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

I realise that I had to with my first as she was very unwell. However personally if I had a healthy pregnancy I wouldn't not be worrying two much of booking a room but hoping to get out. Maybe as a back up plan. You don't need to stay in hospital after having a baby. Clearly if your having a c section you know you will. However somethings we have no idea about it's nice being prepared. However I was just putting across having your own private room isn't your only option.
I actually ended up being poorly after my first and needed really strong antiobiotocs I could of been put on Ivs on the ward (when you have a scbu baby although your discharged you can still go back and they deal with your care). But I personally try and do every thing to stay out. Clearly you can't always. However it's nice to also hope for the best that you could be home the same day. I'm not sure the percentages of something going to wrong to everything going right but I assume a birth where your not sick after or the baby out weighs births where you have to stay in.

Depends where in the country you are I suppose. SW Scotland here and all 4 trips to give birth had me my own room. Now that hospital has been closed and a new one built, it's still private rooms with en-suite bathrooms. And it's a very big, very busy hospital but shared wards have pretty much been done away with.

If you have a straightforward birth then you probably won't spend long on postnatal, the midwives are pretty keen to discharge anyone who doesn't medically need to be there as space is so limited. It actually seemed like a grave injustice to me that the women who had straightforward births got to go home whereas those who had already had a difficult time then had to go through postnatal ward hell.

The other reason to stay in would be if your baby is in special care and you want to breastfeed, then you pretty much need to stay in the hospital to do all of the night feeds.

Here in Bucks you can request a room, but no pre bookings as medical needs would take it over a preference.
I was told by a nurse friend that private rooms can get a bit “forgotten”/don’t get the usual visits from nurses/midwives etc to help as they are tucked away.
When I gave birth to my daughter, I was allowed to stay in the birthing suite from delivery at 11.45 til 7pm at night as it was quiet. So I was only on the ward overnight - it wasn’t too traumatic really. (Or I had other things to think about! 🤣🤣)

I didn't pay but I got a private room. We had twins.

Our local hospital has a private room for every patient!

I had a private room after my second child. I was originally put on ward but it was awful, particularly as the women next to me had about 6 visitors including some kids that kept playing with the curtains. I asked to be discharged as I wanted to get home to eldest and couldn’t rest there. The midwives very kindly gave me a private room so I could rest overnight. If I was ever to have another baby, I’d pay in advance for a private room. It made such a difference, our hospital also normally allows partners to stay the whole time so it does get loud and crowded on the wards

@dottiedaisee

Our local hospital has a private room for every patient!

Ours is the same. I don't think there's a shared ward anywhere in our new hospital and the old one had private maternity suites no matter what. I must be naive because I didn't actually think mums and babies were in wards anymore. I can't imagine trying to see to a screaming newborn at 2am or to breastfeed for the first time with a whole bunch of other people hanging around separated by just a curtain.