Private Rooms at Winthrop Hospital

Hi, I had my son at winthrop in May. I had a c-section and was given a private room. I think you can request a private room but I do believe that the preference goes to those who have had c-sections. I believe it is also an extra expense for a private room. It is totally worth it though!!! Good luck.

It depends on the hospital, but it is usually about an extra $100 per night.

Sorry you had such a nightmare. My hospital was fabulous and always does their best to give new moms a room to themselves. And if they can't, they'll happily accomodate any changes. Do you really have to go back to that one? There are such great hospitals out there.

Good luck. -N.

Stony Brook has a beautiful new postpartum unit with private rooms and spa-like bathrooms at no additional costs! You can have the baby with you most of the time-just leaves for initial bath and when pediatrician rounds.

oooooooooooooo-i understand your problem.i dont know about the insurance thing ,you'd have to call but i know it will depend how busy the hospital is when u deliver.you could ask for a private room but not if they are packed.i had a private room at plainview hospital(r u talking wintrop in mineola)I couldnt imagine having to share a room especially a bathroom with all the contamination.
Just ask and be prepared so you wont be dissapointed.best of luck to you and congrats!

I did not go to Winthrop, but I did have a private room with both of my children at LIJ and a number of my friends had private rooms at various different hospitals. In all cases there was an extra charge for private--it is very unlikely that insurance will cover this unless your doctor deems it necessary. At LIJ it was approximately $500 for every night. I will tell you that it is well worth the money if it is affordable for you. Being able to be on your own schedule and having that level of private time was wonderful! Best of luck!

I gave birth at LIJ and the the birth itself went as well as could be expected (i had a c-section after pushing did not get my son out) I had excellent care from the doctors and nurses but my roomate was terrible too. I know exactly how you feel!! We had such a similar experience in that aspect! But they cleaned the bathrooms 2 or 3 times a day so it was never that bad.
I know that there are private rooms available there and next time I'm definitely going for the private room. I think you have to pay extra because insurance does not cover it. The price depends on what kind of insurance you have. I think with my insurance it was going to cost about $200-300. Well worth it to me.
I have heard some nightmare stories about people who gave birth at Winthrop. I think LIJ has a better track record so if I were you i would look into LIJ or North Shore (JLo had her twins there and rented out an entire floor). LIJ is also building brand new birthing suites which are supposed to be really nice. They may even be done by now. I would check into it.
If your doctor does not deliver there my OB group was soooo good! The Women's Health Pavilion- Saad, Scarantino and Manna. They have several locations too. Here is their site:
http://www.ilovemygyn.com/index.htm

As far as breastfeeding, request a lactation consultant to come to your room ASAP after the baby is born. It's important to start breastfeeding the baby within the first hour after birth to help them learn easily. You also have to tell the doctors and nurses while you are in labor and again right after the birth that they are NOT to feed your baby a bottle. This is what caused me so many breastfeeding problems in the beginning for me. But now my son is almost a year old and we are still going strong, so even if the baby doesn't take to it right away, as long as you are committed, you will be able to do it.
Buy The Breastfeeding Book by Dr. Sears now and read it before you give birth. It helps so much! Also go to http://www.kellymom.com for tips on breastfeeding and other baby advice.
I even had a lactation consultant come to my house after my son was born because we were having problems. Her name was Theresa O'Donnell. I don't have her phone number on me at the moment. She charged I think $150 and she stayed for a few hours and was so reassuring and helpful. Most insurances will at least pay a portion of the cost of a lactation consultant so that's something to look into also.

I'm reading all these posts saying they have never heard of sharing rooms- that's because they don't live in the NYC area where there are too many people and not enough money for hospitals to expand to meet the needs of the population. Although it may be the standard in richer or less populated areas like CT, not everyone lives in an area where this is available or feasible and where you are allowed to do depends on where your OB is affiliated. (OK, off my soapbox now).
Anyway, good luck with everything and I hope you are able to get the birth and hospital experience that you wanted the first time. If you have any questions send me a message.

