their policies around late transfers though.

I delivered at AB in 2022 and had a horrible delivery experience.  I also had hypertension and had my blood pressure taken every hour the night after my morning delivery.  Couldn’t tell you about the nursery as my full term baby ended up in the NICU (which is excellent) due to the delivery fracas.  I was so ready to be out of that hospital that I checked myself out a day early.  However, I do remember having constant fetal heart rate monitoring, can’t recall if it was wireless.  If I could do it again, I’d deliver at John Muir. I don’t think you need to change providers to deliver there. I was also with Sutter and recall them saying that JM was an option.  Good luck. 

OP is correct for current Alta Bates services - I delivered in 2022 and there was no nursery (my first delivery was in Los Gatos where we did have a nursery and it was amazing, so distinctly asked for it at Alta Bates and received a resounding no). They will not take your baby to get rest unfortunately unless the mother is basically incapacitated. They did have wireless monitoring however, although it seemed avail on a limited basis (I did have it though!) 

All that said, if you want to switch and do not have any health complications where patient history is critical, you still have a long way to go at 27 weeks and it may be worth it to switch if any of these things are deal breakers for you. 

I just delivered at Alta Bates (second delivery there). I love the L&D team and the post Partum nurses at the hospital.  I love the 2500 milvia practice too and have always felt in good hands. I also love that they have midwives and was seen by my ob and a midwife and mfms and they were all wonderful.  I did have wireless monitoring (but they don’t have enough units for everyone so it’s not guaranteed). And they didn’t have a nursery. They want to have baby bonding and to keep the baby in the room. Since this was our second child, I sent my partner to be with our older child and it was so hard at night. I do wish they had a nursery and would bring the baby to nurse. That said, I would deliver again at Alta Bates. 

It's not clear if you had a previous experience with a difficult recovery period, or you are just anticipating the issue, but FYI - starting in 2025, ALL hospitals in California which have labor/delivery services must either be designated Baby Friendly, or adhere to the Breastfeeding Model Hospital Policy Recommendations, which are similar.  That includes standard 24-hour rooming in, and most hospitals have already instituted that.  That said, as some have experienced, depending on staff availability, there may sometimes be the option of having baby watched at the nurse's station if you request it for a short time.  If you can possibly find a friend, family member or doula to spend a stretch of hours with you, that's your best bet for not feeling the overwhelm of complete responsibility no matter how you are feeling. And know that it's likely just for a day or so, after which I hope you'll have support at home!