5-Star Maternity Suites

Are they worth the splurge? Young Parents checks out the best rooms that money can buy.

It may be another five months before her first child is due, but Pauline Yee knows exactly the birthing experience she wants, including her choice of pain relief (“None, I hope!”) right down to the maternity room.

She has set her eyes on the luxury suite at Mount Alvernia Hospital, even though it costs almost twice as much as a single-bed room.

“It’s very much like hotel accommodation,” the 31-year-old accounts manager quips. “More importantly, my hubby thinks it’s worth the splurge. It’s his way of thanking me for the nine months of ‘hard work’.”

Indeed, the maternity wards at some hospitals are looking more and more like upscale resorts and hotels to woo new parents. After delivery, a mother typically stays in the hospital for three to four days.

The suites at Thomson Medical Centre, for instance, are equipped with creature comforts like a flat-screen TV – complete with cable channels – wireless Internet access and mini fridge. Upping the style factor are elegantly coordinated bedding and recessed lighting.

Gleneagles Hospital is the latest to give its maternity ward a face-lift. Completed in December last year, the contemporary rooms have vinyl flooring that looks like wood.

The hospitals don’t offer special gourmet meals, however – new mothers still choose from the same confinement menus as mums in normal rooms.

Mount Alvernia Hospital’s corporate development director, Han May Ching, tells YP that the response for its suite has been very positive since it was launched in November 2007 and “is usually taken up quickly”.

“As people become more affluent, expectations and the demand for rooms which offer more comfort and privacy have grown. Increases in the Medisave withdrawal limit in recent years have also made the suite more affordable,” she adds.

What this means is mums who go for natural delivery can claim up to $2,100 for daily hospital charges and delivery procedure. Those who have a C-section are entitled up to $3,950, according to the Ministry of Health.

For mum-to-be Pauline, having a suite also meant her hubby can sleep over comfortably and there will be space for their visiting relatives and friends.

But unlike a hotel, hospitals can’t guarantee that the desired room will be available when mothers check in.

“I’m told the suite is filled on a first come, first served basis, so I can only hope I’ll be lucky when the time comes,” Pauline laughs.

Young Parents checks out the top of the line maternity rooms at three hospitals. Read the February 2010 issue of Young Parents for the full story.