Hi! Congrats on your second baby. I did not have a private room. I do know that can cost between $75- $100 per night. And insurance does not cover it. WIth both my babies, I breast fed. With my first baby, I basically had him room with me. Which of course, meant no rest for me. With my second baby, I had the nurse bring her to me to be nursed. I requested that she not be given supplemental bottles, I wanted to nurse her exclusively. It worked out really well. And don't feel guilty if you don't have your newborn with you 24 hours a day!! As you well know, you'll be with your baby 24 hours when you bring him home from the hospital!! Good luck!

I am unsure as to where you live. However, Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville has a new state of the art maternity facility. There are ONLY single rooms and you may have the baby with you as long as you wish. If the pediatrician comes in, that may be the only time the baby must go to the nursery for examination. Also of course if the baby needs special attention.
I gave birth there in 2004 and wil be again this year.
Hope you find what you are looking for and hopefully this may help you.
Good Luck
M.

I am so sorry you had such a horrible experience!! I loved being at the hospital after having my son. I did have a private room and no it did not cost any extra. I had my baby with me most of the time but honestly, it was really nice to have the nurses watch him during the evening so I could rest. I did have a scheduled c-section so that was one of the reasons I had a private room. But if you are having a regular delivery, let the hospital know in advance that you wish you have a private room, if available. Tell them what happened. Often, they will be as accomodating as possible. Check with your insurance company in advance as well and make sure they wont stick you with a bill. Good luck breastfeeding, it is such a wonderful gift.

I know what it's like having a room mates during hospital stays that are so inconsiderate and some just can't help it as they are very sick. My last hospital stay I got suck with a women I shared a room with once before...she suffers with some rear disorder...so it meant no sun light, no over head lights, no t.v. no phone ringing, no radio and the door to the room had to be closed and her crying out in pain was on going. My heart went out to her the first time and boy did she keep me busy when in fact, I really needed to rest.. Anyway, I get depressed if I don't have sun light or some sort of light and knew it meant that I'd be the one cleaning the bathroom after her, .....so, I ended up getting me check out of the hospital earlier then what was needed because of her as I didn't want to hurt her feelings in getting me moved to another room....with home nursing, I finally recovered.

Talk to your doctor about getting you into a private room....also follow up and call the hospital to find out the availability of private rooms and their rules...let them know what your needs are and why and then call your insurance company and see what they ar willing to cover...they are all best in answering your questions and making this possible for you...

Congrats on your pregnancy! This may not be relevant since you're pretty far from me, but I gave birth at Newton Memorial Hospital in Newton NJ and everyone there gets a private room. In fact, you get a room when you come in, you give birth in that room (every room is equipped top of the line), you stay in that room until you leave the hospital and the baby stays with you 24 hrs a day unless you want the nurse to take it at night after you breatsfeed so you can get an hour or two of sleep. That's what I did sometimes. They'd change the diaper etc and then bring the baby back for breastfeeding again. The security is top notch also, and service is awesome. I had a great doctor, Dr. Sherman, he's in Newton ###-###-####. Oh, you end up changing a room into a different one if you have a c-section. After the c-section, you go into a smaller room than the room you originally get (since no need for all the equipment). Your family can stay with you over night in a pull out chair/bed. Good luck. Oh, and the cost was the same since there are no shared rooms at Newton. If you ask for a private room at Winthrop, it might me that you'll have to pay the difference in cost. I don't knwo.

I had a private room at Greenwich Hospital. I was going to have a home birth but baby turned breeched at the last week and we went to that hospital because the only doc that would do a late aversion was there. Not only was my baby breech when he saw him he was also descending down my pelvis. All rooms are private and the insurance had to pay for it because that is what I got. I hated not being about to do the home birth and to give birth vaginally but that hospital was not a hospital but a resort and we had the baby room in the entire time.

