Houston Womens Hospital (Fannin)- Room VS Suite
Morning Ladies,
I have scheduled a tour for mid January to take a look at the birthing suites because we have such a large family and...part of me is was wanting to make this experience as relaxed and wonderful as possible for everyone involved. I don't mind paying a little extra for added amenities (like the extra sitting area - but what is in there, how big is the bed? Or is there one?). But is it worth the expense?
Do any of you have pictures of the Suites? Where are the suites located with in the hospital, same floor as the regular rooms? (I don?t want to be an inconvenience to my dr!) Do the regular rooms have a mini fridge? How big is the Couch/bed in the regular room vs Suite?my husband is 6'4 and needs some place to crash if one offeres extra leg room then I am sold. 
Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you Everyone and Merry Christmas!
We are due...to meet our little munchkin: 3-9-12
Re: Houston Womens Hospital (Fannin)- Room VS Suite
You may check on their website - they may have some pics of them. They are larger and nicer (as in dark wood furniture, more comfy couch for your DH to sleep on, larger bathroom with a large shower, etc.) I am pretty sure they are just intermixed with the other rooms. There are only a few of them and you cannot reserve them. You can only see if they are available when you go in for delivery, and if they are, you can purchase one, then. I think they are an additional $300 per night.
The reg. rooms do not have a mini fridge. There is a little (common) lounge area with a fridge if you need to put something in there, but not sure if you want to trust a lot of stuff in there.
The couch in the reg. rooms is just a vinyl? 3 cushion couch. Nothing special. You can take off the back cushions in order for it to be a little wider if DH needs to sleep on it, but even with that, it's not even as wide as a twin bed. I didn't sleep on it, but I can't imagine they are very comfy. DH is 6'1" and he definitely couldn't stretch out.
Let me see if I can find a pic of the couch for you, so you can get a gyst of the size. (I just delivered there 2 weeks ago
)
ETA: I personally thought $300/night for 2-3 nights was really high (especially considering that you can stay at a super nice hotel room for that) - I would rather spend the $600-$900 elsewhere, so we didn't opt for the suite. It might have been nice for say, 1 night, but I don't think you can switch rooms in the middle of your stay like that. But to each their own! :-)
Nevermind - I thought it was a 3 cushion - but it's just one long one.
FIRST OF ALL...CONGRATS!!!!! You have a beautiful family!!!
Thanks for all the insight, I got a call from the Hospital just now and she told me more the selling points of the room its self (stocked fridge, upgraded menu, linnens etc) I am shocked that the couches in the regular rooms are soooooo tiny! The suites only offer a full size bed...so I will ask the hubby what his thoughts are on the cost of 300+ a night (x2) for a "Suite".
Thanks again for the message!
Any suggestions of things we should bring for the room that we may not have thought of...also did you freeze while you were there?
Oh yeah - I do remember on our tour them talking about the upgraded menu. I am not sure what that all entails. Is stocked fridge just drinks? Or is it snacks, too? I assume your guests could use those? DH had to go down to the cafeteria in order to get food, so if he could eat those snacks or get food ordered with you, that would be a nice touch. (i think room service was extra with him in the reg. rooms).
I actually was warm (I think all of the hormones b/c DH did get chilly!). I can't remember if our room had a separate thermostat or not - but might be something to ask if the suites do. (although it doesn't help if you are hot and DH is cold! lol)
They provided DH with a pillow and blanket, so just make sure they will do that, or unless DH or you want to bring specific things from home. However, I will say that your pillow/pillowcase may get gross b/c you are bleeding a lot and it tends to get everywhere (sorry TMI!). I can't think of anything to bring specific for the room. You can bring slippers or flip flops to walk around in or for the shower, if you don't feel comfortable bare foot. I just wore the gowns (see TMI above), but some ppl like to bring their own PJs. I did bring some nursing tanks so I didn't feel naked under the gown when ppl came to visit. I brought the Boppy for BFing and a going home outfit for me (you will likely need your maternity clothes, still) and baby (I brought a newborn and 0-3 months just to see what would fit). I brought my makeup and my own toiletries for the shower. I brought my hair dryer and flat iron. I didn't use the flat iron, but I did take a shower and dried my hair the morning we were leaving, so I felt refreshed.
Good luck!
A family at my office sprang for the suite at Woman's; they liked it. The stocked 'fridge sounded best to me.
That said, in our experiences, the nurses' station keeps little juices, yogurts, jello and things like that on hand - you can usually ask for them. Also, food deliveries are permitted in some parts of the hospital.
I've always had good luck with regular rooms at Woman's - mine were large enough, and more than sufficient. I sent WH home to sleep and shower, because someone needed good rest. (We were on the 4-day c-section plan.)
The menu at Woman's, when compared to other hospitals I've been in like TCH/St. Luke's, is actually pretty good. If you stay for less than a month you won't run out of options; also, Antone's sandwiches are available downstairs. My husband liked those.
It is the most joyful event. It does come with some interesting experiences and some definite changes in personal boundaries.
Haha - so true! I cranked the AC and DH was sleeping in sweats, a blanket and wool socks. The nurses kept making me turn it down because they worried C would get too cold.
I had a regular room and we were fine. We would have several people in the room at a time. I have a large family, but they never just hung out all day - they would come and go, and if it was too crowded that was a clue for someone to leave. :-) Plus, like the PP said - no way did I want to shell out $900 for three nights in a hospital.
IMHO, your DH may be cramped, but you'll be home quickly. And if you end up with a vaginal delivery you'll only be there 1-2 nights. Once he's home, he can stretch out. :-)