Would you book a private room after giving birth in hospital? And if so, would you be willing to fork out for the privilege of recovering and recuperating in peace and quiet?
If you live in parts of Greater Manchester, whether or not you'll bag a private room is something of a postcode lottery, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The paper reports:
While hospitals such as Oldham and Tameside offer a private room for free if one is available, other maternity hospitals are charging women as much as £100. Many mums who used a room after giving birth say they welcomed the extra privacy to bond with their babies, as well as the peace and quiet to get more rest.
It can't surely make any sense that one NHS hospital dishes out first dibs on private rooms free of charge while another charges an arm and a leg for one. And of course private rooms should presumably be given to new mums with a clinical need for one first.
I don't think a private room was an option except for clinical cases when I gave birth to any of my babies. I only stayed overnight at hospital once but I'd happily have parted with several hundred quid in order to be spared the misery of lying awake on a noisy ward all night, unable to summon the energy to reach my sleepless baby. That said, I don't think whether you get a private room or not should be a question of how much moolah you're prepared to part with.
But we'd love to hear your views on this story.
Did you have a private room after giving birth? Or would you happily pay for one, given the chance? Leave us a comment below or join the debate over on our Facebook page.
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