Private room Vs post natal ward

[Nesski]

Hello! I'm considering going into a private room if available on the day of delivery, and was wondering if anybody has any experience of both and is able to explain the differences? I'm not looking for the full private package, just the room!

I'm due 23rd June, which is 2 days after Bojo's all-restricting lifting so will assume that it will be like pre-covid. I'll be giving birth at St Thomas' in London and it seems more expensive than other suite only packages (£950 per night but others are less than £450) and wanted to know whether:

• you get better support especially at night time
• partner can stay with me overnight (not sure if allowed in post natal ward?)
• better food
• overall better service?

If I had the money I'd do it! I found the ward bloody awful - people were so disrespectful on their phones on loudspeaker to their entire family at 4 am etc. And you are disturbed every time anyone needs checking not just you!
I mean it's not for long and I got over it immediately but If I had money I'd spend it on a room this time! 🤣

I was on the post natal ward at st Thomas’ in October - if you can avoid it do. No experience of the private room but if I had the option next time I would take it. The midwives and staff on the ward kind and were clearly doing their best but they were massively overstretched and it took a very long time to get help which wasn’t ideal, particularly for first time mothers without a clue what they’re doing in pain and immobile from a difficult birth. You’re in a room with four mothers and their babies so it’s noisy all the time and you can’t get any privacy. I ended up discharging myself against advice just to get out of there.

I don’t want to scare you - nothing awful happened it just wasn’t the calm start to motherhood I was hoping for! Of course my DH was only allowed in for an hour a day so that made it much worse (he could at least have helped with the baby and got me drinks and food) and hopefully you won’t have to deal with that post-covid. One thing to bear in mind though is that private rooms were allocated in part based on need - none were available when I was there in let because others had got there first but also because a few mothers had covid and needed to be isolated.

Not sure about your hospital but at mine you pat £650 for the room. Everything else is the same, actually its worse as its much easier to forget about someone when they are shut away in a room.

Round here you don't get anything other than a room by yourself. That's it. It is a hell of a lot of money for just a room (you could get a very very nice hotel room in London for £950 a night!). If you have no other risks you may be out within 6 or so hours.

Best of luck with your baby.

I have no helpful advice but genuinely curious that you think things be back to pre-Covid arrangements on June 23rd? Just because Boris has said so in February?

I was in a private room at a different hospital in 2018 postnatally. They had vacant rooms and I was prioritised in advance due to mental health difficulties to enable my DH to stay overnight with me. It was a tiny room that just about squeezed a tiny camp bed in, my bed and the crib, with a tiny ensuite bathroom that had a shower cubicle. We were only there about 24hrs and DH could go to the communal kitchen to make us cups of tea etc. I don't think he got meals like I did (understandably!) but staff were welcoming. My postnatal experience was short but good, I had assistance with feeding in the middle of the night from a midwife and regular pain relief, no complaints. However obviously this was a different hospital and long before covid. I am hoping with no.2 just to be discharged home from delivery suite if DH won't be allowed to stay (due autumn 2021) as for mental health reasons I would really struggle to stay alone even in a private room tbh.

I had a private room for my second and ward for my first.

Private room - was nice to have walls, but that’s really all you’re paying for. I was a bit forgotten about, you can never flag anyone down in passing. You do have a buzzer but of course they’re running around and busy so its handy sometimes to just be able to keep your curtains open on the ward and call out to someone as they pass. Food was no different. Had own shower room which was nice. DH couldn’t stay as had to look after older child.

Ward - was fine. DH could stay (2015 so maybe it’s changed). VERY chatty lady in next booth on the phone ALL NIGHT and her husband’s chair kept pushing into our space. But we weren’t sleeping much anyway even if she had been considerate.

I’d probably choose ward again TBH as it was £450 for essentially just walls.

I also had 1 night in the high dependency room and that was awesome as you have a massive private room for free and a 1:1 midwife who comes instantly.... but obviously I wouldn’t recommend ending up in there!!

I've been private once and ward twice, and if the cost is fine for you, I'd go private, especially first time.

My first time on the ward was fine, it was only a few hours and went home early, so thought I'd so the same for my next, but with my last I had some issues and was there overnight and it was hideous, women having long animated phone conversations with family overseas, partners in and out, perpetually being woken by alarms and checks - but still really hard to get hold of anyone when you actually needed them. It's fine if you need, but found the personal space and even better a private bathroom (not sure if facilities at St Thomas) was so valuable.

I did exactly what you are proposing (gave birth on NHS at St Thomas abs then went into a private room post-natally). It was 100000000000% worth the money. We got a lovely private room and en-suite, DH slept on a camp bed with us, dedicated midwife who helped us to establish breast feeding and settle our baby so we could have a bit of sleep, and “free nappies”. Also delicious food. The staff were amazing and I still remember their names and how lovely and kind they were. I would definitely recommend it. I found the post-natal ward very tough (spent one night there and then went private when it turned out I had complications and needed to stay). Hope this is helpful and very best of luck with everything.

