Five star babies: The Sh800,000 maternity experience

Opulence, prestige and luxury are not always  synonymous with childbirth, but with the innovative packages and  experiences hospitals are offering, the hefty price tag explains it all…

Childbirth is one of the most amazing moments of a woman’s life, but it’s also, understandably, totally exhausting. To make their birth experiences a little bearable, new mothers with a little extra to spend, are taking advantage of VIP maternity services hospitals are offering akin to luxurious five star hotel suite. 

They are now making the most of a range of five-star services that help them feel their best while making those first few days in the hospital with their precious bundle even more memorable.

And hospitals are stepping up on their labour and delivery amenities to give new mothers and baby a taste of luxury during their stay in hospital.

Whereas some parents in rural and low income areas are spending virtually nothing, some mothers are spending up to Sh800,000 for a single delivery. And the hefty cost does not include other birth-related expenditures such as pre- and post-natal education and care.

In the upper end of the maternity market, The Nairobi Hospital, Aga Khan Teaching and Referral Hospital, MP Shah Hospital, Karen Hospital, Mater Misericodae Hospital, Avenue Hospitals offer some of the most prestigious services.

As you walk into Aga Khan Teaching and Referral Hospital (AKUH)’s Princess Zahra Pavilion, the executive wing at the hospital, it gives you the option of staying at the standard room, the VIP room or the executive suite. 

First class facilities

The interior includes modern lounge area, and cool tones to give the facility a modern feel. The executive suite is warm, quiet and much larger than the rest of the rooms. The windows look into manicured gardens.

The suite is fitted with wireless Internet, elegant and modern décor, telephone, both a tub and shower, fully serviced bedside cabinets, clothes closets and advanced nurse call and monitoring system.

Guests have a separate sitting area. Yes, not those conventional seat next to the patient’s bed, but a five-seater maroon and floral couches with lovely wooden tables at the centre and beside them.

On the other side of town at The Nairobi Hospital, a lovely red carpet leads you to presidential, premier and deluxe suites, which are hosted in the North Wing. Each of the three presidential, six premier and three deluxe suites rooms can easily pass for five and four-star hotels judging from their first class facilities and services. The large rooms with expansive windows and plenty of space have a lounge for visitors with reclining leather seats and a customised bed. 

The rooms are ensuite with built-in wardrobes, a fridge and a balcony overlooking beautiful scenery.

Class and elegance

Further east in Nairobi’s Ruai town is RFH Medical Centre, which is breathing fresh air into Eastlands area and offers quality low-cost solutions targeting lower and middle income earners. 

The facility, which is only six months old, has executive suites for new mothers that spell class and elegance. The room is beautifully decorated with warm colours and art. The hospital’s popularity shot up when gospel singer Bahati and wife Diana Marua, welcomed their second baby, Majesty Bahati, at the hospital. The baby was named the RFH Healthcare brand ambassador.

Here, you won’t find the usual tasteless hospital meals. “We offer new mothers whatever food they ask for even if it is not offered on the hospital menu. Our joy is in making sure that our patients receive the utmost care and have a feel and comfort of their home as much as possible,” says Fred Omondi Kokeyo, RFH’s public relations officer.

But all this luxury doesn’t come without a price tag. The catch in all this is the cost. 

Extra cost

While a private room and ensuite room costs Sh14,500 and Sh23,500 respectively at The Nairobi Hospital, the presidential suite, a premier suite and Deluxe suite sets you back Sh98,000, Sh65,000 and Sh45,000 respectfully per day with a requisite deposit of Sh300,000.

The antenatal package, which includes six antenatal visits, two postnatal visits by a doctors, one neonatal baby visit, pre-natal investigations, iron supplements and prenatal standard drugs costs aspiring mothers Sh40,000. A normal delivery package goes for Sh80,000, assisted normal delivery package is Sh100,000 and a caesarian section delivery is Sh160,000. Any extra costs incurred outside the package are charged separately.

RFH’s executive room charges Sh15,000 for a three day stay at the facility.

These are just accommodation charges and are excluded from delivery charges and other costs arising from health complications. There is no fixed package, but a mother may pay as much as Sh300,000 depending on whether it is a normal delivery or caesarean section. The cost would be much higher if any childbirth complications arose.

Here, basic normal delivery goes for Sh30,000, but if the delivery is done by the hospital gynaecologist, an additional fee of Sh30,000 applies, caesarian section charge is Sh110,000. A private room goes for Sh8,000 for a three night stay. Epidural deliveries for normal and caesarian section are Sh60,000 and Sh90,000 respectively.

At Karen, MP Shah and Mater Hospitals normal deliveries go for Sh110,000, Sh99,000 and Sh77,000 while caesarian sections are Sh200,000, Sh220,000 and Sh200,000 respectively. 

Normal delivery at AKUH is Sh95,000 and birth via caeserian section is Sh181,250. The hospital further attracts Sh55,000 and Sh35,000 a day for its executive and standard rooms respectively. The hospital has professional chefs who provide multiple course meals. Guests are also provided with food when they visit, so the whole family can celebrate the baby’s arrival together. All the rooms have fast wireless Internet connection and digital plasma screen TV that are fitted on the walls give an alternative source of entertainment for mothers. 

Dr Mukaindo Mwaniki, an assistant Professor and Vice Chair at AKUH Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology says the hospital strives to meet the current demand for high end health care, emerging health seeking behaviour of clients who he says come from within and outside Kenyan boarders as well as catch up with the future  hospitality trends around the world predicated on quality, comfort and trust. 

At AKUH, mothers-to-be can chose from a midwife-led or consultant-led maternity package. “Our priority is always the safety and comfort of our patients, and while we try to accommodate the needs of every patient, this is always within the bounds of what is clinically appropriate,” says Dr Mukaindo, adding, “For example, our patients are provided with , à la carte menu, but the menu is catered to meet their unique medical and nutritional needs.”

He clarifies that choosing other accommodation options, the general and private wards does not mean less quality treatment.  

“The standard clinical care will not change whether you are in the presidential suite of the general ward. The same teams are involved— our care is based on protocals, they are all attended to by credentialed specialists, we do not discriminate in terms of machinery used in delivery,” he explains.

Duplex rooms

After the birth, accommodation options include four-bed shared bays each with a bathroom, two-bed known as duplex rooms with bathrooms and fully private en-suite rooms.

 “We ensure every mother gives birth in a private room before they are transferred to rooms of their choice, and all are accorded a good and safe environment for both mother and child” he says. 

AKUH, as an addition to its luxury birth package also offers water birth. A number of women opt for the water birth, the process of giving birth in a tub of warm water, which comes at an extra cost of Sh7,000.

Dr Mukaindo explains that since the baby has already been in the amniotic fluid sac, birthing in a similar environment is gentler for the baby.

“Giving birth in the warm water is soothing, comforting, relaxing. That effect of buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and improved blood circulation resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother and more oxygen for the baby,” 

he says.