Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

So, the countdown is on for me and #3 (exactly three weeks...hooray!!) and barring a real change of heart from my DH, it looks like I will be in a "regular" room this time. I had private rooms with my DDs and really, I can't imagine any other way. But anyway...

What was the experience like?
One roommate the entire time? Multiple? Bathroom situation...what's that like? Crying baby on the other side of the curtain all night long? The DH wandering around in boxers in the middle of the night to use the bathroom? Siblings running all around the room?

Can you tell I'm setting myself up for the worst? Of course, my roommate will love me. My DH goes home; I return the baby to the nursery at night; no one will visit me since baby #3 is, well, #3 and my girls are perfect...and so am I.

Please share!!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I don't know if this was normal, but my bathroom situation S U C K E D!!!!!!!
It was one bathroom for two double occupancy rooms. YEA!!! We all had just given birth, bleeding, stiches, etc. and FOUR of us had to share ONE bathroom. It blew.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I was alone for the first two nights and had a roomate for the second two.
She was in a lot of pain from her c-sec so there was a lot of moaning and groaning that first night. I actually called the nurse for her a couple of times.
She was very nice though, and it was kind of nice to have someone to talk to at night when I couldn't sleep and early in the morning before our visitors came.
her baby was in the NICU, so I didn't have any issues with crying, but I felt bad because I had 2 crying babies, so I don't know what her perception of the situation was!
All in all it wasn't a bad experience, I didn't really mind it at all.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I had a great roommate experience at Winthrop. She was a very sweet and respectful new mom. We got long great. She didn't have very many visitors, so we talked a lot. If she went to refill her water pitcher, she would refill mine too and vice versa, that kind of stuff. We got along great!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I had a private room (Best "push present" ever imho ) but all I keep thinkig about is the episode of "The Office" where Pam accidentally BFs her ROOMMATE'S BABY while the mom slept try not to do that

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

i was there for 4 nights. my first roommate, you literally did not know she was there. perfect roommate! she did keep her DC in the nursery all night, so i guess i was the one with the baby every 3 hours.

when she left on the 2nd day the nightmare moved in with her entourage. within 10 minutes of her being there, they moved me across the hall. i think it was mostly due to me having pre-eclampsia and i still had high blood pressure so they didnt want it worse.

3rd roommate was a doll. i was only with her for 1 night and she left the next morning. that whole day i was by myself! but then in the middle of the night they moved in another c-section mom, but she was so dazed it was like i was alone. and then i left that day.

personally i wouldnt spend the money on a private room. like the nurse said...use that money and go on vacation. winthrop was so accommodating to me with the second roommate, that im confident if something like that happened again i'd be ok.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

First one - bad roommate. Left blood on the floor of the bathroom. I get it...we're all bleeding but clean up after yourself or call someone else to do it. Don't leave it for me.

Second one - I had my room to myself. Not a private room. They put every new patient in someone else's room & left mine as the last to be filled. Definitely pays to be nice to the nurses.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

For both my births, I tried to start off in a shared room, and had bad experiences and coughed up the money for a private room after the first day:

- With DC#1, I had a roommate who announced she had gone into labor from the horrible stomach virus she had (and was still sick with). Needless to say I didn't want to catch that while recovering from a c-section, so I was in that room maybe 2 hours (practically hiding under the covers, lol) before switching into a private room.

- With DC#2, I had a roommate who stayed up ALL.NIGHT.LONG talking on the phone and reading magazines. With the lights on. My bed was closer to the bathroom and she frequently visited the bathroom to cough up a lung (what is with these sick roommates I had?). She also decided to blow dry her hair at like 5 AM in the bathroom. After that sleepless night I couldn't switch to a private room fast enough.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

Both times I was in a room with 2 beds and we shared 1 bathroom. It wasn't too bad.

With DD my roommate's baby had some kind of issues and the mother was all freaked out and her husband stayed overnight with her and they argued non-stop. And her older child blew a fit every day when the grandparents tried to take him home. I couldn't wait to be discharged.

With DS my first night there the roommate wore a lacy neglige in the room and insisted the temperature be set to 80. It was the last week of June, I was in shorts and a tee and DYING. I kept bumping it down to 74 and she'd complain she was freezing. The nurse finally told her to put some clothes on or deal with it.

