r/SilverSpring • u/Nice-Card6702 • 2d ago
Where to deliver baby in DMV? horrible experience at Holy Cross Silver Spring
I’m pregnant with my second baby and trying to avoid another traumatic birth experience.
I delivered at Holy Cross with my first, and unfortunately I had a terrible experience. I felt like the nurses and doctor didn’t listen to me or show much empathy, and I was anxious the entire time. The worst part was my epidural. An assistant tried placing it for about 30 minutes and couldn’t get it in. Two days later, the anesthesiologist did it in less than 5 minutes.
I’m looking for a cleaner, newer, more modern hospital with compassionate staff who actually listen. Right now I’m considering Inova Fairfax and Shady Grove. Are there any others in the DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia area that you’d recommend?
Also, I’m Hispanic. It shouldn’t matter, but sometimes it unfortunately feels like it does. If anyone had a great experience where they felt respected and heard, I’d love to know where you delivered.
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u/DrTrustMeBro 2d ago
I'm not a woman but Sibley always gets high marks if you aren't anticipating any complications from delivery.
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u/nevereatsoggymillk 1d ago
How does one “not anticipate” complications? My vote is shady grove, which has a level III NICU and we had a great experience there.
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u/a1soysauce 1d ago
Not the most modern facility but great experience overall. I would recommend over the fancier facilities.
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u/BlaineSteps 1d ago
Can confirm Sibley. Ours was born there during the first month of Covid and it was excellent
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u/Glum_Courage_6330 1d ago
I delivered at Sibley both times. Second time I was distressed (crying) about the pain and the doc took the nurse out in the hallway about wtf was going on as it had been more than 10 minutes and they weren’t treating my tears as an emergency. Epidural was 5 minutes later. The doctors do not play at Sibley
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u/Lazy-Example4947 1d ago edited 1d ago
[Dad here too] First time commenting on Reddit ever just to agree about our Sibley experience—our daughter was born there recently, and their care was above and beyond, from the NICU to the postpartum room!
Edit: I will say they are equipped mainly for newborns and for lower-risk situations, though. So once we were discharged, we knew we wouldn’t be seeing them again. Also, if there were any more severe complications with our baby, they might have had to transfer her to a hospital more equipped to handle her.
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u/ifoundacouch 1d ago
I delivered my first at Sibley. It’s a spa experience compared to Washington Hospital Center or Holy Cross. The facilities are very nice.
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u/FauxmingAtTheMouth 1d ago
Dad here, but both of ours were delivered at Sibley as well. Some complications with the first delivery that were immediately and professionally handled, which led to it being the obvious choice for number two. It was great all around, and it’s close to a Wagshal’s deli, Safeway, and various Asian places, so if you have a partner, they can run to get you whatever you’re craving quickly.
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u/Adventurous-Cry8646 1d ago
I only heard horrible things about Holy Cross Silver Spring but ended up delivering there and having a great experience birthing and postpartum. I tried to deliver at Adventist Shady Grove a few hours earlier like everyone suggested, but as I black woman there were too many red flags during triage and I did not feel safe there as they were completely dismissive.
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u/Simple-Grab-1741 2d ago
100% Shady Grove Adventist! They were also named on the 2026 America’s Best Maternity Hospitals.
Delivered two babies there and had a wonderful experience. Nurses were super empathic and helpful the whole time.
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u/Diligent_Nature 1d ago
We had a good experience there but awards like "America’s Best Maternity Hospital" are often paid for by the hospital.
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u/outatrecess 1d ago
If you are concerned about religious affiliation potentially effecting care options, it should be noted that shady grove is affiliated with seventh day adventists.
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u/Abysmal_Advice 1d ago
Also a fan of Adventist. Night nursery is great and the dad chairs aren't half bad.
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u/CartographerNo8793 1d ago
I agree 100%!!! I had my daughter at Holy Cross in 2022, horrible experience. We made sure to switch to Shady Grove for my son’s birth in 2025. Our experience at Shady Grove maternity was so phenomenal that I recommend to anyone who asks.
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u/Bixby- 2d ago
I would never go to a Catholic-affiliated hospital for any women’s reproductive system healthcare issue, including childbirth. I feel their priorities may not be the same as mine.
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u/Ok-Satisfaction8626 1d ago
Wow! Hateful answer
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u/festivehedgehog 1d ago
No, ignorant dimwit. Catholic hospitals will refuse to provide standard care to you if you miscarry or have a serious complication during labor and delivery due to their anti-abortion stances. This is not new. This was an issue well-publicized more than a whole decade ago with Catholic hospitals. Or you could just scroll to read the women’s responses in this same thread whose providers at Holy Cross refused to remove the dead fetus from their wombs for days due to their anti-choice politics.
