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Pregnancy

6 hour discharge

25 replies

mummysleepy · 14/04/2011 11:43

My midwife told me yesterday that at hospital I am booked for all mums are expected to have 6 hour discharge unless there are problems! I was a bit shocked tbh. I have 2 already but think 6 hours is a bit quick. Ds1 ended up in scbu for 5 days after he was born but noone noticed anything was wrong till about 18 hours after delivery ( and after his baby check had declared him fit for home!)
I think 6 hour discharge is crazy unless mum requests it- does anywhere else have similar policy

Btw I can't book anywhere else as no other maternity hospital nearby

OP posts:

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nunnie · 14/04/2011 11:52

I think it is standard for an uncomplicated birth. I haven't had the luxury of an uncomplicated birth yet sadly. However I don't know if I would want to leave after 6 hours even if I had. I think here you are encouraged to go home, but are laso offered an overnight stay if you don't feel ready. However that might have changed.

mummysleepy · 14/04/2011 11:58

Midwife said they'll even send you home in the middle of the night if you give birth in late evening eg deliver at 9pm and dicharge at 3 am! Surely letting mum ( and dad ) get some sleep first

OP posts:

vj32 · 14/04/2011 11:58

The assumption at the hospital I am going to is that you will all have an overnight stay to help establish breast feeding and ensure everything is OK. That may just be for first babies though. 6 hours seems very short.

Firawla · 14/04/2011 12:02

that seems crazy discharging at 3am for eg. I know a lot of places have this 6 hour thing in theory but normally they wont discharge in the middle of the night
I would ask around mums you know who have been in that hosp and see if that is really the case in practise
I wouldnt be happy with that either

nunnie · 14/04/2011 12:02

That seems harsh. I know when I had my first it was an option if you had it before 12pm to go home same day, but if after 12pm then you were kept in overnight.
I am on my 3rd so if it is uncomplicated fingers crossed I will be hones same day, but reading this I might be home in an hour.

Paschaelina · 14/04/2011 12:05

My MLU had a standard 12 hour discharge rule, unless problems. I had meconium stained liquor so the Boy had to stay an hour over this limit for monitoring, as that took us to 6.30pm they offered me the room overnight as they were quiet. It was great.

If they were really busy though, i'm sure we would have been kicked out after the monitoring finished.

Paschaelina · 14/04/2011 12:07

Actually before I had my son I was all set for going home at the first possible moment, I had fond imaginings of us sitting down to dinner the same evening with baby in basket next to us.

HAHAHA

Oh bloody hell was I glad for the extra night in the MLU!

BeaMoaning · 14/04/2011 12:14

I had my dd at 9.30am and was on my way home at 5.30pm, was very confusing felt like I had jetlag!

buttonmoon78 · 14/04/2011 12:37

DD1 was born 3.21pm, home about lunch time the next day.

DD2 was born 10.28pm, home about lunch time the next day.

DS was born 11.35pm, home by 4am. We all went to bed and slept for about 6 hours. Which I would not have done if I'd been at hospital, going on previous experience. But I had to fight to get out of there. There was no way they were letting me go before lunch time without a scrap!

easterrabbitt · 14/04/2011 13:07

With ds (dc2), he was born at 12:30 pm and we were discharged at 3:30 pm. I did not want to stay in a minute longer than I had to and they needed the bed so were more than happy to discharge me. I was seen at home by the midwife 9 am the next morning.

BalloonSlayer · 14/04/2011 13:13

God I clicked on this thinking you'd had some awful vaginal discharge for the last six hours!

mummysleepy · 14/04/2011 13:36

oops should have said hospital discharge rather than just discharge

OP posts:

TobyLerone · 14/04/2011 13:42

I was begging them to let me out after 6 hours but I ended up staying 24 with both of mine. I would have absolutely loved to have gone home the minute mine were out!

buttonmoon78 · 14/04/2011 15:43

The MW tried to stop us leaving at 3.30am by saying it was cold. DH pointed out that we had heating both in our car and our house

KatyN · 14/04/2011 19:01

I read this the othre day and it's really comforting me to the idea of labour at the minute (this is my first so maybe when I get there I'll want to stay longer).
My main scare was a friend had baby in the local hosp and her HUSBAND FATHER OF THE CHILD was only allowed to visit for TWO HOURS a day. which happened to be the same TWO HOURS that all their families wanted to visit.

WTF?

seeksnewnamewithgsoh · 14/04/2011 19:07

My local hospital said the earliest they would release you was 6 hours, but they like to keep you in for 24-48 hours to make sure everything is going smoothly. However, if you were hoping for a 6-hr discharge and you gave birth after about 9pm ish they would not discharge you, you had to stay the night.

Fathers are only allowed in during visiting hours, of which there are 3 time slots - morning for fathers/siblings of baby, afternoon and evening for everyone else including fathers. Max 3 visitors per bed. Although god knows, you wouldn't want more people than that crowding round given what's just come out of you!

NinthWave · 14/04/2011 19:16

That's the policy at my local hospital too. I wanted to get home ASAP after both babies - hated the lack of privacy/noise on the postnatal ward.

DS1 was born at 8:30am, was home by 4pm.
DS2 was born at 11:15pm, was up, dressed and ready to go by 9am the next day - didn't get picked up til 11am though.

buttonmoon78 · 14/04/2011 19:19

Fathers only allowed during visiting hours? That's a new one on me! Sounds like a 60s throw back.

ShowOfHands · 14/04/2011 19:22

Normal to only have fathers during visiting hours, gives the mothers time to rest without people milling around all the time.

I was discharged 12hrs post emcs as they needed the bed.

ShowOfHands · 14/04/2011 19:24

Not that I liked it mind. DD was born late at night after an atrocious time and dh was kicked straight out. I understood it practically but emotionally, I found it desperately hard.

LisamumtoJake · 14/04/2011 19:28

I was in for 5 days after my c section with DS but the policy was 24hrs in this hospital, i have since moved and the local hospital here is a 6hr policy unless there is a problem, i would have been happy to leave after 6hrs had i been able to

Paschaelina · 14/04/2011 19:32

I had a blissful room all to myself with 24hr access for DH, and a comfy reclining chair with blanket and pillow if required so he could stay the night with me. Ensuite wetroom as well. And kitchen facilities (toastandjam, tea, cereal etc) There was no way I was refusing the offer of a night in the MLU instead of going home. It was exactly the right thing to set us up.

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buttonmoon78 · 14/04/2011 19:35

Both hospitals I've given birth in encouraged fathers to go home at bedtime (about 10) but otherwise they were welcome from 8am until then. Unless there were special circumstances when fathers were allowed all night.

Other visitors were strictly within visiting hours only but that's right and proper.

Kevinia · 14/04/2011 19:37

I had three normal deliveries (at 10.55pm, 3.30pm, 3.03pm). For the first I stayed two nights to establish breastfeeding and for the second and third I stayed one night to put off facing the onslaught of my older children when I got home :). No 6-hr kick out for us, fortunately.

Choufleur · 14/04/2011 19:38

DS was born at 7.45pm and I was offered the choice of staying or going home. I stayed but tbh wish I had gone home to a quiet house, rather than stay in a noisy ward. I didn't see any staff until 6am the next morning after getting settled in bed and insisted DH come earlier than the 11am visiting to take me home.

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