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Pregnancy

Going home ... Car seat

18 replies

Cheshirehello79 · 30/08/2015 19:40

Quick question ... First baby due dec

I've bought static car seat that's fixed in car through isofix. How does it work in regards to taking baby home? Will I need another travel west from hospital to car park or they will let me carry baby up to the car ?

OP posts:

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Cheshirehello79 · 30/08/2015 19:41

Meant to say travel seat....

OP posts:

mummyneedinganswers · 30/08/2015 19:43

I think most places u just carry baby in car seat to car xx

Every1KnowsJeffHesUsuallyACunt · 30/08/2015 19:49

Our hospital wouldn't let you take a baby out of the ward without them being in the car seat and had to witness you strapping them into it securely before you left. However, this was some years ago, before isofix became popular.

Nowadays, if you have isofix, a midwife or nurse will accompany you down to the car and watch you put them in.

Cheshirehello79 · 30/08/2015 19:49

Thanks mummy but that's the thing since mine is fixed in car will they let me carry baby without the seat knowing there's a seat in car or they won't allow that?

OP posts:

DanyStormborn · 30/08/2015 20:05

I offered to show the midwife the car seat in the car. She decined so she pushed the baby to the exit door in the crib and then handed her to DH and he just carried her to the car. They can't stop you taking your own baby home, it might be their policy to see babies strapped in to a car seat on the ward but just explain that your car seat stays in the car - a lot of midwives just don't know that not all from birth car seats have a carry handle.

Kickedinthetits · 30/08/2015 20:06

No one cared in my hospital. What if you don't have a car? Can't believe NHS staff have time to follow everyone to their cars.

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 30/08/2015 20:07

Same here,no one cared. But I was in London where a lot of people get public transport and don't drive

DanyStormborn · 30/08/2015 20:08

Also we do have a car seat with a handle in our second car but I wasn't going to bring that to the hospital just to make the midwives happier. We wanted to use the main car with the static baby seat so that's what we did :)

TitusAndromedon · 30/08/2015 23:14

Midwives at my hospital did say that they don't recommend carrying the baby out in your arms because you'll likely have bags and it might be a bit awkward. Someone asked what to do if they had a car seat fixed in the car, and the midwife said to just bring the pushchair up to the ward.

DanyStormborn · 31/08/2015 19:05

My husband took the bags first then came back for me and the baby.

BikeRunSki · 31/08/2015 19:10

Tell them you are going by bus.

Cheshirehello79 · 31/08/2015 19:36

I'll ask the hospital when I go to my antenatal appointment and see what they say.

OP posts:

kg80 · 31/08/2015 19:46

My husband brought the pram up to the ward, the nurses were fine with that....and I was so thankful to have something to hold on to walking out lol

featherandblack · 31/08/2015 19:47

This rule is utterly ridiculous anyway. Surely you can do what you want with your own baby? (Says the woman who begged pathetically to be discharged).

Cheshirehello79 · 31/08/2015 20:14

If we can bring the pram up that will be great. My brother lives in the city centre near the hospital so don't have a car and when his fiancé had a baby they were forced to bring a car seat for the hospital to discharge the baby . It is a ridiculous rule!

OP posts:

Passmethecrisps · 31/08/2015 20:17

It can't be a rule everywhere. We took the car seat in and when we asked a midwife to check dd was all in properly she looked a bit surprised.

How we left seemed to be entirely our own choice

ChunkyPickle · 31/08/2015 20:27

Goodness - for both my kids we just picked them up and left!

First we took a taxi home - 20 minute walk, no car, and I'd had a c-section - no carseat (totally legal, in quiet town and didn't break 20mph the whole way, so I felt the risk was fine).

Second we had isofix like you - and another c-section - why on earth would I lug a car seat around when all that needs to be carried is one 4 kilo baby!

TinyMonkey · 01/09/2015 08:29

I believe it's more of a security thing than anything else. If everyone was just walking out of the ward holding their baby it would be far easier for a complete stranger to do so. By asking that you take them out in either a car seat or a pram it's a bit less likely to happen - if for no other reason than having to ask about three nurses how to adjust the sodding straps! (I wasn't even allowed to carry my two day old around the corner in the ward for the paeds check, she had to be wheeled in her crib). That's why it was so shocking that no member of hospital staff stopped that poor girl who walked out of hospital holding her baby last year before jumping off the side of Avon gorge.

Personally, I felt much happier that she was in the seat carried by my dp, as it was a wet dark December evening and I'd just had major surgery - it would be so easy to trip up.

Anyway, they can't stop you, and certainly where I live in London they are just as happy with a pram as a lot of people get public transport, but they're not just doing it to be annoying.

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