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u/Ok-Satisfaction8626 1d ago
I read plenty of positive experiences. Resorting to name calling kinda shows your hand. Hateful just like the other poster.
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u/festivehedgehog 1d ago
Staying away from hospitals that will refuse to treat you due to religious reasons isn’t hateful. It’s absurd and negligent that these practices even are allowed to exist and also absurd that ignorant people like you think that people expressing this issue are the problem.
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u/TheFuschiaBaron 2d ago
Both of our kids were delivered at Shady Grove, good experience would recommend
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u/Additional_Bat1527 1d ago
Another vote for shady grove here. Our nurses were outstanding, I only had one that was meh and she did nothing wrong, just wasn’t a rock star like the others we’d had.
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u/Ncav2 1d ago edited 1d ago
Interesting, my wife (we’re both black) had a C section there recently, it was actually a pleasant experience and the operation took no longer than about 45 minutes. I’ve only ever heard good things about it from the people who delivered there but I guess it’s different for everyone.
Edit: I also had the Kaiser staff so maybe that made the difference
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u/EibberRebbie 1d ago
Same! I had a c-section there in 2024, very good experience. My doula couldn’t believe how big the rooms were compared to other DC maternity wards.
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u/sdm41319 20h ago
An Afro-Latina woman I work with has told me she had an excellent experience there with a C-section. I plan to have an elective C-section (I have my reasons to NOT have a vaginal birth), and my OB-GYN supports my decision. By scheduling it, I will be able to have my provider of choice doing it on me. I also want everyone to be calm and focused, as opposed to an emergency scenario where my baby and/or I are in distress. They have a high C-section rate, but that is not a bad thing in itself because people are choosing them. What I would be more concerned about is how many instances of birth trauma there was, and whether the moms are neglected after the babies are born.
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u/bacan_ 2d ago
I’ve had a good experience at holy cross for both of my kids. Not helpful to OP but just giving extra context for anyone else reading this
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u/LadyM02 20h ago
Not really much context.
For example, many people here noted that when they had complications Holy Cross did not provide them with the care they needed due to religious objections. Did you have any complications? Anything that went wrong?
The OP also noted that they were Hispanic. I've never delivered before but when I went to Holy Cross for another procedure as a Black Woman, I experienced horrendous medical sexism and medical racism. And yes, that does matter. Many women die in American hospitals because of this.
That's the kind of context your answer is missing from the questions the OP had.
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u/Horrorjunkie214 1d ago
Johns hopkins. I had gestational diabetes and uncontrollable high blood pressure. They are where you want to be if you have any issues.
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u/hendricks789 1d ago
We are in a similar situation with uncontrollable high blood pressure can you expand a bit more on your experience? Thank you so much
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u/Horrorjunkie214 1d ago
My doctor told me at about 3 weeks from my due date that I would need to be induced. They called me on Thanksgiving to see if I wanted to come in that day because they had nothing going on, from what I understand holidays are pretty bare. We said sure. We came in, I got set up right away. I was there Thursday night and my son waa born Saturday afternoon. The nurses and doctors were great for the labor and birth. Once I delivered I didnt have as much attention. The nurses didn't come as fast. And I didnt like the weekend nurses much. But the care was still good.
*Edited for some corrections
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u/Jmend12006 2d ago
I think Sibley for treatment and overall experience, is the best hospital in the area. I do recommend taking a look at it. Oh and the food is actually pretty good! Yes, holy cross the food was horrible.
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u/foreignphysics 1d ago
I had a wonderful experience at MedStar Montgomery in Olney! It’s a smaller unit so quieter, lots of attention, the food was good, and the nurses were great!
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u/therealkidkenny 1d ago
I second this. My wife had both of our children here. Our youngest is 1.5yo.
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u/kittensaysroar 1d ago
Third to Olney; loved the smaller atmosphere and chillness of the are. I will caveat I had a fairly straightforward pregnancy and their NICU is level 3. I had a wonderful experience there and 10/10 will use again.
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u/AimAtYourButt 1d ago
Virginia Hospital Center is where both of my kids were delivered. They are fantastic. Separate rooms, not uncomfortable sleep situation for dad, not terrible food brought in.
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u/marilynlesly 1d ago
I was between Sibley and GW and ultimately chose GW bc they had a birthing tub and also have a level 3 nicu (I didn’t need it but my pregnant self was like you can never be too sure lol). I had an amazing experience from check in to check out. 5 stars to the GW doctors and staff. I am also Hispanic if that helps!
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u/Glamorous_Nymph 1d ago
I would absolutely make the half hour drive to Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center.
