QuestionMy wife is pregnant with our first child. She is at 30 weeks. We are currently seeing an OB/GYN that delivers at Seton Central in Austin. We like the doc OK so far (Dr. Swenson at Women Partners in Health) but are hearing mixed (and some rather bad) things about Seton. My wife is not a fan of unnecessary medical intervention (she doesn't even like taking Tylenol for a headache), and we are hoping to avoid interventions as much as possible during the birth. On the other hand, she doesn't feel completely comfortable using a birthing center--she wants the medical backup at hand if it IS necessary.
I saw in another of your answers that you recommend avoiding the Seton family of hospitals here in Austin. Can you explain why in more detail? Do you think the downsides of Seton are enough to warrant switching to a doctor that delivers elsewhere, or to a birthing center?
AnswerI personally would go anywhere but Seton. My triplets were born at Seton. When I went into preterm labor at 26 weeks (after having a cerclage placed at 20 weeks), I went straight to the hospital. The toco monitor did not pick up the contractions I was having every 7 minutes, although the nurse said she could feel them. I requested a vaginal exam to check for dilation and was refused. The doctor never even came to the hospital. Instead, he prescribed Seconal (a heavy sedative) over the phone and sent me home. I spent the night still in labor, but convinced it must be okay (since they sent me home!) and too drugged to care. By the time the drug wore off the next morning, I had started bleeding heavily. When I went back to the hospital, my cerclage had literally ripped out, severely lacerating my cervix, and I was already dilated to 5 cm. I dilated to 6 cm before they finally stopped my labor, but my water broke the next day.
When they began prepping me for the c-section, I spoke with the anesthesiologist and told her that during my cerclage surgery two months previously, my spinal had worn off in only 30 minutes. I explained that I was concerned this would happen again. She basically told me that she knew what she was doing and I had nothing to worry about. Sure enough, the spinal again wore off after 30 minutes, only this time, instead of being done with surgery and leaving the OR, my third daughter was being delivered when the anesthesia wore off. They tried to knock me out, but all the other drugs were relatively ineffective as well, and I still remember most of the rest of the surgery...without anesthesia. The doctor came to visit the next day, very apologetic for not listening to me, but the damage was obviously done.
When I tried to request my records several months after my babies came home, I found that there was NO RECORD OF MY PRETERM LABOR the first night that I came in, and NO RECORD OF THE SECONAL THAT WAS PRESCRIBED. This is a very, very serious problem.
I have had a few other poor experiences with Seton-affiliated hospitals (including having to remove my own IV and walk out of an emergency room after being left there alone with no contact for several hours), but the circumstances surrounding the birth of my triplets and their stay in the NICU are the worst example I can give. It took several years and two more births to get over the post-traumatic stress syndrome I had following that first birth. I have heard good things about WPH doctors, although I haven't dealt with them personally...but for myself, I no longer feel comfortable stepping into ANY hospital unless I have an urgent medical need, and uncomplicated childbirth doesn't qualify for me. And I will never willingly patronize Seton network hospitals again.