Then they put a woman in my room briefly who had her baby very pre-term, but after about an hour they moved her to a private room. I felt awful for her.

That night I had a really nice lady as my roommate, but we both pretty much kept to ourselves.

My best friend has remained friends with her roommate from when she had her son almost 8 years ago.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

My roommate when I had Andrew was very scary!!!!

Her boyfriend was in a gang and would close the door so they could talk about different gang members and stuff. It was scary. I would always ask the nurse to keep the door open but then he would close it.

When I had Alexa I knew that no matter how much it cost, I would get a private room.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I didn't have a roommate with DD, but with DS my hospital roommate was up all night long breastfeeding, walked around our room and into the bathroom barefoot and combed her hair over my baby's bassinet. I could not wait for her to leave.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I had only one roomate(she had a c-section and I had a v-birth) so I was her 3rd roomate...I guess she had all v-birth people. Anyway it was 2 of us sharing 1 bathroom and that was fine. It was her second child and her husband was sick and taking care of her other child so she didn't get much visitors...I was probably the one annoying her b/c I had visitors plus I had them bringing me the baby every 3 hours at night...she was letting them give her baby formula overnight...but she was REALLY nice and was answering a lot of my questions.

I guess you really don't know what you will get, but for me I don't think it really matters...I could deal with it for that short time.

ETA: my dh did not stay overnight and neither did hers...the only time I saw hers was when we were being discharged and going home.

Message edited 10/5/2010 11:07:18 AM.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I had a great experience. I was there for 2 nights. First night, great roomate...no problems at all. Second night I was all alone because she was discharged.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

it wasn't too bad:

DD#1- roommate awful. wanted the door shut to the room all the time. even when visitors were there. it was so stuffy i thought i would die! she would tell my guests, "close the door" repeatedly. who wants the door closed when people are there visiting??????

DD#2
nice lady. had a csection and it was her 4th girl. she had no intentions of leaving anytime soon said it was easier to be in hospital. she was very nice. she kept baby in nursery and was pleasant. i felt bad for her bc my dd was brought in for feedings...every hour all night!!!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

If you want to see jaws drop, announce on any playground outside of NYC that room sharing goes on.

They are in complete disbelief!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I was in a ward with three women, and bathrooms were in the hall, but I liked being with the other women, we all chatted in the night when our babies were awake, and we all laughed about breastfeeding all day and night, and whats great is that I still see one of them regularly, we exchanged numbers and now I consider her my friend!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I had two and both were NIGHTMARES!

The first one, had a million and one people there ALL DAY LONG. They were overflowing onto my side of the room constantly, squeezed around her bed and bumping into DS bassinet on the other side of the curtain and they were LOUD!

Then she was on the side of the room by the windown with the A/C and I guess she was cold, but it was only the 2nd week of Sept and like 85 degrees out, plus having the night sweats from your hormones being all over I was MELTING bc she kept turning the air off, not down, COMPLETELY OFF.

The second one, was annoying bc she wouldnt mind her own business....she had several kids already. In the middle of the night she kept asking me if I needed help or tips BFing, or while I was BFing, she would ask me how he was BFing, did you get him latched, is he still latched, are you going to pump when youre done feeding. Then during the day when she heard me ask the nurse or my mom, or someone a question, she always had to butt in with her 2 cents and the "right" way to do it.

I couldnt wait to go home and its the sole reason that if we ever have another I will be switching practices to someone affiliated with Stony Brook so I dont have to go to St Catherines again. It was miserable.

ETA: Bathrooms were shared in rooms, however showers were in the hall, which was a PITA.

DH do not have the option to stay over, I believe they had to be out by 10.

Message edited 10/5/2010 11:39:18 AM.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

Ugh! Hated having a roommate, but it was only a few days.

1st night I came in and got the room with the window. My roommate was 16 and didn't say a word. I remember when they wheeled me in she was watching Miley Cirus, which I thought was weird. The next day she barely spoke an I figured she was young b/c even though I never saw her she spoke like a kid. SHe left and I had the room to myself all day.
2nd roommate was a nightmare. Got wheeled in at midnight when I was sleeping peacefully. SHe moaned and cried all night and said she was hot so they turned on the AC which was next to me and she didn't get any b/c of the curtain so I froze. SHe complained the whole next day and her DH wasn't allowed to sleep over, but did the 2nd night. Also, my bed was by the curtain and her parents would keep coming onto my side for some reason.