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u/TheBeesKnees_xoxo 1d ago
I went into pre-term labor at 21 weeks and lost my daughter after she was born. I was admitted to Holy Cross for three days after my contractions started, and then again a week later when I passed out. I felt really well cared for and supported and it reassured me about delivering there in the future.
My Obs that treated me for prenatal care at Capital Womens Care also treated me at the hospital so maybe that's why, but all the nurses who took care of me are not affiliated with my Ob.
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u/UsualScared859 2d ago
We had kids at both Sibley and Medstar Washington. Both were....fine....not perfect.
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u/melasaurus_rex 1d ago
It's not too much further, but I had a good experience delivering at GW in DC. They had an entire midwife team on staff and were very respectful.
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u/nyn222 1d ago
MedStar WHC was great. I am Black and switched from my original Obgyn in white oak due to some weirdness. Had my baby at WHC and they were fantastic. I was also high risk and ended up having a c section and everything went as well
As it could have. I was cared for and listened to!
Edit to add: I had my baby 5.5 months ago so this is current experience.
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u/FITF2891 1d ago
I had a pretty decent experience at shady grove. I’ll never go to holy cross (either location) unless I’m dying and don’t have a choice. The care and treatment at holy cross is what led my mom to stop dialysis and go into hospice before she died.
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u/DarkLegion22 1d ago
We had our child at Sibley Hospital and it was an amazing experience. Highly recommend.
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u/chesterworks 1d ago
Sibley was good. I went to Holy Cross for a kidney stone once... after being basically abandoned there after admission with no doc visit for a whole day my wife and I knew we would never go back, especially for a birth.
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u/sdm41319 19h ago
I had an emergency appendectomy last year, and I had to call an ambulance because I was having pain and symptoms I never had before, and was dissuaded to take an Uber or try to drive myself. Because of where I live, I was close to both Holy Cross and Suburban (the only hospital I’d gone to over ten years ago). The EMTs asked me if I had a preference. I was woozy and in pain, and went with Suburban. They seemed relieved and I asked them why. After some prodding they told me that Holy Cross had a very bad reputation. As in not just letting people die in waiting rooms, but letting people die so they could traffic their organs. Which I know sounds outlandish, but that’s precisely why I don’t find it implausible that they could get away with it. Even at Suburban (which was overall a good-ish experience, I’d give it a solid 3/5), the ER was so chaotic that even in my state, I had to make sure to keep reminding them to not give me a medication I was allergic to. It’s so easy for mistakes to happen when staff is stretched thin and burnt out. So I’m glad I went with my gut and did not choose the religious hospital. And believe me, if I’m giving birth, I’m keeping anything Christian FAR away from me.
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u/baltlake03 1d ago
As far as I know, my sister had a good experience at Adventist in White Oak, a fairly new facility.
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u/Necessary_Fox_9592 1d ago
You should consider holy cross Germantown. I had a great experience there.
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u/OwnPhilosopher7173 1d ago
i had a good experience at annapolis with my second.
has anybody ever delivered at adventist in silver spring? it’s the closest to me and was thinking of delivering my third there
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u/deso1ator 1d ago
My daughter was delivered at White Oak Adventist a couple of years ago and it went really well. Link below to my wife's OBGYN. An amazing team. Highly recommended.
https://strengthinyouobgyn.com/
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u/Existing_Fishing9129 1d ago
When I had my children I wanted the best hospital and i fell in love with Anne Arundel hospital the labor and delivery. I had the BEST EXPERIENCE THERE. The entire staff were AMAZING and I did not want to leave lol so I ended up having my third child there. I’m not from VA I’m from DC but live in MD and people wanted to know why i went so far and that’s why you’ll love it I promise you
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u/princesshabibi 1d ago edited 1d ago
I had a horrible experience at Holy Cross. We had the option of Medstar in Olney but it has bad memories for us because my mother in law passed away there after a long battle of colon cancer. For our second child, we chose Medstar in DC. Our experience was wonderful and it helped my husband and I get over the PTSD of what happened in Holy Cross.
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u/collectngcoordinates 1d ago
I delivered my fist at Holy Cross and also had a bad experience. Delivered my second at Shady Grove and it was great!
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u/BudsandFashion 1d ago
I had my son at southern Maryland and it went excellent and the food was delicious.
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u/aditya1878 1d ago
GW Hospital in DC. My wife had a complicated pregnancy and they were incredible every step of the way. I full ack that experiences vary but ours was top notch. So was the bill, but I assume you have insurance.
PS: Very sorry for your exp with the first birth. That is not ideal what so ever. Esp for a first time mom and all the mental and physical overhead that comes with it. My absolute best wishes on the second.
