Private or shared room?

[Beany]

I got a call recently from some woman at the hospital that I am going to asking whether I wanted a private room or a shared room after the delivery. The price difference between the two is pretty significant - $140 extra per day for a private room.

I know this isn't the time to be scrimping and saving. I also know that if there's one time I'll need a little self-indulgence, it'll be immediately after pushing a watermelon out of an orifice that was poorly designed for such a task. But the money is niggling at me ... $420 could buy an awful lot of nappies. And chocolate.

So what did you ladies decide to do? For those that have already dropped their bundles of poo (... er ... I mean joy), what did you go with? What was your experience in the shared facilities? Did you find it comfortable? Could you sleep? What about private roomers? Was it worth the extra expense?

This baby-making business is going to send me mad. And broke.

[misskittyfantastico]

I had a private room and that was hard enough....couldn't imagine having to share - I don't know how you'd get any sleep.

[nemosmum]

I went public ( I had a great experience ) but re: the shared room I wouldnt do that again I shared with 4 other mums and it was really really hard to get any rest at all!!!

MY bub was in the special care nursery for the first two days so I found it hard to see other mums and bubs together etc plus I couldnt get any sleep/rest coz their bubs were crying all the time (as newbies do lol:D )

When my bub was finally allowed to stay with me in the room he couldnt get any rest either and was always being disturbed by others crying (My angel didnt make a sound....until I took him home that is :eek: :D )

I would spend the extra $$$ besides you may not stay in hospital more than a couple of nights so it may be cheaper, plus I hated sharing a shower/toilet it was horrible and I was released early after 2.5 days coz I was going crazy in there!!!

[littlepickle]

It doesnt cost extra for a private room where I am going but I think it depends what is available as to what you get

[drewid]

If you're staying for a few days, private is the way to go IMO. Sleep is so important in those few days and its hard enough contending with your own visitors and newborn babe, let alone dealing with a complete strangers visitors and newborn babe!

Privacy is a biggie to me....and the silence was golden when Andrew slept....I could really relax and even if I was too pepped to sleep, at least I could rest in peace and watch a bit of telly etc. I'd hate to have to defer to someone else when I was feeling so utterly exhausted.

The extra expense wasn't an issue, as we went private, but I'd willingly pay it if I could afford it and wasn't privately insured. Having a private bathroom - oh so lovely. Its hard enough without having someone else banging on the door waiting for their turn, you know? lol

Tis up to you, but there you go...my two cents worth :)

[Maxs_MumMy]

I went private room as well in private hospital...It cost me no extra on my insurance so i grabbed it....:thumbsup:

I to like Privacy and really didn't want to deal with another baby crying...JMO...one is enough..

[meme]

it probably depends on what you would prefer.
what i mean is, with my first baby i actually really liked sharing a room because i got to meet other mums and i wanted to show off my baby and be social.:rolleyes:
i didn't find i couldn't sleep because of sharing. i just couldn't sleep because i was always feeding or checking that my baby was still breathing!lol. i actually ended up staying nine days so i could get breastfeeding right before i went home.


by the time i had my third baby however i would happily have had a private room. i just wanted a rest and a sleep. not to mention that my baby neva stopped screaming and i felt bad about the other mums i was sharing with. but i was also confident enough to go home as soon as possible. i went home on day 2.

[Funkychicken]

I've had three public hosp births (two using the birthing centres) and for all three I had a room to myself. The first time the labour ward rooms were only a maximum of two and I shared with another lady for one day and then I was on my own. The two different birthing centres I used only have private rooms. Birthing centre rooms are a little bit like a motel room. Big bed, ensuite etc....
Great experiences that were all public.:thumbsup:

[aardvark]

I had a shared romm when I had DD#1.

The person I was sharing with had up to 40 visitors per day. I could not cope with her visitors, and went home earlier than I probably should have.

Nothing would make me share a room again if I could avoid it.

[reAllytee]

Id go for it if your going private but if your going private in a public hospital please remember that if that room is needed for an emergency or the likes you will go into a shared room & will still have paid that money for nothing so really make sure you will get a private room no matter what.
I too had to share with 3 other women & it was hell so i left after 2 days even though i shouldnt have but i couldnt stand another moment. I shouldve been a mum who shouldve gotten either a private room or at the very least twin share but the ward was so over run that they had no choice & kept apologising, thats life though especially as i knew this could happen going public. So as i said if you can do it then go for it !

[MonkeyMum05]

I shared a room with two other women... one of which had a very loud voice!
She hadn't just had a baby, but was sick whilst pregnant... she had her boyfriend and son in there and was constantly yelling at them... and if it wasn't at them, it was down the phone... day AND night!
Being in hospital drove me bonkas (or maybe I already was?)... I missed out on about 2 days sleep due to my long labour... and then couldn't catch up whilst in there (hospital)... or when I got home... and am still deprived!

I think the private room would be well worth the money and the sanity it could possibly maintain!

[MariaO]

I shared a room for part of my hospital stay. The worst part of it was when Aoife was crying, crying, crying (starving - attachment problems- i did not realise that till later) I felt awful disrupting the other ladies sleep. I would get a private room if I were you.

