LPCH vs Sequoia

When we moved to the Bay Area our son was less than a year old. When meeting other new moms, we usually talked about our birth stories. Most of the moms I met gave birth at either Sequoia or Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH). While both hospitals provide state-of-the-art care, many of the new moms I talked with seemed to prefer Sequoia to LPCH. LPCH sounded ideal for mothers experiencing complications during their pregnancies while Sequoia sounded ideal for women wanting a natural childbirth. When I became pregnant again, I decided to deliver our daughter at Sequoia.

Overall, I wasn't overly impressed by Sequoia. When recovering from childbirth I was unlucky and had nurses who were used to taking care of first time moms. I felt like I was constantly explaining why my husband wasn't staying overnight with me, why he wasn't in the room more often, and why I wanted to go home as soon as I could, etc. Was it really that surprising that I had another child that needed to be taken care of?

When I got pregnant with our third, I decided to have her at LPCH. I knew the new children's hospital wouldn't be ready yet, so I might end up sharing a room post-delivery. And I planned to labor at home as long as possible so there was less chance of any unnecessary interventions.

My labor, delivery and recovery experience at LPCH far exceeded my expectations. When we walked in, we were greeted by very friendly staff who helped us get to labor and delivery. My nurse happily looked over my birth plan and helped ensure that it was followed as closely as possible.

I was very lucky and ended up not having to share a room at all during my hospital stay. And, I was also lucky to have friendly nurses who had multiple kids themselves and understood my desire to go back home to my other little ones. They kept me updated about what needed to be done before baby and I could be discharged and were happy to help me leave about 24 hours after I delivered.

I am very grateful that both of my deliveries were quick and uncomplicated. I was able to deliver both of our kids naturally and both labors were fast (neither of my doctors made it to the hospital in time to deliver baby). After each birth I was able to hold baby right away and we were given some time to just rest and enjoy our new little one. My overall experience at both hospitals was positive. And I'm very grateful that the doctors and nurses helped my babies and me stay healthy and well taken care of. But my nurses at LPCH went above and beyond to make the experience much more pleasant than I had expected.

Did you give birth at either Sequoia or LPCH? What were your experiences?