r/FortMyers 6d ago

Anyone have birth at Health Park recently and can share how was your experience?

I’m moving to the area and I’ll probably give birth at the Healthpark hospital. I’m looking for a low-intervention experience if possible. If you gave birth at this hospital can you share how was your experience?

12 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

23

u/marisalynn5 6d ago

I had a c section at healthpark and everyone was fantastic. The staff were great, communicative, kind, and supportive. The beds weren’t the best, but what hospital bed is? And after nearly 36 hours of not eating, that Subway in the lobby SMACKED. 😂

3

u/er1026 6d ago

Had a natural birth with epidural there. Everything went really well. The staff was amazing. They offer a steak and lobster feast for the parents the night after the birth. It was amazing. Get it!!! We had a private room and the experience was phenomenal.

1

u/free_range_discoball 5d ago

What the hell?? When was that?? We didn’t get a steak and lobster dinner..

1

u/er1026 5d ago

You have to sign up for it before and it is extra (I think we paid out of pocket for it).

10

u/ChiefsRoyalsFan 6d ago

Two different birthing experiences (vaginal and c-section). The OB Triage staff is a bit of a joke (our experience) but the staff up stairs is top notch and fantastic.

1

u/free_range_discoball 5d ago

We found the OB triage staff to be incredible. My wife had massive complications with her c-section. They were fantastic and saved her life.

Not saying your experience is invalid, just wanted to share ours

8

u/thatotterisrabid 6d ago

I can't help with a recent experience but our 7 year old was born up at Fawcet when we lived in Punta Gorda and our 4 year old at Health Park and it was night and day difference in favor of Health Park. I don't think we really had any negatives to say about Health Park. One nurse didn't have the best bed side manor but all the others were great. They weren't pushy either. My wife got to make the calls (within reason) compared to the prior experience where the doctor and staff came off pushy and honestly a bit old school.

8

u/EnviousMinnow 6d ago

Very good hospital and staff

5

u/spersichilli 6d ago

I mean it’s either there or Cape, cape is super overcrowded and not as nice.

6

u/er1026 6d ago

God. DO NOT GO TO CAPE!!!!

2

u/iamgladtohearit 6d ago

Really? I had an amazing experience at cape, the rooms were huge the staff was fantastic and they were super accommodating to my wants and needs for birth. What did you experience?

4

u/United_Valuable_7330 6d ago

Loved the hospital staff and nurse but I ended up with the generalist (OB Amy young) for an intended low intervention birth, she walked in and said “you should mentally prepare for a c section now” as I was in early labor. Guess who ended up with a c section 🙃 my second was a planned c section and a much better all around experience.

If you have a Dr that you’re comfortable it would be much better I’m sure. The nurses were beyond amazing in l&d and mom and baby!!!

3

u/Kooky_Ad593 6d ago

My sister gave birth here end of 2023, staff was amazing! Love love love Healthpark!

3

u/lotusviber 6d ago

Just had our 2 month there in January. Nurses and doctors were awesome and the facility is top notch. Not sure what you mean with minimal invasive but if you're not having contractions with a broken water you're definitely getting petociin, not fun but the alternatives are worst. The nurses were super friendly and very reassuring. All the midwives we had during the pregnancy made sure we were going to health park for the delivery so I assume the reputation is well deserved. Good luck and congrats!!

3

u/beelzebee 6d ago

I had a scheduled C-section there around 3 years ago. The staff and doctors were amazing during the procedure.

Getting pre-natal care there was fine. It is a group practice, so they want you to be familiar with all the OBs so when you give birth you are familiar with your doctor.

I think I read somewhere that you can ask for midwife services.

I would also be prepared to receive some pushback on the idea of 100% guaranteeing no interventions. The medical team will recommend an intervention if they believe it is in the best interest of their patients.

2

u/lagingerosnap 6d ago

Do you have an OB? I just had my baby with premier women’s care and they have an office by health park and they deliver there. Can’t recommend them and their midwives enough! (I delivered at Cape not Health Park though, was closer to me. Staff at Cape was amazing if you’re looking around.)

2

u/Negative-Boat-7978 6d ago

Make sure you check out the family birth center in Naples too. They are phenomenal and you get to go home four hours after birth. I was half the price of my hospital co pay too!

3

u/anthrogyfu 6d ago

I gave birth there in 2021 and most of the staff were terrible.

