Has anyone had a private room in an NHS hospital after birth?

[cantthinkofaname2021]

Hello,

I have a c section provisionally booked for June but they might bring it forward slightly, I want to book a private room for until I can go home but can't book just yet until my date is confirmed
For anyone who has paid for a room, what was it like? Especially during covid, can you have people with you there longer than ina ward? After my last birth (vaginal) the experience on the ward after was horrible and I asked to leave early which luckily I could

@indiakulfi

All mothers have their own room at our local hospital, it's standard. I've never heard of being able to pay.

A lot of the newer hospitals/maternity units are all private rooms now

I was on a ward after a c section with first DD 5 years ago and I liked it - sense of camaraderie and shared experience with the other mums, the older mums helped the first time mums. But I chose my hospital carefully

Yes in 2002 and 2005, simply because they knew I was a nurse that worked for the trust! Cost me nothing and was great.

With both of my first two DC I was placed in a ‘side room’ As all beds were full - which the midwives told me was a treat (only now realising they were private rooms!) They were ensuite both with a bath which was wonderful, so that was my only experience of maternity wards which I didn’t truly appreciate it until I had My third DC and was just on the usual ward, flimsy curtain around you, when you manage to get your own baby down you can hear all the others crying etc, it’s so hot in there and you have no window it’s exhausting and felt like a chicken coup.

If you can afford it then it’s a no brainer

If you do get a private room then I highly recommend taking your own painkillers, it can be very hard to flag down a nurse to give them to you.

@rhowton

We opted for a private room for two nights for £125 per night with our second. We got it for free first time round as my MIL was a midwife. We didn't end up paying for our second either once they knew who we were, but we were prepared to pay.

Wow You should not get more because of who you know

@ConnieDobbs

If you do get a private room then I highly recommend taking your own painkillers, it can be very hard to flag down a nurse to give them to you.

Not a great idea, what if something happens and you can't tell them you've already taken pain relief and they give you more or something that will react to it

@ConnieDobbs

If you do get a private room then I highly recommend taking your own painkillers, it can be very hard to flag down a nurse to give them to you.

No, you should never take your own painkillers. They need to administer them so know exactly what you’ve had and when you’ve had it, and yes, that includes the basic paracetamol etc.

This is very dangerous advice.

Yes but only as my baby had been rushed as an emergency to another hospital. It’s hard being alone on the postnatal ward.

No, you should never take your own painkillers. They need to administer them so know exactly what you’ve had and when you’ve had it, and yes, that includes the basic paracetamol etc.

I think it depends on your hospital. I was given a packet of paracetamol and another of ibuprofen and told to take them as needed. This was whilst on the ward, during my admission, not to take home.

@emilyfrost at my hospital they tell you to bring your own paracetamol/ibuprofen as they no longer provide these...

[quote Ava50x]@emilyfrost at my hospital they tell you to bring your own paracetamol/ibuprofen as they no longer provide these...[/quote]
Wow really?

I was thinking of taking some anyway as last time it was very hard to get someone to help to give me pain relief (2019 so probably even harder now!)

Yes, both times with my babies. We are in Scotland and it is normal in the hospitals here, I think.

Yes I paid though

I had been on pre Labour ward for too many nights as induction wasn’t progressing and Labour ward was full.

After that it was nice to have own room for one night

I wasn't offered any painkillers after the birth (forceps with episiotomy), I was in agony and when I asked a nurse for some she said yes but never came back. I had to ask dp to bring some in. Without pain relief I couldn't sit down for long enough to try to breastfeed. Perhaps it isn't sensible advice, but I would still take my own if I was planning on having another baby.

Both times. Never paid for it.

First time it was offered, second time I asked.

I was in a private room with DS but our local hospital has no option to book or pay for them.

It meant DH could stay with me all night. He didn’t leave my side until he took us home.

Lots of people assumed this was because DH is a doctor at the hospital who works on labour ward occasionally so we got ‘special treatment’

It was actually because I had a MH birth plan in place and was high risk of psychosis following a very traumatic sexual assault in my teens. We knew birth would be triggering. It was.

I didn’t tell people that though, just let them think what they wanted

I had a private room after my birth 4 weeks ago as the baby went into scbu. The visiting rules were exactly the same as if I was in the ward.

Not all hospitals allow you to pay to reserve them. I was given a private room after C-section, again because my baby had to go to SCBU. I know everyone's experience will be different, but here's my overall thoughts.

