Danish maternity hotel offers room service and 24/7 nurses

• A British mother living in Denmark says she gave birth at a “maternity hotel”.
• At Vidvia Hospital in Copenhagen, new mothers can stay in a hotel-like room for two nights.
• Your free stay includes an on-call nurse and breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

In October 2023, Claire Christensen gave birth to her first child in Copenhagen, Denmark, and then checked into a “maternity hotel”.

The hotel, located in the maternity ward of Bidubire Hospital, allows mothers and their newborn babies to stay free of charge for up to 48 hours after delivery, a hospital spokesperson told Business Insider. According to Danish health authorities, the state-funded service is in addition to free health care to which all Danish residents, including pregnant women, are entitled.

A stay at Bidubire Hospital is available to first-time parents and those who have experienced complications during caesarean section or childbirth, a spokesperson told BI.

Ms Christensen told BI that the concept of a ‘maternity hotel’ does not exist in her native northern England. NHS Inform says new mothers in the UK are usually sent home within six to 24 hours after giving birth, unless they require additional care.

Christensen said postnatal care in Denmark was a big part of her decision to give birth in Copenhagen, where she has lived with her husband since 2021.

From the beginning, Christensen wanted to give birth in Denmark rather than England.

Ms Christensen told BI that she met her husband in 2014, when they moved from Denmark to Bradford, a city in northern England, on a gap year, and they ended up living in the same flat as her.

After getting married in 2017, the couple planned to leave Bradford in search of better job opportunities (Christensen works in marketing and her husband is a data engineer).

Christensen said they were torn between London and Copenhagen, but ultimately decided to move to the Danish capital in 2021, believing it was more affordable.

They bought a house soon after moving, and the couple welcomed a baby girl, Margot, in October 2023. Christensen said her decision to give birth in Copenhagen was a no-brainer.

“I was pretty prepared because I was going to be hospitalized here and had heard about the situation in England, but I thought it would be better,” Christensen said, adding that she was anxious to leave the hospital. A hospital hours after giving birth in England.

“Obviously, I was a little nervous about giving birth in another country, and I’m not completely fluent yet,” she added. “But I didn’t want to give birth at home.”

After giving birth, Christensen said she and her husband spent two nights and three days in a private room with two beds, a cot, and a private shower and bathroom.

A spokesperson for Bidubire Hospital told BI that not everyone has access to a private room, and depending on room availability, some mothers may have to share with other family members.

Mothers are provided with a nurse and free meals.

A spokesperson said every family staying at Hvidovy Hospital has a nurse on duty and each room has a bell that can be ringed if help is needed. She added that each room also has a red alarm bell in case of situations requiring emergency help.

Christensen said she especially enjoyed the meals during her stay at the hotel because she could order whatever she wanted from the a la carte menu.

According to the menu obtained by BI, guests will be offered a variety of items for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including omelets, Danish pastries, soups and sandwiches, meatloaf and fishcakes.

A spokesperson told BI that while the mothers will be able to access the restaurant for free, other customers will be asked to pay 190 Danish kroner, or about $27, per day.

“It was brought in on a cart,” Christensen said. “It was really, really good.”

By comparison, the average cost of a vaginal birth in the U.S. in 2022 is $27,371, and the average cost of a C-section is $27,371, according to Fair Health, a nonprofit data collection organization that maintains “the largest database of privately billed health insurance claims.” In that case, it was $35,907.33. Go to that website.

As BI previously reported, Denmark’s free public healthcare system is revered by parents, and parents are given 52 weeks of shared paid leave after welcoming a newborn. Additionally, new mothers groups are available for parents who live in the same area and gave birth at the same time.

The Danish government is also giving new parents a “baby box” filled with essentials such as pacifiers, diapers, wipes, blankets and bath salts, Christensen told BI.