Location is Everything

I have a hypothetical situation for you. You go to a business, let's say somewhere simple, like Walmart. You go to the one everyone talks about that supposedly has EVERYTHING. You plan on spending your money in their store, but you can't find something you are looking for. Let's say mothballs (those are always hidden). So you ask a worker, and you are given a dirty look and an attitude because you couldnt find it yourself. Well, the next time you need mothballs, you decide to check out a different Walmart that no one you know has been to yet. It's a bit smaller, but surprisingly their stock seems to fit your personal life needs. You hesitantly ask a worker where mothballs are, expecting the same dirty look and attitude, but are given a friendly smile and are even led at a nice even pace straight to their location, with a casual conversation to pass the time along the way. Once at the mothballs, you are asked if you need any more assistance, and told to have a great day, and just ask if there is ever anything else you might need.

It amazes me just how different two locations of the same business can be, especially when one is more popular and well-known. I recently had an experience much like this hypothetical one, yet my experience was between two hospitals, and instead of mothballs my "something" is pregnancy. These two locations, although both belong to the same company, treated me so utterly different that I was amazed they were connected at all.

When I was pregnant with my first son I went to the more popular hospital, which was Scott and White in Temple. They are one of the largest hospitals I have ever seen, and apparently they have everything and can treat anything at this location. I didn't have all of my OB appointments with my personal OB. At least half of them were handed off to RNs. When I was nearing the end of my term, I was told that if I thought I was going into labor I should call the on-call nurse for advice on when to come in. I don't recall being given much better instructions than that, such as how I might know I was even in labor in the first place. I got the majority of my information from my What to Expect When You're Expecting book. In my 38th week, I woke up one morning to a bit of spotting. I saw my doctor that afternoon and was told that labor was still at LEAST a week away. That evening, I began having frequent, painful contractions. I called the on-call nurse and told her how I was feeling. She bluntly replied "You aren't in real labor yet. Lay down, go to sleep, the contractions will subside." I was a bit put off by her indifference to a first-time mother's concern, but nonetheless I attempted to follow her advice. An hour later I called her again, informing her that I could not sleep because the contractions were getting much more painful. She had a bit more attitude this time, and her response consisted of "If you can still talk through a contraction, you aren't in labor. Call back when it's THAT painful." This time I was very upset. I was in more pain than I had ever felt in my entire life, and she was treating me like a child. After yet another hour of intense, sanity-breaking contractions, I called up with an attitude of my own, and before she could say anything, I told her I was coming in anyways; it was too much pain and I wanted to be sure as to whether or not I was in labor. She laughed and said that sure, I could come in, but she was positive that I wasn't yet in labor. When I arrived at the hospital, she was the one to check me in and along with another nurse, give me my exam to see if I was dilating. And that's all they were even willing to see me for at that time, too. Just a small exam room, and a quick internal exam. When she realized that I was the one she had spoken to on the phone, you could read the look on her face. It was clear that she thought she was about to prove herself right. Well guess what, cocky self-absorbed nurse? I WAS, in fact, in labor! I had my son first thing the following morning. The part I hated the most was that once she discovered that I was in real labor, she tried to play it off by smiling and saying "You're in labor, hon!" ...Yeah. No kidding. At that point I was a bit more concerned with the actuality of labor, but the nurses made a huge deal over the scars on my legs, saying things like "Oh my God, are you okay?" and "What happened to your legs?!" Needless to say, being self-conscious when I had labor and delivery to worry about was NOT a fun addition to my emotional roller coaster that day.

When I discovered I was pregnant with my second son, you best believe I was NOT looking forward to going back to those nurses at that hospital. So I decided to take this pregnancy over to Scott and White Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center instead. It's a much smaller location, and in Waco instead of Temple. I know my way around Waco much better to begin with, so already I was a bit more at ease simply with the drive up there. Only one of my OB appointments ended up being with someone other than my personal OB, and that was because my appointment was scheduled last minute and my doctor was already full up that week. When I got into my 9th month, I was told that should I find myself experiencing certain symptoms of labor (and were told which symptoms to look out for) that I should come into the Labor and Delivery building to be checked out. Not once did they say to "call the on-call nurse for advice on when to come in". They simply said that if I felt I needed to or wanted to, to just come right on in. Well, I'm in my 40th week now. Last night I was having contractions and even though they weren't painful, they were very frequent. So this morning I had my husband take me in to get checked. I was expecting to be laughed at for knowing I wan't in actual labor. I was expecting to be told to just go home. I was expecting more nurses to make a big deal out of my scars, and I was expecting to be treated like a child (after all, this was my SECOND pregnancy. I should know the feeling of real labor at this point, right?). NONE of that happened. I was given nothing but smiles and everyone was very friendly. Any questions I had were answered without dirty looks or attitude, and instead of laughing at me for coming in and ending up not being in labor, instead I was commended for following my instincts and coming in when I was concerned. My doctor and the nurse both told me that they would rather me come in multiple times without being in labor than not come in at all and have to have an emergency birth at home. To top things off, instead of a quick and simple internal exam, I was even hooked up to monitors for my son's heart rate and my contractions, and got to hear his heart beating. I was monitored for about a half hour to an hour, and then given an internal exam. I left the office knowing not only the results of my internal exam, but also that my son was perfectly healthy, and after observing my contractions on a monitor I was better informed as to what kind of feelings accompany a true contraction (yes, this is my second pregnancy, but that doesnt mean I remember every last feeling from the first one).

In the end, the smaller location turns out to fit me perfectly. I can't believe that the more popular and well-known (not to mention recommended) place treated me so badly, and such a smaller place was so good to me. I still haven't had my second son, but I will in the next few days. And I am no longer worried about how things will go or what they will say, because I know this is a good place to be.

I also can't believe that in Temple, they treated me so poorly and acted as if I wasn't in labor at all when it turns out that I was, in fact, in labor... and yet in Waco, they treated me wonderfully and assumed first that I WAS in labor, even if it turned out that I wasnt (which it did). I think that is a much better system. Just thinking about these differences still blows my mind. The one thing I know for sure is that from now on, I'm staying at the hospital in Waco. They may be smaller, but they are tailored to my personal needs, and those of my family. Though I don't care for the size of the building. It's the size of their hearts. The nurses in Temple need to remember that they CHOSE to work in human care, and should take a step back and start CARING about their patients.