If you have a c section, do you automatically get your own room?

[DetectivePotato]

I may have to have a c section as I had a bad tear with DS. The thought of having to stay on a ward again fills me with terror. It was one of the worse experiences of my life and I would rather have been stitched up in theatre again that go through that. Luckily the midwives realised and gave me my own room the second night.

I was talking to my friends last night and one of them said that if you have a c section, you automatically get your own room. My other friend who had a c section said she stayed on the ward, and I am sure when I was up there the midwives said that they keep you on the ward at least for the 1st night as its easier for them to deal with (I don't know why tbh).

Has anyone else heard of this?

with second and third in a 4 bed ward with dd1 in my own but she was in intensive care and in heart failure so I was given my own room - but it was available - I was the priority in terms of own room BUT had none been available I have no doubt I would have been on the ward until one became available.

I ended up on a six-bed ward with mostly other CS mums. It was actually quite useful because I'd had an EMCS and hadn't really been prepared for the after-effects (midwives didn't say I could get pains from gas, for example - which hurt me more than anything else!) whereas we could talk amongst ourselves and reassure each other. The downside was getting no sleep whatsoever. Plus we were on the same floor as antenatal and because the labour rooms were busy, there were women giving birth up there with nothing to stop the sound coming over. I'd spend the previous night on antenatal already (induction) and must say the antenatal ward was worse because I hate the sounds of people in pain and it was full of women (inc. myself) groaning.

If there's a next time, I think I'd prefer a single room for sleep, but for ease of getting midwives and support, the wards are pretty good too. Really I'd rather have laboured in private. I only got into a private labour room for a few hours and was too exhausted by then to appreciate it.

Detective - I would discuss this with your midwife and get something written in your notes.

Also if you do go down the elective c-section route then certainly in my local hospital you have your pre-op appointment the day before where you could request this.

I've had 3 c-sections and for first was on ward for 3 nights. For the second I was moved to a private room on day 2 but DS2 was in NICU so think that gave me priority as I was doing lots of expressing and didn't have baby with me. With dc3 they literally chucked me out after 24 hours so was just on the ward for that first night.

Unfortunately in my experience its the post-natal care on the wards which is the worst bit of the whole experience so the quicker you can get home the better really.

"so the quicker you can get home the better really"

Yes, definately. If I could have a homebirth, I think I would. Not an option though sadly, even if I don't have a c section, I'm still high risk.

I've had two sections
1st one private room, not very peaceful, had an awful section and was woken all the time by the buzzer to the nurses station BUT thought it would be better than the ward.

2nd one, no private rooms, so ended up on a 4 bed ward. Lovely experience! Very nice other mums, very sunny, light room. Yes babies cried all night but I was so blinking exhausted that I dozed most of the time anyway, oh and the good quality morphine stuff helped too!

So strangely, I enjoyed the ward experience more but that was possibly down to the other ladies there. If they hadn't been so quiet and thoughtful it might have been another story...

Yes, the woman next to me was not quiet and thoughtful in the slightest. Being on the phone at 4-5 in the morning is not acceptable imho!!!

I had a choice - reserve a private room at £250 or £50 on the day but no guarantee that one would be available. This was the John Ratcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

I took the £250 option as I definitely wanted my own room....

not at my hospital