The Birth Place at AMC

I've had a lot of people ask me why I've decided to have the baby at AMC when there are many smaller hospitals in the area that some people consider better/more personal/more specialized, so I thought I would explain my thoughts.

My first inclination is purely selfish. Over the past 4 1/2 years (especially the last 9 months!) I've spent nearly as much time at AMC as I have at any apartment or house where I was actually living. AMC is like a second home to me. I know where to park, I know the fastest elevators to use, I even know what food is good in the cafeteria:-) Considering birth is going to be a whole new experience, having these few things that I do know makes me feel more comfortable.


The real reasons I most want to deliver at AMC are for the baby though. The obstetric doctors I chose will deliver at AMC or St. Peter's Hospital, so in terms of my actual delivery I would be able to receive equal services at either hospital. That said, only AMC has a level 4 neonatal intensive care unit in the event that the baby needed some extra help at birth (http://www.amc.edu/Patient/services/childrens/services/neonatology.html). I have worked with the AMC neonatologists and the NICU nurses and I highly respect their clinical judgement. If we needed it, I would want the baby there.

In the event that everything goes completely smoothly and the baby heads to the term nursery, I also am very confident in the services provided by the nursing staff there. The nurses in the nursery are very experienced, are very efficient in examining the babies and getting them back to the mom's room in a timely manner after assessments, and are great resources for new moms. The maternity ward also has trained lactation nurses that work very hard with moms on establishing good nursing habits before discharge. In addition, the baby will be able to be seen by attending physicians from my own pediatric outpatient practice who I have also worked with and respect their skill.

So, does that mean I think that other hospitals aren't good places to have a baby? Definitely not! These are just the reasons why AMC is the place that works the best for me.

Here is the main website for The Birth Place at AMC (http://www.amc.edu/Patient/services/Birth_Place/)