Swedish First Hill vs Issaquah?

I’m 26wks and debating whether to deliver at Swedish First Hill or Issaquah. I live in Seattle and am much closer to First Hill, but currently in the Centering Pregnancy program at Issaquah (because they couldn’t fit us into the Seattle program). Issaquah has easier and free parking, calmer vibe overall, everyone’s been great, but it’s about 30/40 minutes away, and First Hill is 10/15 minutes. I know the general chaotic feel of the First Hill neighborhood, parking, and hospital, but don’t know anything about the L&D feel of Swedish. Any experiences or advice to share?

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Issaquah

Hey there! I actually work at Swedish First Hill in Labor and Delivery and delivered my baby there. Feel free to message me with any specific questions. If you’re looking for that relaxed vibe, I would definitely stick with Issaquah though. It’s a much smaller unit. But, I also spent an hour an half laboring in the car with my first- and that was miserable. So just depends what you want and what are your birth suggestions- like do you have a doula? What’s your pain management plan?

I had a great experience the pregnancy with first hill - even with preeclampsia and biweekly fetal health monitoring. I always felt taken care of and relaxed there (the parking does suck, however). I was also a 5-10 minute drive, and when I would have to go to triage it was a lot more comforting knowing I was a short drive. Plus that short drive home after delivery was very nice :)

I had my son at Swedish first hill about a month ago. Overall I had a good experience and was impressed by the level of care I received especially from the nurses. The only people that almost got on my nerve was the kitchen, they just kept mixing my order up. Yes, you will have to pay to park. I recommend Swedish first hill.

I delivered at first hill because it was closer to me. My good friend and her sister both delivered at Issaquah for a total of three kids and loved the experience there. They said they felt people were really attentive because it is smaller and the building/facility itself is newer. I hated dealing with parking and driving into Seattle for first hill. But I live in ballard. Aside from dealing with Seattle, the staff and drs were wonderful.

Issaquah

I had the best experience at Swedish first hill. It was a very calming labor and delivery for me, which was amazing since I was terrified of giving birth the whole time I was pregnant.

Swedish first hill has the best milkshakes ! They were short on nursing staff and sent over a doula to help the nurse. The doula helped a lot with the pain, and the nurse was friendly. Overall a good experience

Thank you, everyone! Super helpful!

The Starbucks at First Hill gives you a voucher for 2 free drinks while you're in the recovery room, lol

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