Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

Has anyone delivered there recently? Or knows someone who has? I delivered DD there 3 years ago and had a really positive experience and thought the quality of care was great. A good friend just delivered there a week ago and had a pretty bad experience. DH and I are currently trying for #2 and I was so sad to hear about the issues she had, since that is where my OBGYN practice has privileges. She spoke with 2 nursing managers before she was discharged and is currently writing a strongly worded, very descriptive letter to high-ups at Northwell and hospital administration. Her issues mostly had to do with nurses but she also mentioned some hospital policies/practices that changed since she had her daughter there 3 years prior. I'm hoping that this problem is not systemic and just that she unfortunately had bad nurses. Anyways, just looking to get others feedback! Thanks!

Message edited 8/23/2018 2:47:30 PM.

Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I had a really positive experience there 3 years ago, as well!! Trying for #2 right now and my OB also delivers there, so this is upsetting to hear. May I ask, in general terms, what happened with your friend?
when I was there 3 years ago, the nurses were amazing and accommodating - even when I was respectfully non-complaint with their NPO order while in labor. they even brought me a liquid tray to have while I was laboring. I have only good memories

Message edited 8/23/2018 11:14:18 AM.

Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I am partial to Winthrop for many reasons, but I've heard alot of really positive things about LIJ Katz. Only negatives I've heard were about the nurses not being as nice. My friend is a nurse and said sometimes the private hospitals have nicer nurses. Why? I have no idea... She said something about them being paid by the city but i don't see why that would matter lol. My feeling is that it is a crapshoot. Some people are just nicer than others

Message edited 8/23/2018 12:34:00 PM.

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I have a friend who just delivered there and she had a very good experience. I delivered there 3+ years ago and also had a good experience.

What are the policies that have changed, out of curiosity?

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

This is the location in NHP, not Manhasset, correct? If so, I am very interested to hear what issues your friend encountered. PM me if you like!

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I delivered my first there a few months ago. I had some complications, but the nurses were good. I had an issue with a cna.

Pm what me what issues your friend had.

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I delivered almost a year ago in October of 2017. It was my 3rd delivery there. I had my babies in 2013, 2015, and 2017. I definitely felt this last one was my worst experience. I am a nurse so I get being busy or whatever and I am a super low maintenance patient. I keep all my kids the entire time and ask for barely anything but a couple things I felt stood out. Dirty linens in the bathroom (towel and gown) stayed on the floor the entire time. My son was born at 35 weeks and I made mention multiple times that my other kids were jaundice and it needed to be watched closely. They did the routine bloodwork before you leave and told me to follow up tomorrow without even giving me what the number was (I was told it was in the discharge paperwork which it wasnt). Needless to say he needed to be readmitted for phototherapy the next day. His birth weight and discharge weight were the same. Down to the thousandth decimal place. That is just carelessness - that should have been taken and documented accurately. At my discharge, I was handed my paperwork and the nurse left. My husband and I walked to the secretary and said do we just leave. She goes do you have your paperwork which I did so she said yep you can go then. So my husband and I just walked out. My prior deliveries someone wheeled us to the main door and my husband pulled the car up. Definitely a different experience but if I had more children I would still go there.

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

OMG where do I begin with this?!
The quality of services at Katz LIJ has definitely declined in recent years.
I delivered there 3 times in the past 5 years.
First 2 times, no complaints.

This last time which was last year.... I was not pleased.
First of all I went in the night before labor started bc I was having a ton of contractions. They checked me when I first arrived, there was zero cervical change, so they put me on a monitor. Fine. They pushed drugs on me to try to soften my cervix to jump start labor as they put it (because I was already a few days overdue)... ok I agreed & took the first few doses but then when I asked to be checked to see if any change was talking place, they told me NO, It's our policy now not to check you unless absolutely necessary. I was like WTF am I sitting here for then?! The doctor was an a-hole and said, you've been through this before, YOU tell ME if you're in labor.... OK whatever. But they kept trying to give me more doses of the drug & I refused & said, if you won't even check me & I'm not in labor I'm going home... so they FINALLY checked me & did a BPP on the baby, said ok still no change u can go home... so discharged me past midnight.