Thank you all for your insights!

@ScottishDiblet @BeccaE I've emailed the team who looks after the suites who have indicated that the care is indeed better, I'm just hoping that post 21st things would get better in terms of visiting hours and overnight stays, I really want the privacy and also extra support as I'm panicking around breast feeding and not being 'able to perform' as it's my first! My friend gave birth at St Thomas' in November and she said the overnight care she got was shocking and she would never give birth in the UK again! But I've had several friends from different hospitals confirm that care overnight in general is really limited due to budget cuts and overstretching of staff. Thank you both for responding!

The private rooms on offer at St Thomas' are those that are part of the private delivery suite so they are more like a hotel room with big double beds and luxurious facilities. The ordinary single occupancy hospital rooms are only available for those who have a clinical need and they do not allow women to pay for them (these are the rooms that many other hospitals charge about £100/night for)

In terms of whether its worth it - it is such an individual choice. If you are fortunate enough to need no interventions and give birth at their birth centre, you will have your own room, don't even need to set foot on a postnatal ward and can save your money. If you need interventions and want a calm space to recover, it will be much nicer than postnatal but is it worth the expense for you?

Spent 5 days in a private room, as DC was taken to neo for a couple of hours, so they moved me incase it was bad, but he was okay. Being alone was hell. Got discharged but readmitted soon after and I insisted on being in the ward. Just to listen to other people and not feel alone was so much better.

Maybe if you only stay over night it might be okay in your own room, but every day I was there I thought I'd be going home, so one night became five.

I paid £600 for a postnatal private room at Queen Charlotte's and in response to your points:
-yes
-yes
-yes
-yes.

Big double bed. Ensuite. Midwife took baby overnight and brought back for feeds. Posh food for both of us ordered off a nice menu, with wine. Lots of support. Midwife brought me paracetamol and ibuprofen for the afterpains every four hours. It was bliss.

I asked for a private room at Addenbrookes and paid about £300/night I think. Totally worth it. Had to leave after day 5 of a 7 day stay and the difference was stark. I was on the ward across from a woman who was loudly accusing her partner of cheating on her whilst she was in hospital and the situation was incredibly tense as it seemed like a toxic relationship already.

I had a private room with my first (discharged off the delivery suite with my second and had my third at home) but I'd pay for a private room every time. Wards suck. They're barbaric and archaic and who wants to share a bathroom? Yuk.

I'm not sure if it is the same thing but I was in a side room on the post natal ward from the second night onwards, I didn't have to pay but was given the room because my baby was in special care.

It was quieter than being on the main ward, which was a good thing, and it meant I had a bit of privacy to try to express milk. However I didn't have my own bathroom it was just a small room with a bed, and I was often forgotten by the nurses when delivering pain relief or food. I wouldn't have paid £100s per night for it!

I think you've hit the nail on the head @riddles26, exactly what I needed to hear! At the end of the day people are happy to pay to have an enjoyable honeymoon, calm, quiet with your own private everything, so I just replicate the same sort of thinking to the most exhausting and amazing experience of your life, that is you have literally pushing a melon out of your vajayjay.

It totally depends on how long you are there for. Here’s my experience:
Baby no. 1 - had 2 nights on a postnatal ward, didn’t sleep for 2 nights due to the noise. Already had been awake 2 nights during labour so was pretty bad.
Baby no. 2 - a few hours on the ward then went home. Somehow I slept this whole time as did my baby so private room wouldn’t have been worth it.
Baby no. 3- different hospital in a midwife led unit. Had about 6 hours in a private room with en suite (no cost) with double bed. Husband stayed with me and we could both order food. It was amazing and totally free.

Wow I had a private room on my midwife led unit and didn’t pay a penny!

We paid for a private room both times and most definitely worth it!
Ask for one as soon as you arrive as they're a first come first served basis. Well they were at my hospital.
We didn't get in one straight away, but within and hour or two of the baby arriving.
Cost about £90 for standard room or there were suites for much more, but they were taken.

I have birth at st Thomas’ last month and purchased the fully private package. I believe if you pay for the room you get the same facilities and aftercare as the private patients. I loved my stay there and would 100% recommend going for a private room if you can. The only downside was that my parent could only visit for a few hours a day but that’s due to Covid.

I'll probably request one on the day of arrival but it also depends on when I have delivered, i.e. if I deliver at 5am it might not be worth it to just be in the room until 5pm...

Absolutely go for it if you can.

I hated hated hated the PN wards. I booked one in advance for Dc3 (elective section so knew the date). Turns out I didn't actually need it as the hospital had a specialised ward for ELCS recovery which was worlds apart from the PN ward.

Diff hosp, private room. It's literally just the room, with own toilet facilities and DH can stay the night.

Food and care was the same.

Just to add, I would still do it again as the ward was loud.