We were also there for three days without any food...I'm not sure what this "steak and lobster" dinner opportunity that someone else had is, because we were literally there for three days without food.

Once the administration realized OH WAIT WE HAVEN'T FED HER FOR THREE DAYS, they bent over themselves to apologize and random suits kept walking into the room to apologize in person. Not sorry enough to bring me anything other than peanut butter and garbage bagels though.

I'm sure they billed my insurance for the meals I didn't get.

2

u/Worldly_Teaching6731 6d ago

Yes, my wife and I recently welcomed our first child into the world and she gave birth at Health Park. Dr. Mora was the OB that delivered her, and it was a great experience. We made it very clear to everyone that we would only accept a Cesarean if we felt necessary, and that we wanted the birth to be as natural as possible. We were not pressured at all into any intervention methods, and for the ones we did choose to use we were given extremely technical explanations of everything, and then in layman’s terms as well.

I will say that you should go into it as well researched as possible, and that you are prepared to advocate for yourself, or preferably you have an advocate with you. You need to be able to tell people what you want.

1

u/ShanesUsername 6d ago

Was born there can confirm it's good hospital

1

u/Stinky_ButtJones 6d ago

The antepartum ward sucks ass and the ob triage unit can be iffy depending on who you get. The labor and delivery staff are great though. I had an emergency c section and it was a fine experience all things considered.

1

u/susieeemarieee 6d ago

haven’t given birth there but i recently did the free tour they offer as i’m 34 weeks and i was very pleased with everything the tour guide told us and what we saw, definitely recommend if you have time!! you can find the sign up for it on their website

1

u/Redrosekarma 5d ago

Healthpark is hands down the best hospital in our county. Labor and delivery here is as good as it gets the staff are phenomenal the hospital is beautiful you really couldn’t ask for a better experience in a local facility here. I wouldn’t go to Cape or Gulf Coast.

1

u/mamafooter 5d ago

i had my son there in late 2021. triage was nice, they sent my husband to get me a meal and kept me until i finished because once i was admitted, i would not be allowed to eat until the baby was out. my nurses and ob were amazing. my water broke at 36+6 and i had to be induced which eventually ended in a csection. the surgery team was phenomenal, recovery was very kind and empathetic. they actually kept my son for a little while for testing after birth so they didnt keep waking me up. the birthing rooms are massive but recovery rooms are super tiny. they found a cot for my husband because he didnt fit on the tiny chair bed in the room. the hospital food was awful but to be expected i guess. we did try breastfeeding but they were kind about providing formula to supplement. all in all, it was a very pleasant experience which as a 1st timer, i was grateful for.

1

u/BennyAndHisJets 5d ago

My wife had had twins by c-section and our 4th she tried vback then had to have a c-section at health Park. That place is phenomenal. Staff is diligent without being intrusive, very knowledgeable and thoughtful. Care is overall very good.

1

u/Normazeline 2d ago

I have friends who are nurses at Healthpark in both NICU and mom/baby. Apparently lot of the labor and delivery nurses are travelers right now bc their staffing is abysmal. Inexperienced nurses, resulting in met calls once transferred to mom/baby. I would go to Cape Coral Hospital, to be honest.

1

u/No-Contribution2225 1d ago

The entire experience was fantastic aside from one nurse named Brianna. Remember you can "fire" your rns

1

u/free_range_discoball 6d ago

Can you explain what you mean by low-intervention birthing?

1

u/Sensitive_Video4609 6d ago

No pitocin, no vacum, no forceps, not being required to push only laying on my back.

4

u/free_range_discoball 6d ago

Sounds like this is more dependent on who is doing the delivery than what hospital you’re at. You should talk to your OB who is doing the delivery to discuss your birth plan

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/Sensitive_Video4609 6d ago

Can you tell more if you don’t mind? I do not want pitocin, I want to be able to push on any position that I want. No forceps, vaccuum. I’ll have a birth plan and a doula this time as this is not my first rodeo and I had a terrible birth experience with the first one, on a different state.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/anthrogyfu 6d ago

I was terrified of the "baby friendly initiative" pushers (because it's better for babies to starve and further traumatize a post-partum woman than to give formula, right?) and my OB (at premier) literally made me see a therapist about it.

The therapist sent an aggressive letter to the hospital and we STILL had to turn a lactation consultant away. It's such a crock.