[Meanwhile while I'm sitting there all day this poor woman across from me was told she'd be in labor for days... all of a sudden she started to progress & was telling the doctors & they didn't believe her & refused to check her... also kept trying to delay her epidural... ultimately she got to 9 cm then 10 cm in no time flat... at that point no time for epidural, she was FREAKING OUT & after going through all that had to have a crash C-section bc the baby was in distress bc she was so upset after being denied the epidural.... if I was her I'd be livid!!!!]

Anyway so back to me.... a few hours later I'm home & labor kicks in HARD & I rush back & the same NP checked me & I was at 8 cm! OK so the same a-hole doc from earlier comes in, rolls his eyes & goes "I expected this to happen"... I was in a lot of pain, BEGGING for epidural, again they tried delaying it... the nurses thought I wouldn't be able to sit still for it.... well I'm pretty sure the only reason I got it is bc I kept pressing the nurse call button relentlessly and was SCREAMING for the epidural & just would not give up so finally they got an anesthesiologist to come over for me. The nurses I had during the time were NASTY to me & kept telling me to be quiet/calm down... NO LADY, YOU STFU I'm in active labor w/o an epi thus far bc u guys keep delaying it... No I will not be quiet.

SO THEN... The worst thing of ALL.... I get to 10 cm about 6:30 in the morning & I told the nurses I'm ready to push this baby out.... they call the a-hole doctor who finally comes in around 6:45, checks me, says ok I'll be right back and NEVER COMES BACK!!!! Shift change happens at 7 AM... he must not have wanted to get stuck with me delivering... also the nurses had shift change so I'm FRANTICALLY pressing the nurse station button & nobody was answering!!! I had to hold in the baby for almost an hour as finally at 7:25 the new staff (nurses & doc) come in & start getting ready & I could finally push him out... so the previous staff KNEW I'm at 10cm and left me in the room anyway by myself for 45 min to hold the baby in... VERY NICE. I was sooo relieved to push that baby out!!!! It actually worked out bc I liked the new doctor and nurses so much better & was glad they were the ones to deliver the baby... but still how F'ed up was that to ditch me exactly when I was ready to deliver.

Also DH asked for formula at one point so he could feed the baby... the nurse was like oh tell your wife she needs to BF instead... he said yes she does BF but OBVIOUSLY I CAN'T BF & I WANT TO FEED THE BABY THIS TIME... so they finally agreed to give him ONE two-ounce bottle... REALLY?! They also didn't want to take the baby overnight & I said, well if you don't I will prob drop him bc I'm exhausted... then they agree but said it was limited from 12-5 & they'd bring him to me at 5 whether I liked it or not basically. OK whatever.

Also as pp stated they don't do the whole walking you out thing anymore... DH & I were like Ummm are we supposed to leave now?! It was totally ambiguous. The nurse was like, yeah you can go. It was really strange.

IDK if other hospitals are really any better. Near where I live not really & I'm not willing to go into Manhattan to deliver. So I'll be delivering there again next year & hoping things go down better than last time! A few things I'll do differently... I will not be showing up in L&D until I'm DEF in labor this next time and will start requesting epidural immediately. Other than that will hope for the best! I've been told to try Manhasset NSUH but idk... I feel like this same crap could & probably does happen anywhere. I had thought LIJ was great because I'd had great experiences the other times but boy oh boy this was a doozy.

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I dont know what is happening there. My water broke at 35 weeks with my 3rd and I waited in the waiting area for like an hour and a half because they were busy. Meanwhile I am telling them I need steroids and this is my 3rd baby. I ended up delivering in triage with no epidural. Getting the steroids 45 minutes before I actually delivered which I was told has very little effect with that time frame.

I think the no wheeling out is so strange. At least the nurse could say ok you can leave lol my husband and I just stood in the room for a couple minutes. Realized no one was coming and walked to the secretary to ask what we were suppose to be doing lol

Leaving you for 45 minutes while you are fully dilated is insane! I had a csection for my 1st but both of my vbacs I pushed my babies out in 6 pushes and my body just started pushing especially with my last with no epidural. I would have never been able to hold off for 45 minutes!

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

Re: Recent Deliveries at LIJ Katz

I think you have to get lucky with nurses. When I delivered my son last year, I begged for an epidural but they were so slow, I was 10 cm by the time the anesthesiologist came. My son had to go straight to the NICU. They kept saying I had to wait for a wheelchair to go see him (I wanted to walk there but they wouldn't allow it), and I had to wait nearly FOUR hours until a nice nurse went to another floor and finally found a wheelchair for me. Some nurses care more than others...