Pre-natal care at The Nest, Bangalore, includes fitness classes for moms-to-be

Wouldn’t it be nice to start life in the lap of luxury? That’s what many well-heeled expectant mothers want for their about-to-be born offspring. And there’s little money can’t buy, so you have the country’s leading hospitals offering a five-star start to newborns and a right royal treatment for their moms in smart, luxury-laden ‘labour, delivery and recovery (LDR) suites’.

Never heard of an “LDR suite” before? Says Arindam Banerjee, General Manager, Columbia Asia in Salt Lake, Calcutta, “It is primarily a western concept — the LDR suite is a room in the hospital where a would-be mother stays right from admission to discharge. And during that period, both the mother and the baby get personalised attention and care from the doctors and the nurses.” Even the delivery, unless it’s a Caesarean, takes place in the suite.

Columbia Asia, which opened its doors in July 2008 in Calcutta, has one LDR suite. “Rather than treating an expectant mother as a patient, we treat her like a guest,” says Banerjee. The room comes with a remote-controlled bed, which converts into a reclining chair at the time of delivery, a baby warmer where the baby is kept soon after delivery, a kitchenette and a separate enclosure for the family. The cost of the birthing suite is Rs 50,000 for three nights, inclusive of hospital fee, room charges and doctors’ fees. You’d pay about Rs 7,500 less if you opt for a regular room in the hospital. Not a huge difference, so you might as well indulge yourself.

The guests’ seating room in the Columbia Asia birthing suite is as plush as the suite itself; Pix by Rashbehari Das

Indulgence begins at home if you’re checking in at The Cradle — the birthing centre at Apollo, Bangalore, which has 24 suites. Sink into the comfort of a Mercedes Benz that’ll pick you up to take you to the hospital. Says Lakshman T.L., assistant general manager, operations and business development, The Cradle, “The birth of a baby is an event and needs to be made special.” So, for instance, if a patient wants the Gayatri mantra to be played during the labour process the doctors ensure it’s done.

Other facilities at The Cradle include specially-designed low wash basins in the bathroom to give the baby a bath, plasma TV, CD players, reclining beds and baby warmers. Besides, there are fitness consultants and aerobic classes before and after the delivery for the mother. Also there is medical counselling to deal with post-partum blues and sessions with the dieticians. The total package costs Rs 45,000 and an added 10 per cent in case of Caesarean section.

According to Dr Anita Soni, consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology, Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai, the benefits of a birthing suite are manifold: “Since there are no transfers, infection level is minimal. The psychological stress associated with childbirth is low as well since these suites encourage the family to stay with the patient. Also, these suites encourage natural childbirth as there are consultants monitoring every stage of delivery.”

Doctors at The Cradle in Bangalore take every care to make birthing a special event

Because it is a relatively new concept in India, it’s the younger couples who are drawn to this choice more. “A cleaner environment coupled with personalised attention from doctors are making couples go for birthing suites,” says Dr Gayathri Kamath, consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology, The Nest, Wockhardt Hospital, Bangalore. The Nest has 13 LDR suites priced at Rs 60,000 in case of normal delivery and Rs 65,000 in case of C-section. Each suite has a theme based on the four seasons of the year. And given the growing demand for these suites, Wockhardt is planning to take this concept to Calcutta and Mumbai soon.

The birthing suites at Fortis La Femme, Gurgaon, cost between Rs 45,000 and Rs 2 lakhs

The two birthing suites at Mumbai’s Hiranandani Hospital have the standard LDR suite amenities and also a whirlpool tub inside the bathroom for the mother to soak in warm water to alleviate the labour pain. The equipment and other medical instruments are concealed in built-in cupboards. Once labour starts, the equipment comes out at the press of a remote-control button and the bed is converted to a delivery chair, turning the suite into a delivery room. Says Soni, “In a birthing suite, not only does the patient deliver the baby in the suite itself, the baby is kept with the mother in the cradle and not in a separate nursery.”

And in all this the father plays an important role as “these suites encourage the father to be an active participant in the birth of the child,” says Gurrit Kaur, director, the Fortis La Femme (a unit of Fortis Healthcare) in Gurgaon. There are four LDRs in the hospital complete with all the luxurious amenities, including personal attendants, private seating area for the entire family and personalised diets, and they come at a premium price ranging from Rs 45,000 to Rs 2 lakhs depending on the amenities. So, if money is no restraint, go ahead pamper your child — even before he’s born.