Anonymous wrote:You should check, but my understanding (having delivered at Sibley a couple of years ago) is that if you do not request a private room they will give you one if it is available and not charge you extra for it. Obviously you are running the risk that you won't get one. But if you request one and get one, you will have to pay for it. Also, as one of the PPs mentioned, you can use flex spending $$ to pay for it.

Just delivered at Sibley and this is not true. There are always shared rooms available and you will always have to pay for a single. Its a total racket!

You should check, but my understanding (having delivered at Sibley a couple of years ago) is that if you do not request a private room they will give you one if it is available and not charge you extra for it. Obviously you are running the risk that you won't get one. But if you request one and get one, you will have to pay for it. Also, as one of the PPs mentioned, you can use flex spending $$ to pay for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question- when do you start paying? Like in active labor you have to pay? Or just in recovery? First time mom here delivering at Sibley!

You start paying for the private room once you are moved from L&D to your recovery room, all of the L&D rooms are the same with the exception of scheduled c sections

At Sibley in December, I delivered at 10:35pm and wasn't moved to L&D until 1:30am. They didn't charge us for that night. We paid for the next night, but someone then checked out 36 hours after DC was born.

Anonymous wrote:I have a question- when do you start paying? Like in active labor you have to pay? Or just in recovery? First time mom here delivering at Sibley!

You start paying for the private room once you are moved from L&D to your recovery room, all of the L&D rooms are the same with the exception of scheduled c sections

Anonymous wrote:That is nuts. Thank God for VHC.

+100 !!!

BTW - they had room service.

That does seem like a lot. I am not deliverying at Sibley because they don't have a NICU and I'm high risk. For what it's worth, as somebody may have mentioned, VHC is all private rooms and Inova Fairfax is private for a one time $25 fee with the Mommy and Me program.

I have a question- when do you start paying? Like in active labor you have to pay? Or just in recovery? First time mom here delivering at Sibley!

why not deliver at g;town - sure at this point you probably won't be able to switch your prenatal care to one of their OB's, but they take good care of the women who show up in labor at their ER. You'll get a private room and a better NICU. Just ask for a copy of your files at around 36 weeks (or at least the page that says whether you are GBS positive).

Having had to share a room at Sibley when willing to pay ANYTHING to have my own room -- switched to G'town for the next delivery. Loved it.

Surprised that more people haven't suggested making the switch to GW. All private postpartum rooms with no additional fee, level 3 NICU (on the off chance that you need it) and great food options close by.

Hi OP- Try Megan Breen at Georgetown. She was my doc, took me at 34 weeks believe it or not, I was happy with her care. Dr. Wulf delivered me, also great.

OP here. 

I see a large OB group so it's not as if I have some special personal bond with my care provider, nor is that what I want or need. I thought $245 a night was pretty ridiculous but had come to accept that was going to be the extra cost of giving birth at Sibley.  To then find out the cost is going to be raised to $290 a night sent me over the edge. Why should I pay an outrageous amount for something that is the basic standard of care at all other DC hospitals. 

Anonymous wrote:Some of these posters are making it sound like $45 isn't a big deal, but my last delivery (at Georgetown) had complications so I needed to stay 5 nts. I am scheduled to deliver at sibley this summer, & the possibility of 5 x $290 is pretty daunting. Uggghh

Same boat here...about $1500.

I just delivered at Sibley in March and the private room rate was $265 and not $245. Not sure $20 will make it or break it for OP. I was annoyed at the thought of paying over $1000 for a private room, but sucked it up and did it. I liked my OB and it wasn't worth it to change over what will be a small amount of money in the grand scheme of my child's life. I was also able to use flex spending to pay for it, which was a nice surprise.

All private rooms at VHC!