PolkMoms.com

Moms who have used this facility please give us details about your experiences.

Your information could help moms make an informed decision in their search for a place to give birth

Krystal, if you wish you can cut and paste your information in the Lakeland thread to add here for moms to check out your information in this thread.

Regency link below

http://www.winterhavenhospital.org/healthcon/h2yh/archi...regency_medical.html

I gave birth in Winter Haven at Regency Medical Center, which is the birthing center for Winter Haven Hospital. I had a great experience!! The nurses were great, anything you need they will get for you quickly..........for me it was my first child and the nuses talked me through what would be happening in the different stages of labor so I kind of knew what I could expect...which eased my mind ALOT!! I don't mean to brag, but I had a PERFECT labor and delievery......I went in to be induced December 21, 2006, at 8am, was at 4cm going in the hospital......by 1:30 was at 5 cm......then went from 5 to 10 by 2 pm......and by 2:30 had a beautiful baby girl named Savannah Ashlyn..... my mother tells me I had it too easy.....lol! My future sister-in-law worked there and it was extremely comforting as she made sure everything went smoothly while in the mother-baby unit. Nurses will let you know first hand when you get to the mother-baby unit that every nurse that is supposed to pick up your baby and take it back to the nursery or bring the baby to you will have a badge on....to be sure to check the badge closely and if for any reason you don't feel comfotable releasing your baby to them, you have every right to ask for another nurse...
which my baby didn't stay in the nursery all that much while we were there.....I wanted her with me at all times!! Hope you soon-to-be mommies have safe deliveries!! Hope this helps!!

Thank you again Krystal for your account!

My experience 6 years ago (exactly) at the Regency was not so great. I was bummed because my sister delivered there a year prior to me and she had an amazing experience. I was hoping for the same but unfortunately, that was not the case. My major problems were with the staff. During my stay I don't feel like any nurse really took time to make sure things were going well. Being my first baby I was very nervous and unsure of myself. I could have used a little extra support but they were always too busy to provide me with anything more than checking my vitals and things of that nature. I also had problems with the lactation consultants there. I repeatedly resquested that they send the LC to see me. Every nurse that came in my room I would ask yet I didn't see her till the day I was discharged. She seemed bothered and didn't really offer any real advice other than keep trying, you'll get it. I didn't 'get it' so about a week later I went back and saw a different LC. She determined that my daughter had some muscle development issues that were contributing to our problems and finally gave me some advice on getting back on track. Unfortunately it didn't matter by that time. I lost a week of really getting things going because of the other LC telling me to just keep trying and that it was ok to continue giving her bottles of formula. My labor nurse was awful I was elated when she walked in and I realized she was the same one my sister had a year earlier. She was awesome. But with me - it was a completely different story. They had just installed a new computer system and she spent the first hour entering info in it. That was fine and I understand that but anytime I tried to talk to her she seemed bothered and brushed me off. When labor started getting difficult she left. And after the birth she wasn't really as concerened with us as she was in chatting with another staff member about getting to go somewhere else for the rest of the day since my labor progressed so quickly (2 and 1/2 hours total). And the food was horrible. At that time you got absolutely no choice and the cafeteria had horrible hours. Mu husband would bring food in for me.

Wow zoiezmom! Thank you for your very detailed experience.

I hope I will not offend any nursing staff, but I wonder if staff realizes how they can affect hospital visits in the positive or negative. When someone is in the hospital they have concerns and are in a foreign unfamiliar territory. As a parent or patient, we look to staff for reassurance and even just a smile.

When I was at the hospital with Lillian recently, there were a couple of nurses that were very curt and unsmiling. When you are stuck or anchored in a little room and worried about your little one whether newborn or older child, your only outlet to the outside world sometimes is the staff.

I do realize nursing staff have lives and feelings of their own, just want them to realize how important politeness and consideration is to a patient or patient’s parent in their hospital stay and experience.

I had my first son at The Regency and it was an okay experience. The labor and such was good. My water broke the night before at 11pm...I was 3CM when I got there. They gave me all night to start labor on my own which I did not. So they started pitocin [yuck!] at 6am...by 11am I was ready to push! I pushed for 2 1/2 hours and he did not move! [stubborn] .. ended up with a c section. All of that was great! The nursing staff was always nice and accommodating. The only part of the experience that really got me was how hard the nurses push formula even when I told them I exclusively was breastfeeding! AT one point a nurse even said "I have him a bottle to calm him down after a procedure he had." I nearly lost it then! Apparently they had been giving him bottles without me knowing it and it made it so hard for nursing. I had issue after issue because of it. I'm very pro-breastfeeding so this left a sour taste in my mouth.

My advice would be to know your information and stand up for your rights [at any hospital] if you plan on breastfeeding and just be really adamant that you want NO bottles, nipples!

I did have one thing that got me too.......I put Savannah on formula because she would not breastfeed and the nurses still put Breastfed on her little info sheet in her little carrier AND brought her in for me to breastfeed her at 3am.......I was like HELLO!!!!! But I guess you have to correct them on those things, sometimes they just don't know and sometimes they just dont listen!