How quickly can you get out of hospital?

[mersmam]

I know they say that 6 hours is the minimum stay in hospital, but I'm interested to hear whether anyone has 'got out' quicker than that?!
(this is really a continuation from my thread on yesterday on deciding whether I should have a home birth). My 2nd and 3rd babies were born at home but due to various factors I'm feeling like I should have my 4th (due in early May) in hospital. The hospital is only 5 minutes away so what I'd like to do is give birth, have a quick shower and (assuming all is well with the baby) come home within 2-3 hours.
The midwives only stayed 1-2 hours after the home births so I really don't see why there should be a problem, but I'm worried that the hospital might make a fuss. Does anyone have any relevant experiences they can share with me?

[SparklyBaubleFeast]

don't you want to enjoy a 6 hour rest?

[mersmam]

I'd rather have the 6 hour rest at home!!

[mmmcheese]

When I went to my booking in visit for my second the midwife said I could leave straight after if I wanted to

[mersmam]

I should add that my previous three labours have all been late at night, meaning I'll probably be leaving hospital about 1-2amish! I know it sounds a bit mad, but I know I wouldn't get a wink of sleep in hospital and I'd rather make that 5 minute journey to my own bed... Also, we don't have easily available child care for the older three children (all under 5) - it will be much better if someone can just come and sit with them for a few hours while they are in bed, with me and DH being there when they get up in the morning.

[mersmam]

That's really encouraging givethedog and mmmcheese and makes me feel a lot better - thanks!

[DisastrousNuclearAccident]

It doesn't have to be 6hrs any more...I was told that I could leave as soon as the MWs had done the paperwork (which was estimated as being "long enough for me to have a bath").

It does, however, depend on what interventions you may have had and the baby being healthy.

[tribpot]

I couldn't get discharged the day ds was born because the midwives didn't have time to do the paperwork before the night shift started. On that basis, I wouldn't have thought a late night flit was doable, but it may vary from hospital to hospital.

[DisastrousNuclearAccident]

The 6 hour rule when I had my first in 2001 had a requirement that you would leave during "daylight hours".

When I had DD3 in 2006 I could have gone home at 2am if I wanted to (but needed to see a peadiatrician in the end so couldn't)

[endymion]

I was supposed to have a home birth but ended up having to go in because of shortage of midwives. Had ds at 9pm and was home by 11pm.

Dh tells me I was rather forceful on the wanting to go home issue. They wanted to have the routine paed check, but my argument wasthat if I had had the homebirth I wanted, the midwives would have done that check.

Was great to be home.

[Marne]

I got out 6 hours after having dd1 and regreted it, i was bleeding alot and in alot of pain, with dd2 i stayed in for 24 hours and enjoyed it .

[warthog]

with me they wanted me to stay until all the relevant people had done their tests (hearing / all the other crap they do). so i had dd2 at 2:30 am, home by 11am.

[whitenoise]

i had ds3 at 3 o clock and was home by 6:30. was a straight forward birth and i lived 10 mins away from hosp at the time

[mersmam]

tribpot - could you not have just left anyway, regardless of their paperwork! That is my plan anyway... I am not putting their paperwork as a priority! As I mentioned, with my homebirths the midwives were gone within a couple of hours so I don't see a need to stay in hospital for longer than that (except of course if there is some medical problem).
These posts are all very encouraging - so thank you!

[Ronaldinhio]

I self discharged (sounds offputting) after one night after a ecs. It was like hell on the ward and I knew my house was an oasis of calm with my dh and very excited mum there to help me.

[littleboyblue]

Hospital isn't a prison, I plan to leave once baby has fed and passed first stool, and if they tell me there isn't a paed free to check baby, I can either take him back the following day or take him to gp. I'm outta there asap this time unless there is a serious medical reason for either of us to stay, but recovery in hospital, what a joke! Much better off at home IMO where you have dp and any other family you may want/need

[babblington]

I was out 4 hours after giving birth - labour was 4 hours also. Whole thing was an eight hour round trip. Was 3rd baby though - i would have liked a couple of nights inn hospital!

[endymion]

When I say that dh says that I was forcible, in practice that only meant that every ten minutes or so, or whenever I saw a midwife, I said "when can I go home? I want to go home?"

I wasn't rude or unpleasant. I simply made the point that their rules regarding my leaving would not have applied had I been at home as was originally planned.

DS had agpars of 9 and 10. I had had a shower and got dressed. All was well and there was no reason for me to stay and every reason for me to go, not least the fact that it wasn't until I got home that I had a cup of tea or anything to eat.

DS was my second birth.

[TheInvisibleManDidIt]

ds2 was born at 0730am, was home before lunchtime. Could have left earlier but had to wait for dh to come back with ds1.

Took him back next day for his paed check.

[goldFAQinsenceandmyrrh]

I had DS3 at 4.20, placenta delivered about an hour later, and I left at 9pm (would have been earlier except I had to wait something or other (can't remember what now) and the person who was supposed to be doing it was tied up with someone else for AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGES (plus shift change came i the middle of it LOL)

[BrownOwl18]

In July I had DD2 at lunchtime and was home for afternoon tea

[Howdie]

I've discharged women 2 hours after birth. Basically if the birth is straightforward and you and baby are well afterwards there is no reason for you to hang around hospital. To be honest, the thing that often holds things up is because the hospital/staff are so busy that it takes 6 hours to get your paperwork organised.

I remember one woman I looked after who came in just before midnight, in good going labour. They had called the grandma out to come sleep in the house as toddler was asleep in bed. She gave birth at 01.00am, second baby, and was on her way home by 03.00am to get back into bed with new baby with her little boy probably none the wiser that she had even left the house - that birth made me smile for ages afterwards.

[LadyOfWaffle]

Aww Howdie, that's a lovely story

I had a 'six hour discharge' , by the time I had been sewn back together, had my tea, toast and jam , had a very slow bath and managed a wee, and them get paperwork done it was 7 hours. I did have to spend a few of those hours trying to wee though! I had to come back out th next morning though for the pead. check up, next time I may stay in for it (dep. on time). The day after that I was back in with an infection so in the end I didn't get any snuggle-in-bed-with-newborn-and-a-cup-of-tea time. At the end of the day, if you want to leave they can't keep you there, but 6 hours whizzes past by the time you toddle about getting youself sorted.