Oh, there is so much to say about my birthing experience. I'll keep it short…read more 1) THE CLASSES: the birthing class series led by Marina was awesome. It was educational and fun. The classes really helped put my anxiety about childbirth to rest. They cost a mere $20 per couple for the whole series. There are snacks provided at every session so the fee basically covers the cookies. Definitely recommended for all first time parents! 2) THE NURSES: Majority of the nurses at Birthing Unit were amazing. Special shout out to Jill (visiting nurse), Amy, and Christina (usually in mother baby) & Kim in Mother/baby. These women took great care of me. 3) HOSPITAL ADMIN: This is where the 3 stars come from (instead of 4-5) Lack of available anesthesiologist!! I planned to get an epidural from early in my pregnancy. It was in my birth plan. I notified the nurse once I was admitted so there were no surprises. I was hooked up to an IV at 2:30 am and I didn't get my epidural until 7:15 am. That's right, I WAITED OVER FIVE (5) HOURS FOR EPIDURAL! When I say waited, I mean labored naturally in agonizing pain when I could be resting in preparation for the pushing... My poor nurse kept telling me that the epidural would be coming soon the whole night to no avail. The ONLY anesthesiologist in the entire hospital (what?!) was tied up in a surgery. I had to wait for another one to start the morning shift... I don't know about you, but for women who want the epidural (statistically its the majority), this is quite a big issue. I was really disappointed in Sierra Vista for making me suffer unnecessarily. As one of the two major birthing hospitals in the area, you'd think they'd be able to call someone in. Note: all the tours and classes tell expectant mothers that the wait for an epidural is usually 30-45 minutes. I'm letting y'all know, this is not true. Not in my case. Mind you, there were 5 of us who were all needing epidurals that morning and all of us were waiting for the morning shift anesthesiologist to come in. All in all, I'm going to think long and hard if I want to deliver at SV again unless I decide on an unmedicated birth. Could this happen at French? Maybe...so far I've only just had the "SV pain special". Note: if you're pregnant and reading this - don't freak out. Im sure my situation is rare and hopefully it won't happen to you.

Not gonna lie, I was terrified to give birth (my first baby), and I was also pretty nervous that I…read moredidn't know any of the staff who would be helping out. I was induced in the afternoon and ended up pushing around 5 am, and then had a c section at 7am. The staff here was amazing. I don't say that lightly - they were incredible. I wish I remembered everyone's names, but they were so helpful. Nicole was so kind and amazing. She helped me with my breastfeeding issues. I remember being so excited to tell her when my milk was slightly coming in. John was SO amazing as well. Kind and sweet, sharing stories with us about his own kids - just a true gem. My husband told me that he wished he expressed to John how grateful he was, but he was so emotional that he couldn't get the words out. Dr sungurlu is a special kind of dr, so confident and direct- two things I needed to get through all the unexpected things I experience during my birthing journey. Niki was great and was my nurse during the contractions/ water breaking. She made sure to keep checking in on me, and she made sure to let me know that if I wanted the epidural, it would take about an hour for the anesthesiologist to arrive. The anesthesiologist was so sweet, I wish I remembered her name. I had another anesthesiologist the next morning for my c section, Dr Jenkins. He was incredible. He stood behind me the entire process, making jokes and distracting me. He kept asking if I was ok, and helped me when I started throwing up after the surgery. He even took pictures of my husband and I when we met our baby. Basically, all in all, I could not have gotten through my birthing journey without Sierra vista. If I have another kid, I'll most definitely be back to this hospital.