Lactation consultants and nurses were there 24/7 to introduce me to breastfeeding. The baby is almost 7 months and I am still breastfeeding not as much because he has solids too.

Good Luck!

Hi S.,

Congrats on your second baby. I delivered at Winthrop in October and I shared a room as there were no private rooms available until my 3rd day. There is an additional cost of $200/day for the private room but I lucked out -- my roommates were great and I was rather considerate of my neighbors too. Good Luck!

Oh wow...I would research your options. I've not HEARD of sharing recovery rooms in nearly thirty years! My baby was born in Danbury Hospital, and it was an awesome experience.

I did the private room thing with my first and was discouraged with my subsequent 3 - mainly by my OB! He said that you are constantly bugged by drs./nurses anyway so save the money and put it toward babysitting, a night away with your hubby, etc. I "roomed in" and nursed all my kids and because of that, you really aren't sleeping much anyway! As far as concentrating on the nursing, pull the curtain and nurse all day long! Or for that matter, don't pull the curtain and just go for it. I found that in the hospital especially, nothing is off limits and you are the patient - if my roommate's husband or visitors saw me nursing - well so be it! I say save the money (it is around $500 a night - and the food still stinks!)...

Hello S.,
so sorry to hear what you had to go trough with the first baby, hope that the second time around will be a better experience.
I had a privet room and they even let my husband sleep over the first night there (I live in NJ). I didn't have to pay anything extra and at that time I had Aetna Insurance, so I would call your insurance and ask them.
Private rooms are sooooo worthy, you will get home happy and rested and ready to start the life with your new addition. I stayed there 3 days and it felt more like a hotel room then a hospital. My baby was with me all the time (nurses were happy with that one), I watched movies most of the time (I brought some from home)and I took couple of seminars that they offered at the hospital. The only thing I wasn't so trilled about was the food :) (not that great vegetarian selection :(
Hope you get the privet room this time (maybe you should consider looking at a different hospital....it looks like that the one you went before is not very caring)
Good luck with everything.....

Call the hospital. At Mt. Sinai we paid about $500/night. I know people are surprised to hear about sharing rooms but in NYC there are space issues......

Oh My Gosh, Giving birth is stressful enough, you shouldn't have to share a room with a complete stranger. Its supposed to be a private time between family. I've never had to share a room and neither has any of my friends or family members. I don't know what to say to you, except I would look further into this and maybe take it to the hospital board and your insurance company, and fight this. Maybe start a petition in your area with other local moms.
Its inconsiderate to make two mom who just gave birth share a room with a baby who is up at all hours nursing.
Good Luck and let me know the outcome

I had my children in Texas, but at our hospital you could request a private room, and as long as they had the space you would get it. There was an additional charge, but I think it was only $30/day or so, which was WELL worth it.

I had a terrible roommate with my first too. Ended up in a maternity ward room with 7 other people the second time (but only stayed 12 hrs before going home), and a private room which I didn't have to pay for with my twins. Who you are with definately helps or hinders your recovery in the hospital.

Did you do any research on the facility? I did a quick google search and came up with this. http://www.winthrop.org/departments/institutes/family/

It looks like they have a room for labor, delivery, and recovery so you are kept in one room the entire time. The offier an orientation program.

ORIENTATION PROGRAM: "WELCOME TO WINTHROP" -
(One 1-1/2 hour class)
This program acquaints expectant parents with FAMILY CENTERED CARE and the Hospital facilities. A slide presentation and question and answer session provide necessary information about the admission process, labor and delivery, the Maternity (mother/baby) Unit, visiting hours, parenting classes and discharge.
For more information call:
Women's Health Services
at Winthrop-University Hospital
1-888-53-WOMEN
or
Winthrop's
Department of Parent Education
###-###-####

Hi S.
Congrats on your family.
Best wishes for a healthy new baby.
As for your question, can't really help because that is just the way it was done when I had the twins, once you were off meds. Since I delivered them C-section, there was about 24 hours of meds, but then I had them 24/7 til I went home. Talk to the billing office, and maternity staff, they should be able to help you.

