On a recent trip to visit a friend in the hospital after she had her baby, I noticed that her room had a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. I had a TV in my hospital room, but it wasn’t that nice! I began to wonder what kind of accommodations might be available at the hospitals in larger, wealthier cities. As I started looking at different birthing centers and hospitals in cities like New York City, I realized my hunch was spot on. Some centers offer amenities like concierge service, leather couches, wooden floors, spa tubs and giant flat screen TVs. These extras are not usually covered by typical insurance policies, however, so they are usually reserved for those who can afford to pay out of pocket. The prices for these rooms are comparable to upscale hotels. It’s no wonder celebrities check into these facilities weeks before their due date.
Extras like leather couches and concierge service seem a little frivolous. I look back on my hospital experience and I just don’t think I would have had the chance to enjoy them. I was so focused on my new baby and recovery. If anyone would have benefited from luxury accommodations, it would have been my husband, who ended up driving back to our house nearby because he couldn’t sleep on the stiff hide-a-bed chair in my room. The one thing the hospital offered that my husband still talks about were the $1 cappuccinos from the hallway machine. I don’t think he would have blinked twice if a concierge walked into the room, unless he was delivering a couple of those cappuccinos.
If I could build my ideal mother & baby room at the hospital, I would include remote control blinds to darken the room without getting out of bed when I want to sleep, a laptop with wi-fi to e-mail my family pictures of the new baby, a comfortable extra bed so my husband can actually sleep in the room with me, and plenty of extra chairs for guests.
What would you put in your ideal hospital room?