No luxury in this delivery

Delivering in style is no longer a trend, thanks to the recession.

Swanky birthing suites, wafting with soft music and the mouth-watering aroma of continental food, do not feature on the preference list of would-be parents, specially working professionals. The demand for birthing suits has seen a decline by approximately 20 per cent. Most young couples now prefer the ordinary deluxe hospital suites," say city hospital authorities.

With the arrival of a baby, more couples have chosen to concentrate on saving money. And staying in a normal hospital suite means a straight saving of anything between Rs15,000 to Rs30,000.

Meet Ashriya Patel, an unemployed software professional who is five months pregnant. “Earlier, I was keen on the birthing suite packages available at New Apollo. But now, I have decided on a normal suite. The facilities available in the birthing suite are expensive. The hospital has some very interesting maternity packages for normal suites too," she says.

A prime reason for Patel's preference of the birthing suite was her insistence that her husband be around the whole day. "Now, since we have shifted to Bannerghatta Road, he can spend most of the time with me," she adds.

"We get clients mainly from the corporate sector. This has lead to the recession taking its toll on the demand for birthing suites," says Dr Beena Jeysingh, gynaecologist, New Apollo Hospital. The number of people demanding birthing suites was always less as compared to other maternity packages in hospitals. According to hospital sources, the economic crisis has only resulted in the number hitting an all-time low.

Not many Caesarian cases opt for birthing suites as they are allotted a private room anyway. For those who want a suite, the cost amounts to Rs80,000, says Dr Beena.
"Approximately 20 per cent couples opt for a birthing suite delivery. Most of them are software professionals," Dr Praveena Shenoy, a gynaecologist from Manipal Hospital, says. The hospital is yet to experience a slump in demand for its birthing suites.

The hospital's four-day package costs Rs70,000. It provides a room exclusively for the mother, where she can deliver the baby and stay during her post-delivery period. Family members are allowed to stay with them.

Perks include a choice of diet for the new mother. Shrija Saha, 31, a software engineer, is pregnant for the second time. During her first delivery, three years ago, she had opted for the birthing suite package at Manipal Hospital. "This time, however, I have chosen a normal deluxe suite. It will help me save around Rs20,000. The global meltdown has left us with no job security and we need to save some money now for our future," she says.

Dr Aarthi Bharat, consultant gynaecologist, Sagar Hospital, says, "Earlier 30 per cent of the would-be mothers opted for birthing suites. These suites are like studio apartments with a labour room, a living room and a kitchenette. Facilities include a television set, a music system, a refrigerator, a microwave oven and crockery. But more moms prefer going for the normal delivery suites where they can stay before and after the delivery."

Apart from the add-on facilities available in the birthing suites, a  main difference is that while in an ordinary suite, the mother is taken to the labour room, the delivery takes place in the same room in a birthing suite.

Also, the husband can be present the whole time, while in a normal suite this is not allowed. The three-day package in Sagar Hospital for a birthing suite costs Rs 45,000 for a normal delivery, excluding the medication charges of the baby. For an ordinary suite, charges come up to Rs25,000 for a normal delivery.

Countering the trend, Rohith MA, director, The Cradle, says there has been an increase in terms of numbers of child delivery over months. "We are delivering 120 to 140 babies every month. The room rates are very competitive and thus, are preferred by young couples. Apart from the six to eight hours of stress during delivery, the mom's experience here is like that in a luxury hotel. The entire hospital is dedicated to birthing with no restrictions like in a hospital. Cradle packages are for Rs45,000 for a normal delivery and around Rs55,000 for C-section.