Why I Recommend Taking Your Child to Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center

Ever since I became a mother to my son, Cameron, my goal has been to provide him with the very best – especially when it comes to medical care. I had hoped he would have no health issues, so you can imagine how distraught I was when I found out he needed double hernia removal surgery. This was in 2018, and he was only 2 months old… so I was very upset at first. I felt more reassured once I realized he could have his surgery at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Because he had been born 5 weeks early, we had to stay overnight so they could monitor him, which is a standard precaution for premature babies because of the anesthesia. No parent wants to be in the situation where your newborn has to undergo a serious surgery, but if you find yourself in it, I believe you should consider having it at this particular medical facility. 

Although the circumstances of having to a new baby go through surgery were not ideal, it was still a positive experience for us. From the moment we walked through the doors until the time we left, Cameron received top quality care. I felt as though the medical staffers truly cared about us. It was obvious, for example in how kind everyone was when they would check in on us. 

Even something as simple as a nurse bringing me the exact brand of breast pump I used at home so I could pump milk on a hospital grade pump while Cam was sleeping… typing those words are bringing tears to my eyes while I’m remembering that, because it truly meant so much to me as a new mom. 

I’ve had other experiences in other local hospitals, and no offense to them – but it is definitely not the same. Aside from the “bedside manner” of the employees that I enjoyed during our stay at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital, I also want to highlight several other critical facts you should consider when you’re thinking of where to get medical treatment. The Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center features:

*24-hour dedicated pediatric emergency department

*Level I pediatric trauma center, the highest state designation

*Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with intensivists in-house 24/7

*Pediatric hospitalists in-house 24/7

*Advanced imaging technology designed to provide quicker images and emit less radiation

*Pediatric rehabilitation, including audiology, physical, occupational and speech therapies

As a dedicated children’s hospital, it offers many specialized programs that may benefit patients and families, including a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). If your delivery doesn’t go quite as you expected and your newborn needs more specialized care, I cannot emphasize enough just how important this is. This is the state’s highest level of designated neonatal care.

There are many more points I could make about how wonderful this hospital is, but instead I will just invite you to watch this video I filmed in January 2020 during a tour of Palm Beach Children’s Hospital with a couple of my blogger friends, @PalmBeachMoms and @LocalMomScoop. I shared a bit more about Cam’s story of how we had a great stay there, and there is more information directly from the Child Life Manager.

Please note: this video was filmed pre-COVID 19

Thank you to St. Mary’s Medical Center for sponsoring this blog post. As always, opinions are my own.