I recently moved to the Chicago area and am trying to decide between finding an OB/GYN at either Highland Park Hospital or Lutheran General Hospital. I have been told that Lutheran General is a better hospital to deliver at as they have the better NICU, but I am much closer to HP. With my first child it was a relatively normal pregnancy with the exception that she was breech, and I had to have a C-section. Does anyone have an opinion on which hospital is better or if it even matters? Do you have a recommendation on OB/GYNs at that hospital?
Jill - welcome to the area. While both hospitals are excellent - I prefer Lutheran Gen'l. I had both of my children there - 1 c-section second was a V-Bac. My original OB moved to Wisconsin (due to the malpractice issue) - however I've had experience with both Dr Dan Pesch and am familiar with Dr Karen Fisch. She is relatively new - and I'm not sure about how much prenatal care she is doing - but what a great personality. You can get their number by calling 1-800-ADVOCATE. Good luck - and let me know what you think.
Jill - I can't really speak about Lutheran General as I have not had any experience with that hospital. However, I have had two children at Highland Park Hospital (boy - 2.5 and girl - 8 mos old). Both times I had a great experience. The staff is extremely professional and attentive as the women's center there is not as large as other hospitals. They are well equipped to handle C-sections if necessary. The rooms are private and large and can comfortably accomodate a spouse who wants to stay at night. I too live very close to the Highland Park Hospital, and it was very nice to have a short drive when I went into labor. The OB/GYN practice that I use is called Northshore Women's Health Associates (they are located in the medical office building adjacent to the hospital). In particular, I have seen both Dr. Hughes and Dr. Adis, both of whom are excellent Doctors. Good luck with your decision!
I am a doula(birth couch) in Skokie and surrounding areas. I work in all the major hospitals and have for the last six years. I also have four children delivered by c section at Evanston, Rush and Lutheran respectively. I vote Lutheran for medical but Highland Park is more comfortable for a natural delivery(bigger rooms etc). Highland Park is the only hospital where I personally 'caught' a baby(it was unintentional). They are pretty laid back.For more info feel free to contact me_ I have a doula office in Skokie. 847-677-8480 or847-207-5413
Julia Roth CD DONA Intl
Hi Jill,
I have only had experience at Lutheran General. I love my OB-GYN. She's the only doctor that I have dealt with for the last 15 years. Even if they hadn't taken my insurance over the years, I have still gone there for my annual exams. Her name is Dr Maureen Carson (847-825-7030). I have seen some of her associates as well & they all are very nice & make you feel confortable. They also explain what they are doing on each appointment & take the time to answer your questions. I have just found out that I am pregnant (very early - 4 wks) & have begun the many office visits. I moved to Gurnee last year, & was also contemplating switching doctors & hospitals. If you like the doctor, then the drive time is worth it. I hope this helps. Good luck!
~Freya
HI Jill,
I moved to Lutheren General beg of last year as i was not verey happy with my old gyneac. And yes it does matter where u go. I like Lutheran a lot, I had troubled pregnancy and they took good care of me. I delivered in The hospital and my doc there was Dr. Locker, nothing like him truly!! All the best.
My prenatal yoga instructor who is also a doula and labor/delivery nurse at Lake Forest said Highland Park was going to get rid of their maternity services because they weren't having enough deliveries there. I have no idea how true this is, but it is something you may want to look into. If you are close to Lake Forest, I would encourage checking out there - it is a beautiful hospital with lots and lots of programs and special things for moms. My nieces and nephew were born at Lutheran General and they do have a top-notch NICU (my niece was born with a heart defect and spent her 6 weeks of life there so we got to know the nurses/doctors very well), but it is a very large hospital with lots going on. Hope this helps!
Kristen Foote
I had my little girl at HP in February, and was very pleased. The nurses are great! None of the rooms are shared, which is nice. We looked at Lutheran as well, but decided on HP b/c it was closer to home.
A friend had her baby at Lutheran and was happy with them, but would have preferred her regular hospital. She had to deliver at Lutheran b/c she was high risk (over 45 and had a few other medical issues)
If your last pregnancy was normal, and this one is going smoothly, my vote would be for HP.
I've been seeing Dr. Edward Lee at HP hospital (I'm due in March). He's great, and I'd highly recommend him to anyone!
http://www.enh.org/healthandwellness/findadoctor/doctorinfo.aspx?mid=1454
I'm currently in my 34th week of pregnancy with my first child, and I will be delivering at Highland Park Hospital. So far everything has gone well, and I would highly recommend my OB, Susan Kramer. Aside from her office at Highland Park Hospital, she also has a Deerfield office which makes it even closer for visits.
Good luck with your search!
My advice would be to go with the OB you are most comfortable with. Both are great hospitals. You may get more attention at Lutheran General as I believe it is a teaching hospital. But if you don't like that kind of attention it may not be for you. As far as distance is concerned, that is not something I take into consideration. I love my OB, I live in Libertyville and he delivers at Prentice/Northwestern Memorial downtown. Good luck!
Jill,
If you are close to Highland Park you may also want to check out Lake Forest Hospital. I delivered at Lake Forest in February and it was a wonderful experience. They have a beautiful new Women's Center. I have been very happy with the OB/GYN group made up of Doctors Heiberger, Holden, Huang, Hubble, and Oh.
I second what Freya said about Dr. Maureen Carson at Lutheran. I've been seeing her for over 10 years, as has my sister. I absolutely love her and she delievered my first born. Since my pregnancy, I have switched to one of her associates in her office, Dr. Weiss. She is also wonderful. Good luck in what ever decision you make.
I delivered in Highland Park, but 2 of my girlfriends delivered in Lutheran, I did not see or hear that much of a difference. I like Highland Park/ I had Dr. Hughes she was great and her team were great too. Becky
I just realized that this post is almost a year old and you've most likely made your decision, but I want to cast my vote for Lutheran General and Dr. Maureen Carson. She delivered my son there and she's been my doctor for about 10 years. I've seen Dr. Weiss and Dr. Weber during my pregnancy and I honestly felt like whoever was going to be on call when I went into labor would be fine by me - they're all great doctors and all put me at ease no matter what. I also ended up with a c-section and I felt like Dr. Carson really helped me to make the right decision, and was supportive the whole way through.
So, like I said, delete this if it's no longer relevant but I am so happy with my doctor and hospital that I had to share!
I see that this post is extremely old, but if anyone is still out there, I'd like to pose the same question. I've been going to Dr. Carson/Weber out of Lutheran General since I hit puberty. I have no complaints about them except it's sometimes hard to get an appointment. We are moving to a more northern suburb and thought being closer to another hospital would be more beneficial. So we've been hooked up with a dr out of Highland Park. No complaints about them either.
But we are pregnant with twins and considered high risk, and I'm wondering if the care at Lutheran with their strong NICU is something we should keep in mind. I mean, we want the BEST for our babies and those first few days are so critical - no time to ship them to Evanston or somewhere else if there is an issue.
So I'm considering going back to my Lutheran General doctors regardless of how far we will be living from them.
ANY THOUGHTS???? [email protected]