How quickly can I leave hospital if I have a straightforward birth (2nd DC)?

[funchum8am]

Can I ask how quickly you managed to get discharged after second or subsequent births? I gave birth to DC1 just after midnight and DH and I were allowed to stay in the delivery room til morning. They then asked me to stay in one more night in the postnatal ward and it was hellish - feeding was fine so I wish I had just gone home the day after the birth.

Now due with DC2 and if there is no medical reason to stay I want to go home ASAP (as soon as I get feeling back in my legs if I have an epidural!)

How quickly did you all manage to go home after straightforward births?!

[rootypig]

Think it depends on your hospital - ask your MW. I had a six hour discharge with DD who was my first child. Though in fact they fucked up and we were kicked out at 11pm on a cold November night.....but that's a story for another day!

[rootypig]

(that was the same day she was born but about 15 hours later)

[GoingToBedfordshire]

Five hours I think.

[5madthings]

I had a four hour discharge.

Ask your midwife what your hospitals policy is.

[Wigeon]

Dd1: 6hours, but I would have gone hone sooner - they were still doing all the routine discharge stuff. Dd2: 4 hours - my choice - I just asked to go and they said I could stay a bit longer but were happy for me to go top. Both straight forward biryhs.

[Tealady1983]

6 hrs straightforward birth no epidural though

[sunnyrosegarden]

I wrote it all over my notes and birthing plan! DS2 was born at 1.45am, they offered me a discharge at 8am. In the end I waited until 11am, as they squeezed in the hearing check.

[Smugnogplease]

2hour is normal here

[FunnyBird]

I was home by midnight with both my children. DC1 born 5am, DC2 born 5pm.

[Frecklefacedgirls]

I think it depends on the time your baby is born, obviously they need to fit in all the relevant checks first.
With DC4 recently I was told we could have a 6 hr discharge but it ended up a bit longer. We didn't leave the delivery room though.
DC2 and DC3 were born late afternoon/early evening and we had to stay in overnight on the post natal ward so they could have their paediatrician check in the morning.

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

I was offered a 6 hour discharge when ds2 was born at 7.30am, but was still waiting with my coat on for them to sign us off at 5.30pm.

When they say to you "it won't be long, I'll just get the paediatrician to do the baby's checks, you can start getting ready", don't believe them!!!!

It's very frustrating, you'd feel guilty to discharge yourself without the baby being checked first, but god, when you're sitting there bags packed and baby waiting to go in the car seat, it's soooo annoying.

[Heleng1982]

I had my 2nd at 4.03am and was home by 9am.

[funchum8am]

Thanks, it is great to hear it can in some cases be just hours!

I would love to ask the MW but clinic has been cancelled as she is on holiday and no cover available, so my next appt is with the GP instead. She may know though, actually. It's not urgent but I am planning my get out strategy so I don't get too anxious (am 36 weeks).

I had to wait for checks last time but when I pointed out at 8am I was leaving at the end of visiting hours (noon) with DH whether they were done or not, they managed to get it all done by 1pm.

I will try to give birth in the early morning this time! (If only...!)

[Wigeon]

I had my two at around 2.15pm and then around 12 noon, so a quick discharge is still possible with an afternoon delivery.

[Thewrongmans]

I was discharged immediately! This was many years ago when domino births were popular.

[JustTryEverything]

Dc2 born at 21.30 and discharged at 01.00am at midwife's suggestion. Very straightforward birth in the MLU though and we went to our GP surgery for newborn check 48 hrs later and hearing screening back at the hospital a couple of weeks later. It was very surreal but very lovely to be tucked up in my own bed just hours after delivery. Not sure if you'd be able to do that on a normal labour ward but it might be worth asking.

[Crazeeladee]

Depending on your unit's policy, if you have an epidural, you will often have a catheter in for 12 hours, and then need to pass a certain amount of urine within the next six hours, which will delay things for you. We try hard to get discharges done ASAP, but it all depends on if the paediatrician is free to do the baby check, and if we are not dealing with a high risk baby at the time that we couldn't leave to do the discharge, they are quite extensive to do.

[funchum8am]

What do people do about the paed check for a home birth? I don't want to leave without that unless I know there is an alternative eg going to the GP as a PP did after an MLU birth, and I can see it could be a long wait if baby is low risk.

Is it reasonable to wait and go to the GP a couple if days later if baby's APGAR score is high?

[5madthings]

It doesn't have to be done by a paed, some midwives are trained to do the newborn check and you can go home and arrange for your gp to do it.

[strawberryshoes]

2 hours here

[CinnabarRed]

I had DS2 at Stoke Mandeville, and we were out in 2 hours. The MW told me that there isn't a set time, it's however long it takes for the baby to fed and wee, and for the mother to wee and feel confident/comfortable about leaving.

DS2 and DS3 (homebirth) both had their paed checks done by our GP.

The only inconvenience was having to take them back into the hospital for their hearing checks. From memory it was a couple of days afterwards for both.

[addictedtosugar]

suprise home birth.
Midwife did most of the newborn checks. Had to pop into the hospital for blood O2 level check for DS2 - but we were in and out.
Hearing checks now done locally by the HV for all newborns.

We had the mw and paramedics with us for about 2 hrs.
mw came back in the afternoon with the paperwork.

Probably different if they were expecting a home birth

[littlejohnnydory]

Midwives don't do the newborn checks here, I've had 2 home births and took them into the hospital the next day for a check by the paediatrician. The hearing check lady visited us at home.

When I had my first child in hospital, I had an epidural and had to stay for 12 hours. I didn't have a catheter though and think if it hadn't been my first I'd have been assertive and left sooner! The minimum then was 6 hours although I believe it's possible to go straight home from the Labour Ward now without going onto the postnatal ward.

[VioletVelvet]

It was four hours after birth for us. Newborn checks were done at home by a midwife and we were given an appointment at a local health centre for the hearing test to be done.

[Showy]

I was discharged 12hrs after an emcs so even with a complicated birth they can kick you out let you go quite early...