Note: My Friday events postings will return this week, as well a the Monday recap of what we did downtown over the weekend.

Since the beginning of this series covering Johns Hopkins, GBMC, Mercy, and St. Joseph’s, I’ve decided to expand it a bit to include Sinai—another popular choice for expecting downtown moms—as well as some alternative choices, including the doula program at Johns Hopkins, Special Beginnings Birth Center in Annapolis, and even two home births.

First up is Sinai Hospital in Northwest Baltimore.

I spoke with two women, Marina Merrick who delivered son Finn at Sinai in October 2006, and Heidi Rutzen, who gave birth to Jack there in December 2006. Both were relatively happy with their experience, though Rutzen opted for a home birth when her second child was born. (A post on home births in Baltimore is forthcoming.)

Sinai Hospital

Both Merrick and Rutzen delivered with midwives at Sinai and cited them, as well as the supportive nursing staff, as a major plus in the pro column. Other benefits were its proximity to downtown Baltimore, nice delivery rooms, and knowledge of orthodox Jewish customs, including a kosher menu.

Merrick, who wanted to labor without the help of medication, said she chose Sinai in part because, “many orthodox Jewish folk deliver there, so they are supportive and knowledgeable of drug-free deliveries.”

She said that while she ultimately did opt for medication, “I wouldn't have made the decisions I made without really discussing the options with my midwife, and it was because of the discussions I had with her that I ultimately chose to use the birth drugs. The nurses were trying their best to help me follow my birth plan.”

In addition to the on-demand kosher menu, Rutzen said, “Since I had the baby on a Thursday, we were there for Friday night—Shabbat—and one of the staff showed up to our room with some challah and electric candles so we could celebrate it. It was very touching. I also noticed that the entire nursing staff appeared to have read the birth plan attached to my chart.”

In the con column, Merrick said, “even though they are knowledgeable about drug free births, you still need to fight for that option.” She also noted that there wasn’t enough hot water to fill the birthing tub, though she said there isn’t anything she would change that wasn’t specific to her particular birth.

Rutzen, who delivered her second child at home and had wanted a home birth for her first, said, “I won’t get into what I would change about Sinai because it is, after all, a hospital. There are overarching issues about how hospitals handle labor and delivery in general that I just don’t think are right. I feel your whole L&D experience in a hospital can be shaped by who is providing your care—midwife or OB. It seems the experiences can be quite drastic."

"Home was just a completely different experience," she said. "And it’s not that my experience at Sinai was a horror story. It was totally fine."

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Read Part 1 (Johns Hopkins) here, Part 2 (GBMC) here, Part 3 (Mercy) here, and Part 4 (St. Joseph's) here.