[Spewiesmum]

I went public but was lucky enough to nab a private room. Unfortunately it was behind the nurse's station so there was a light on all night. Plus I had visitors constantly (and the hospital had ridiculous visiting hours as well).

However, I wouldn't have coped sharing and would have fled early if this had been the case.

[bronny-jane]

i went public both times and got a private room both times:D , its so good :smiliedance:

[Seekrit]

it'll be immediately after pushing a watermelon out of an orifice that was poorly designed for such a task.
I'm just loving this phrase.

[*butterflykisses*]

i went public with all of mine and i had one other person in the room with me

sometimes i had trouble sleeping but i always do no matter what (i hate hospitals)

on the otherhand it was nice to meet another new mum and a few actually helped me out one night when i couldnt get up quick enough (just after i had my c/s) when my baby was choking and i knew the nurse wasnt going to run to us she jumped out of bed and got him up,so Im so glad i had her there

it does all depend on what you want though

[jessgray]

i shared a room with one other lady when i had my son she came in the following night. so i had a room to myself for a whole night. she didnt bother me or anything.
i didnt mind sharing a room.coz i spent more time visiting cody in SCN and DP in his ward after his op lol so i was never really in my room.

[~beckkles~]

I have always been in private hospitals that only have private rooms.
At least when you have bleeding or need to pump or just want to look at your baby without someone watching on you can.
My girlfriend was scared to leave her bub in a shared room as the other womens family would come in and goo and gar over hers. It made it difficult esp just quick trips to the loo would require taking bubs. Discharge at public hospitals are quicker than private for this reason..people feel more comfortable at home.
I good $400 spent I say, especially hoofing your boobies out in front of other women BUT they have visitors too and some are alittle intruding.
Bec

[Beany]

Thank you for all the responses :)

I'm surprised that the shared rooms don't have some sort of dividing curtains - not that floral printed cloth would do any good against a newborn set of lungs but it would ease they boob-whipping-out process.

I think I might well go with the majority here and pay the extra for a room of my own. Virginia Woolf would be proud :D

[suemp]

where i was did have dividing curtains which is good when breast feeding. i had a shared room of 4 beds however there was only 2 of us . one thing though i had a c/s and afterwards you aren' t wearing pants just a pad between your legs (sorry about this) when it was time to get up and use the bathroom with the nurses aid i left a trail of blood along the floor. luckily there was no one in the room at the time but can you imagine if it was full of visitors:(

[aardvark]

Dividing curtains do not give any protection from the noise associated with the other inmates visitors, their baby, or them!

I found that I could not even have a frank conversation with my husband while I was in hospital.

On top of that, the nurses got us mixed up, and told me that my father (a violent alcoholic, who used to abuse me, and who I do not speak to) was there to visit me. I told the nurse to send him away. It turned out to be the other woman's FIL who had driven for 4 hours to see his first grandchild, and he was sent home, meanwhile I spiraled into a bad case of PND, and I am sure that was one of the triggering factors.

Shared rooms are for the birds.

[CJJHRA]

my first son I shared a room with up to 3 others, but it was a fairly decent sized big rom, but after 2 days they all left and I was bascially by myself for 4 days (stayed in 7 days with first.


2nd son, different hospital, shared with 2 to a room, lady left next morning, I was by myself for a day/night, next day lady came in, I went home.

The rest I had private rooms, I never aksed, they just gave one to me (all in public hospitals)

[chellegoth]

Definately go for the private room if you can. You might end up get stuck with a roomie that sleeps like a log and snores like a chainsaw! With my curtain round the bed room, i didn't see the light of day for 4 days and by the end i couldn't tell which way was up!

[Tam-I-Am]

Definately go for the private room if you can. You might end up get stuck with a roomie that sleeps like a log and snores like a chainsaw! With my curtain round the bed room, i didn't see the light of day for 4 days and by the end i couldn't tell which way was up!

Totally agree. Plus, on the first night (I gave birth at 4:53pm, so we're talking 5 hours later), when Iwas trying to get to sleep, the woman in the next bed was on the phone to her husband. They were watching the same TV show and discussing the p!ss-up they were having on the weekend. Very frustrating. Go private if you can. I regret not being able to make that choice!

[browniebear]

I have been extremely lucky in that my public hospital is just like a private hospital because it is small. So for all three I had a private room and bathroom. I think it would be money well spent to have the privacy you need to have after a baby.

[natasha]

I went to a public hospital and shared a room with one other woman. We had a curtain dividing us.
It really wasn't very nice though. Everytime i would get DD to sleep, the womans baby kept waking up and screaming. Plus she had real problems settling him and couldn't BF properly (poor woman). I ended up asking her if she wanted me to try and get him off to sleep in my arms!!! (i know that may have been awfully rude, but i was doped up on drugs -c section, and really needed my sleep). She didn't understand me as she spoke little english. She though i was trying to take her baby away!!!!:eek:

Anyway, by 3rd night I was so sleep deprived, Id have paid anything for my own room!!!!
SO I SAY PAY EXTRA!! ITS SO WORTH IT!!!;)