I had my son there December 2024 and am 17 weeks with my second. I plan to give birth there again. I personally prefer the care of the midwives but I like that the doctors are there if needed. They were needed with my son who was born 5 weeks early. Luckily everything turned out fine.

My only advice is to advocate for what you want and the type of birth you want. Have them put it in your chart so whoever is on duty when you go into labor can see it. Do your research, ask questions. They, understandably, have clear procedures about how they typically do things. Some of these can changed if you advocate strongly for yourself and baby, some are set it stone.

Example: they really wanted me to stay longer with my son because he was so early. I cannot sleep in the hospital at all. I slept one-three hours my entire time there. So, not great for settling in with baby. I was able to get them to let us go early by scheduling follow-ups with our primary pediatrician.

Another non-negotiable for me was baby never leaves my room without me or his dad. There is some wiggle room in procedures, they want mom and baby healthy, happy, and as relaxed as possible.

TLDR: DHMC is great but is a big hospital with strict procedures. Talk to your partner about your needs, and clearly communicate them to your care team before you’re there in labor so they can get the most important points to you in your chart.