Can’t speak to Melrose Wakefield but I am STILL angry about my experience delivering my son at Winchester. I had to share a room - and bathroom - postpartum which in and of itself is disgusting and cruel. I work as a nurse in maternal child health (NICU) and I’ve NEVER heard of shared postpartum rooms. My husband then was unable to stay overnight with me and they closed the nursery due to staffing issues meaning I was by myself with my newborn son. There was no space to visit in our room obviously (not to mention trying to be considerate of my roommate who also had visitors) and so when my visitors came we sat in the common area. We were told that we could not do this because of Covid and needed to have our visit in the tiny, crowded room. I didn’t cause a scene because being a nurse, I understand it’s not their fault and I didn’t want to be “that patient”. But looking back now, I am so mad at myself that I didn’t demand to be transferred if there was not a private room available. My OB and all the providers there were indeed wonderful, and the ease of going to a local community hospital was huge. But the overall experience at Winchester was so atrocious that I still feel my heart rate go up when I think about it.

I'd be dead if not for Winchester Hospital so they're doing something right.

I had a stroke about a year and a half ago. Went to Melrose Wakefield. All the signs of a stroke (slurred speech, BP through the roof, disoriented) and I waited in the ER for 7 hours. (I know I should have called an ambulance but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.) Finally they admitted me. And I was in-patient for about 5 days. Didn’t tell me what was going on, nurses were rude and dismissive.

I don’t recommend it.

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General opinion seems to be Winchester > Melrose-Wakefield. Definitely for the ER.

I go to melrose Wakefield, had my daughter there. It’s not as good as the big ones in Boston, but I’ve never had a problem with them.

Ok if you are hung up on semantics - Winchester is not a NICU - it’s a level 2B special care nursery. There’s a difference. I work at a level 3 nicu and (after working my third 12 hour shift in a row) I was not thinking people would particularly care about the distinction between my working in a nicu and maternal child health field. I am well aware of the difference.

I work with neonatologists from Brigham, MGH, and BI and all of them were shocked to hear that I had to share a room postpartum. It is NOT the norm - for a reason. My point was that it is FAR from the norm to share a room when you are on mother/baby unit and it was a horrible experience.

Winchester may have a wonderful special care nursery - I wouldn’t know because thankfully my son did not require it. But the experience I had was atrocious.

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I was born at Melrose!