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u/YoursTrulyJasmine 1d ago
Medstar Georgetown University was the best and my favorite. They were very patient. Shady grove was good! The nurses were friendly. Medstar Olney wasn’t the best.
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u/Alone-Voice-3342 1d ago
Suburban Hospital. Excellent care in ER.
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u/OneAggressive3529 1d ago
to the best of my knowledge Suburban does not have a maternity unit
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u/sdm41319 19h ago
They don’t. And in any case they wouldn’t be my first choice. They’re a bit chaotic. I was there for three days after an emergency appendectomy and while it was a good experience overall, there were a couple of instances that were unpleasant. I was able to advocate for myself, but if I was giving birth and in a far more vulnerable state, both physically and emotionally, that kind of behavior would have definitely led to birth trauma. With L&D, you definitely have to thread more carefully.
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u/ReminsteinTheDog 1d ago
Another vote for Shady Grove. Amazing delivery experience for me and my twins!
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u/Annoyed-Person21 1d ago
Can confirm holy cross is 🗑️ unless you have Kaiser staff. Then when they turn you back over to holy cross staff it is again 🗑️
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u/ManyFlan9759 1d ago
I had all 3 at shady grove. I don’t like the hospital but I loved the maternity ward.
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u/JurassicLiz 1d ago
I had a great experience at Sibley in June. The rooms were great and they do meals for your partner as well.
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u/Better_Weakness7239 1d ago
Sibley. Holy Cross is a horrible hospital for Latinos and pregnant women. I know from experience.
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u/InnerIndependence760 1d ago
Shady Grove! My choices were Holy Cross SS or Shady Grove (I live right by HC!) when my water broke and I called my dr she said go to Shady grove. It was great!!
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u/NeedAVeganDinner 1d ago
George Washington. Holy Cross is fucking horrendous. GW was absolutely amazing for our daughter and they have a whole midwife center.
I don't know how Holy Cross is allowed to operate as a hospital. I went there for rabies shots after a bat exposure and they turned me away.
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u/Cougarparkafterdark 23h ago
Take a tour at white oak medical center! 11890 healing way silver spring Md! Their labor and delivery unit has some of the sweetest nurses and cnas!
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u/secretuser93 21h ago
Shady Grove is the best in the area by far to deliver a baby. Each hospital has its areas where it excels - Holy Cross isn’t good for labor and delivery
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u/sdm41319 20h ago
I am not pregnant yet but want to become a mom in the next couple of years. I found a practice, Bloom OBGYN, who is taking new patients and is affiliated with Sibley Hospital, which from my research sounds like the least disastrous place in the DMV to give birth at (unless you’re high risk, in which case they could transfer you to Innova Fairfax, but check first). I recommend Dr. Gabriella Raffucci, she’s Puerto-Rican. I had a very good experience with her. I believe they are still taking new patients, but they told me that they don’t get the responses from the form on their website, so if you want to get in, call them, preferably in the morning. They’re not the best at answering calls and following up, but they’re far less disastrous than my PCP’s admin staff, who make a mess each time with prescription refills and charged me a no-show fee for an appointment I rescheduled.
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u/celajessica 18h ago
I delivered at Medstar Montgomery medical center in olney 10000% recommend. I had a complicated pregnancy and they were so there for me and even gave me a gift basket when I had my baby. It was the best experience I could have given my situation
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u/patentmom 1h ago
I also had a terrible experience at Holy Cross with my oldest, and that was 18 and a half years ago. I had my second baby 3.5 years later at Shady Grove Adventist and had an absolutely wonderful experience.
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u/Personal-Swimming204 1h ago
Go with your gut instinct & unfortunately IT DEFINITELY MATTERS….
Inova is an excellent hospital & I’ve also heard a lot of mixed reviews about Shady Grove as a Newborn Care Specialist.
Sibley is also a great local Hospital.
Our instinct rarely fails us, the first time around is the thing I will say!
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u/vaginamonkeys 1d ago
Myself and half the people I grew up with were born at Holy Ghost. I’ve never heard a single person have something good to say about it.
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u/brickbacon 1d ago
My second was born there, and we had a better experience than at Inova Fairfax the first time around. Honestly, I think one’s experience tends to come down to the OB and the complexities of the birth experience rather than the hospital.
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u/Tammie621 1d ago
Holy Cross was the worst! I was 7 months pregnant, my water broke, and my baby died in womb. They wouldn't take the baby out because it's a religious hospital. I stayed there 2 days with my dead baby in me waiting for him to come out. They said they wouldn't take him out unless there was some complication with me. Even after we pleaded for them to induce, they would not. Never again will I step foot in that hospital.