The Tale of 2 OC Hospitals – in honor of Cesarean Awareness Month

In honor of Cesarean Awareness Month.  I would like to highlight the importance of choosing your birth location carefully.

In this specific case I am talking about choosing between two hospitals.  There are differences in hospitals and their policies and it can have a big impact on avoiding a cesarean!

I actually have quite a few hospitals that moms can birth at in my area.

But to simplify things, I am going to look at just 2: Hoag and Saddleback.

I would say they service the same type of women.  Middle – Upper Class Orange County Moms.

They are both nice/comparable facilities.  Here are the most obvious differences a mom would notice on the tour.

Hoag might “look prettier” and they get a steak dinner the night after the birth.

Saddleback has Telemetric monitoring, so a mom can walk the halls and get in the tub and still be monitored.

But the biggest differences lie in their cesarean rates from 2008.

Hoag’s cesarean rate is 37% and Saddleback’s cesarean rate is 30%

Interesting enough I just got something in the mail from Hoag about the courses they offer.

What Women Should Know About Elective C-Sections

Saddleback not surprisingly has a

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Class

Their VBAC rates from 2007 is not surprising.

Hoag’s VBAC rate is 3.7%   Saddleback’s VBAC rate is 15.9%

Needless to say, when a mom asks me where the best place to birth is, I recommend Saddleback.  I share the statistics and the experiences I have had as a doula and from the birth stories I have heard my students share.

Tomorrow I will share the Tale of Two Moms.  1 birthed at Saddleback and 1 birthed at Hoag.