- A British mom who lives in Denmark says she gave birth at a "maternity hotel."
- Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen allows new mothers to stay in a hotel-style room for 2 nights.
In October 2023, Claire Christensen gave birth to her first child in Copenhagen, Denmark, before checking into a "maternity hotel."
The hotel — located in Hvidovre Hospital's maternity ward — allows mothers and their new baby to stay overnight for up to 48 hours after giving birth at no cost, a hospital spokesperson told Business Insider. This state-funded service is an addition to the free healthcare that all Danish residents, including pregnant women, are entitled to, according to the Danish Health Authority.
A stay at Hvidovre Hospital is available to first-time parents, or to those who have a cesarean section or experience complications while giving birth, the spokesperson told BI.
Christensen told BI that the concept of a "maternity hotel" is nonexistent where she is from in northern England. New mothers in the UK are usually sent home between six and 24 hours after giving birth if they don't require additional care, according to NHS Inform.
The postnatal care in Denmark played a large part in Christensen's decision to give birth in Copenhagen, where she has lived with her husband since 2021, she said.
Christensen wanted to give birth in Denmark instead of the UK from the outset
Christensen told BI that she met her husband in 2014 after he moved from Denmark to Bradford, a city in northern England, for a gap year and ended up living in the same apartment building as Christensen.
After getting married in 2017, the couple made plans to leave Bradford for better work opportunities (Christensen works in marketing while her husband is a data engineer).
They were torn between London and Copenhagen but ultimately decided to move to the Danish capital in 2021 because they thought it would be more affordable, Christensen said.
They bought a house shortly after relocating, and in October 2023, the couple welcomed their baby girl, Margot. The decision to give birth in Copenhagen was a no-brainer, Christensen said.
"I was pretty set because I had heard about how I would be in the hospital here and how it is in England, and I just knew that I would be better off," Christensen said, adding that she wouldn't have wanted to leave the hospital hours after giving birth in England.
"Obviously, I was a bit nervous about giving birth in a different country, and I'm not fully fluent yet," she added. "But no, 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, which had two beds, a crib, and an en-suite shower and bathroom.
A spokesperson for Hvidovre Hospital told BI that not everyone gets a private room and that some mothers may have to share with another family depending on room availability.
Mothers have on-call nurses and free food
Every family who stays at Hvidovre Hospital has access to an on-call nurse, and each room has a bell that they can ring if they need assistance, the spokesperson said. Each room also has a red alarm bell for situations where urgent help is needed, they added.
Christensen said she particularly enjoyed the food, as she could order whatever she wanted from an à la carte menu while staying at the hotel.
Guests are offered a range of items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including omelets, Danish pastries, soup and sandwiches, meatloaf, and fish cakes, according to a menu obtained by BI.
The restaurant is free to the mothers, but other guests are asked to pay 190 Danish krone, or around $27, per day, a spokesperson told BI.
"It got wheeled to you on a cart," Christensen said. "It was really, really nice."
In comparison, the average cost of a vaginal birth in the US in 2022 was $27,371 and $35,907.33 for a cesarean section, according to the nonprofit data-gathering organization Fair Health, which manages the "largest database of privately billed health insurance claims," according to its website.
As BI previously reported, Denmark's free public healthcare system is revered by parents, who receive 52 shared weeks of paid leave after welcoming a newborn. Additionally, new mother groups are available for parents who live in the same area and give birth around the same time.
The Danish government also gives new parents a "baby box," filled with essentials such as pacifiers, diapers, wipes, blankets, and bathing products, Christensen told BI.