Virtua Vs. Lourdes

hi
i live in wrightstown about 5 minutes from base
and my doctors were out of mt holly virtua hospital
i loved everything about it but the only thing i did not deliver there cause i was high risk so i had delivered in pennsylivia so i just figured i would let you know
and i do do babysitting if you need one
hope all is good
i am always looking for new friends

Hi C.,

I am also on MAFB and know what practice you are talking about. Tricare should let you change your referral and if they don't you can elevate it, e-mail me directly if you have questions about that. Anyway, I used Phoenix to deliver my now 2 1/2 year old son and LOVED them and Virtua! I can't say enough good things about either one. I do have a few friends that delivered at Lourdes and they were also happy but if you don't like your Dr. it isn't worth it. Please let me know if you have specific questions.

Hi C., My name is T. and I live in Mt Holly right near Virtua. I have 4 kids 17, 16, 7 and 1 year. The last two were born at Virtua in Mt Holly and delivered by Drs. Grossman and Bruce Levine of Phoenix OB/GYN. These men are fantastic! They are kind, soft spoken, and very professional. I have been going to them for 16 years now and would not go anywhere else. When I was pregnant with my 7 year old about 3 weeks before I was due I went to Dr. Levine and told him she's not moving right. She has slowed down. He did not dimiss it as "getting ready for labor" as I've heard stories about. He truly listened to everything I said and sent me across the street to Virtua for an ultrasound to check fluid levels. The tests were fine. I still said "I know something is wrong". He said he would induce me first thing Monday morning but if I noticed anything else call immediately. That was a Friday around 6pm. Long Story-short, He induced me Monday morning, I labored all through the night and HE STAYED WITH ME!! He slept when I slept. Dr. Grossman came in the next morning and delivered my daughter the cord was around her neck twice! Dr. Levine came in after the delivery but he was still there. I was also induced with my 1 year old but the labor was much shorter but still they were both there. The nurses up on that floor are fantastic also!!! I only had one bad experience with a nurse who was older and did things by the book. She was cranky and wouldn't let me keep my bra on during labor :) Well I kept it on anyway and asked she not return to my room. I didn't need negative people around me. I never saw her again. These nurses will do anything for you. Some even have these really soothing voices while you're laboring which helped immensley. They also cater to your husband. They made sure he had enough to drink and eat while he sat with me. My point is your going to get alot of differing opinions on this site. It's really up to you who works with your personality and who you feel comfortable with. I just wanted to offer you my experience with the hospital and the practice. Good Luck in whatever you decide and on the delivery of your new little angel. T.

I'm also a MAFB wife and am a labor and delivery RN, too in Philly. We chose Burlington County OB/GYN and delivered at Our Lady of Lourdes in Willingboro (we lived in Westampton, 5 minutes away at that time - now we live on Ft. Dix). Having worked with various OB groups as an RN across the country, I found that this group was the best skilled with the most experience that I interviewed. We delivered our son almost 4 years ago and I know they have some new members in the practice, but we saw almost every doc in the practice and had no complaints - Dr. Zalkin delivered our son. I always felt safe with them and would trust them again if we were to have more children.

The only other input I'll give you is to think about what's most important in delivery. For me it was having a healthy baby no matter what. In checking out the 2 hospital choices we have as military wives, I found that at Lourdes there is an anesthesiologist and neonatologist on staff in hospital 24/7. At Virtua in Mount Holly they are only in hospital during the daytime hours, so if you come in at night and no one else is asking for an epidural, you will have to wait for the anesthesiologist to come in. Also, if you happen to come in and not have anyone else in labor, the neonatologist doesn't have to be in hospital either. Being an RN, I have seen things go badly quickly in labor and every minute counts. So, I couldn't deliver at a hospital where all the people who would need to be there in an emergency wouldn't necessarily be there when I needed them.

I hope this advice helps. If the practice you didn't like has other docs, you may want to check them out before dismissing them completely. I have heard OK (not great) things about Phoenix group so my best advice is to do your homework!! Feel free to email me with any more questions.

Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and baby......:)

I'm an r.n. familiar with both hospitals and think you'll find Virtua to be more user-friendly.

I had my son at Our Lady of Lourdes in Willingboro 17 months ago and I love there Labor and deiverly. Rachel was the best nurse. I mean the LnD is okay but the rest of the hospital 4get it.

Last I heard they were not allowing Tricare @ Virtua beyond 15 June 08, might want to double check with insurance, you never know. When I was pregnant I planned to deliver @ Virtua but the Dr. on call when my water broke said I had to drive to Lourdes. I reluctantly went and regretted every minute of it. I will not personally go there ever again. I do have friends who have had great experiences and who prefer Lourdes over Virtua. Lourdes also offers a NICU if needed. Both hospitals offer tours. Congrats and whatever you decide hope everything goes well for you.

I dont like Lourdes at all. In fact one of my friends had 3 of her children there and the nurses were very mean and rough with her and her children. Her last baby was severly hurt when they used forcepts on him and my friend was hemeroging a few days after and ended up in intensive care and so was her baby for a while. I had 4 of my children at Virtua in Voorhees and the nurses were very helpful expecially with my last one since I had a c-section. And they were very nice. The atmosphere is cheery and happy unlike Lourdes. I personally think Lourdes doesnt know what they are doing. Also my father just passed away and he was there at Lourdes and he kept saying they werent nice to him they were killing him they didnt know what they were doing. So I have harsh feelings with that hospital. Its a longer story but any way like I said it seems like Virtua is a happier place and well liked. I dont know I guess everybody has different expeiriences and every doctor is different. I would just do more research and interviews and decide. My friend and her children are fine now she just had an awful time.