I couldn't wait to get out of there. LIJ stunk. The bathrooms were shared with others as well.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

Monday night: (night B4 CS)
Roommate's child urinated all over the bathroom floor. Her husband urinated on the toilet seat. She had the tv on full volume and snored loudly. I had to take a Benedryl at 2am just to get some sleep.

Tues and Wed:
Roommate was very nice but she BF'd so her daughter was in the room (crying) all night. We shared the bathroom with 2 filthy pigs from a connecting room. There hair and blood was all over the bathroom.

Thurs and Fri:
Roommate from hell. Projectile vomited the 1st 12 hours. Her screaming 3yo son ran around the room all day. She also BF'd but had trouble doing it so her baby cried non-stop. Also, she was Indian and had many screaming fights w/ her Dh in Indian. She had never-ending guests. At one point, there were 12 people in there.

Sorry if I am scaring u!!!!!! Bring an Ipod, ear plugs Clorox wipes just in case!!!!!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

First time around, I didn't want to spring for the private room. I had the bed closest to the door and my roommate was a PITA... every time she walked to the bathroom she would pull my curtain closed unintentionally - but she never tried to fix it! So there I was, barely able to move and now I can't even watch tv because she closed the curtain on me... and she didn't speak English so I had to listen to her novelas all day.

Then I got sick and was moved to a private room which was heavenly...

Second time around I wasn't taking chances and even though money was tight this time I was going to suck it up anyway and get the private room... and there were none available!! My first night I managed to have the room to myself which was great, plus I had the bed by the window. But then this woman moved in and she was LOUD I could hear her over my tv. Her DH was there all the time and sitting where he could see me too so that was uncomfortable when I was trying to nurse... they brought in chinese food which stunk up the place, she was hot so she brought in a (broken!) oscillating fan from home that she on all day and night so I was freezing because it blew on me too... AND she kept her light on and the tv on all night...

I couldn't get discharged fast enough.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I was alone the first night b/c I was in the delivery room but I went into a shared room after I delivered.

that POOR woman!!!!! she had a c-section and she was moaning and crying in pain all night. I felt so badly for her. she made me (almost) forget how much pain I was in

her family was a little annoying and my bed was closest to the door so I had to see them if the curtain was open (and it always was b/c it was my first time EVER staying over in a hospital and so close to Halloween I had visions of Michael Myers dancing in my head )

but in the middle of hte night, my bed broke and so they moved me out around 5 am to a private room. and the, I was discharged that same afternoon so I couldn't even enjoy the silence!

but yeah, I'll never forget her cries of agony. it was heartwrenching. she was nice too. we both congratulated each other on our lil babies when she finally got up to walk around.

Message edited 10/5/2010 11:19:53 AM.

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

wasnt a fan of sharing a room. but it was only two nights and a private room would have been $800 per night--so not worth it. the second time, i lucked out on night two because the woman checked out and it was a slow day and nobody was put in my room that night. i would have been pi**ed if i had spent $800 for a private room and would have had one anyway!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I was in the hospital for 5 days. AND NEVER GOT A ROOMATE No I didnt have a private room in fact i was in a room with 3 other beds and I was praying for a roomate. It would have been nice to have someone who just went thru what i did to talk to. I guess I should be lucky though, i hear the private rooms are

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

I had a regular room, but it must have been a slow week because I lucked out & didn't have a roommate until about 7am the morning that I checked out! So you never know - you might luck out the same way

The bathroom situation did stink, though - I shared it w/2 women in an adjoining room. They were neat enough, but one was violently ill for what seemed like hours & she (understandably!) tied up the bathroom a lot & I got to listen to her in there...for hours. I started to get sick just from that. Other than that, though, the stay itself was fine. Now the nurses...that's another story!

Re: Let's talk about your hospital roommates...

ugh i should of never read this thread! lol I am deleving at st.catherines n have been dreeding the sharing of a room & bathroom this just made it worse! lol
Anyone have good stories of roomates! haha