Sorry for the experience. Be thankful you were well enough to notice. Be thankful your little one was well enough that you cared.

God bless you
K. SAHM married 38 years --- adult children 37, 32 and the twins are 18 and starting 2nd semester at college after homeschooling. One is a journalism major with a 3.8 GPA, the other a fine arts major with a 3.7 GPA.

I don't know even where Winthrop Hospital is but the hospital where I gave birth to both children only has private rooms. Insurance overs it because that is all that is available but check with your insurance company. Rooming alone allowed me to breastfeed in private, sleep, eat and spend time with family and friends alone. Also not sharing a bathroom just after giving birth is a HUGE PLUS! Not to be gross but "mess happens" right after delivery and as clean as a person tried to be there can be mess left behind. If possible I HIGHLY recommend a private room. Just bonding with baby is easier if there are not strangers around and family and friends you can always be gently send home if it gets too much. Congrarulations!!! A.

well this is my first I will be delivering at winthrop universty hospital for the first time. I just had a tour with them to so us the delivery area they said insurance does cover for a private room. But if you want one let your Dr. Know ahead of time I think. Private roombis like $225.00 or something. You can always ask your Dr. Or give them a call they will be glad to answer your question concerning this matter. congrats and many more blessing

Just call the hospital, here in NY they are both private. Birth room and recovery, never had a problem there. Call ahead and make sure or go on a hospital tour. Good luck.

Hi S.,
I had my daughter at Winthrop 2 years ago and I requested a private room as soon as I got there but they were all taken until my 2nd day there. I wanted a private room b/c the only way you can do 24hr. rooming in at Winthrop is if you have a private room and even then they were a little hesitant to have me keep the baby in the room with me. They used to have limited visiting hrs. there (2-4 for grandparents and siblings and 6-8 for general) and the baby wasn't allowed to be in the room with you during general visiting hrs. whether you were in a pvt. room or not. Since I was there they have changed visiting hrs. (I think now it's from 1-8) and the baby can be there the whole time. I think the cost of the room for me was around $200 but you should give them a call and they'll tell you that. Insurance doesn't cover it but if you can afford it, it's definitely worth it (especially after the nightmare that you had last time). Good Luck!!
E.

I never had a private room, but if I had to do it all over again, I definitely would. Call up your medical insurance company and find out with your specific medical plan what the coverage is. The insurance company can be tricky...if they say they pay 80% of the room charge, they could mean 80% of the insurance company's fees, not 80% of what the hospital is charging. The insurance company might want want a code or the specific amount charged for the private room. You will then have to speak to someone at Winthrop to get the information and then call the insurance company back. In other words, you're going to have to make a few phone calls, but in the end, the peace of mind for you is all worth it. Just a quick aside...when you come home with the newborn, I was told that you need to have your arms empty (Dad carries in the newborn)so that you can give your older one a big hug and hold him/her while introducing the newest member of the family. (Even if your oldest came to the hospital). Good luck.

If a hospital has both private and shared rooms, and you request a private room, insurance will only pay for the amount of the shared room and you will have to pay the difference. The only time you will not have to pay for the private room is if there are no shared rooms available and a private room is the only thing left.

I have no advice, I had heard this was true about Jersey, but I have lived in multiple places in the US as a NICU nurse and in my experiences and having my kids, private rooms are a standard for your birth and post partum, I was shocked to hear you had to share a room with someone after giving birth, that is so outdated! I just wanted to let you know I was just so surprised that this was a norm here. I would highly recommend getting a private room, my husband and baby was with me practically the entire time! I enjoyed my shower and bathroom all to myself, I would pay extra to have that! Good luck