Pros:

• more private good when still have catheter in or if struggling with breast feeding
• en-suite
• could open the window/have a fan on as hospitals very hot

Cons:

• didn't get more sleep as still noisy and interrupted by midwifes through night
• visitors could not stay longer than on ward
• I was end of corridor and couldn't walk the distance, especially if pushing baby as otherwise they would be completely unattended, to get food. I only got food bought to me once, whilst the catheter was still in. This meant I didn't have breakfast for several days as it was before visiting times.
• isolated, no support, no one about to see you struggling and offer help, have to use bell for everything and then feel/be treated like a burden

I don't know if it's better or worse, as never had experience being on a ward, so difficult to compare.

I was in a private side-room on postnatal after I gave birth in 2018 so can't comment on covid restrictions. I didn't have to pay, it was for medical need due to my mental health problems. It was agreed in advance with the perinatal mental health midwife and was in all my notes that I would be prioritised for a room and that DH was to be allowed to stay with me overnight in the room. I was warned though that if there were any women who had greater medical need obviously they would be prioritised so they couldn't guarantee 100% that there would be one available. I imaigne I would have self-discharged if there had not been any room available, my anxiety about hospital was severe and I can't imagine that I would have entertained staying alone, especially not on a ward. I had a traumatic birth via ventouse.

We were in the room approximately 24hrs and it was fine. There was a fold-out campbed for DH and our own ensuite bathroom. I could send DH out to the little kitchen thing to get us tea and coffee. Visiting hours were otherwise the same except for allowing him to stay overnight with me. It was peaceful, and I was attended to promptly when I pressed the buzzer for midwifery assistance on a couple of occasions to request pain relief and in the middle of the night I had one spend a long time with trying to feed as my DD wouldn't latch, so they had to help me hand-express. I was eager to go home and wouldn't have wanted to stay longer, but it was a good experience.

I'm pregnant again now and hoping that I have a more straightforward labour and delivery and no feeding issues as I really want to go straight home from MLU/delivery without admission to postnatal. I'm not due until autumn but I doubt visiting restrictions will be much different by then and DH can't really stay overnight with me anyway as we have DD and I'd feel cheeky to expect someone to look after her longer. I don't want to stay alone in hospital, I don't think it would be conducive to my mental health (perhaps not even safe at all to be honest, well I suppose a ward would be safer as they could see me but then I think that would be really bad for my mental health).

Not after birth because it was my DP who ended in a private room for a week with his asthma. It was a lot different to normal wards even down to the way they bring your food! Also I could stay there for however long I wanted. This was pre covid but there was no visiting times.

I paid £50 for a basic room at my nhs maternity ward to myself when I had DS. I was lucky as there weren't many births that day so one was free. I would have hated being in a ward as I'm a very private person and would have got quite anxious

You couldn't reserve them until you'd actually given birth it was first come first serve. I had no idea this was even a thing till a friend told me

Any mums who don't need a c section have you thought of just leaving straight after and going home?
With my first I stayed the night, she was in sbcu so not with me. The lady next to me had a baby is sbcu so had someone to talk to. Everyone else had their babies and tbh they were the loudest, the babies I didn't mind it was the load talking and phone calls at midnight. Also I found I was never offered food as I was down stairs With my baby so missed all food. So I decided the next day to discharge my self and stayed all day with my daughter then went home to bed which I hated doing but seemed pointless being on the ward.
Next 2 were great births and I went home after no wards at all which was lovely. I much preferred this to staying at hospital .

Nice idea in theory but in practice I had no choice but to stay in for IV antibiotics for us both and for monitoring. I had to argue to get out after two days as it was and it took forever.
It's not just c sections that require longer stays. I'm hoping Covid will help me out this time and I'll barely have chance to catch my breath before escaping!

@Skymum82

Any mums who don't need a c section have you thought of just leaving straight after and going home? With my first I stayed the night, she was in sbcu so not with me. The lady next to me had a baby is sbcu so had someone to talk to. Everyone else had their babies and tbh they were the loudest, the babies I didn't mind it was the load talking and phone calls at midnight. Also I found I was never offered food as I was down stairs With my baby so missed all food. So I decided the next day to discharge my self and stayed all day with my daughter then went home to bed which I hated doing but seemed pointless being on the ward. Next 2 were great births and I went home after no wards at all which was lovely. I much preferred this to staying at hospital .

It's not just women who have a CS who need to stay in. Some have to to receive antibiotics if they've been ill, have an underlying health condition that needs to be monitored (My BP went sky high with one of mine. I had had diamorphine and it was still through the roof. I had an epidural to try to lower my BP, it didn't work, I had to have two lots of labetalol to get it down and then had to stay in because the baby and I needed monitoring), have an infection, all sorts of reasons.