Anyone who's had a baby in America...

[TooManyAnimals94]

Do they really take newborn babies and put them in cots on their own with other babies and a weird viewing gallery where anyone can come and stare at your baby?
I see this all the time in American shows and sitcoms and it just looks barbaric!

Well I don't think anyone can just come in and stare at the babies - they will have security there!

I don't think it's like that anymore. They seem to have the babies in the room with mum.

We used to have this here in the UK, it was called a nursery! Newborns were taken there at night so the mums could have a sleep - if they cried in the night they were given a bottle. They were then wheeled to mum's bed at 6 in the morning for breakfast and taken back to the nursery after lunchtime so mum could have another sleep. Hopeless for trying to establish bf but otherwise very restful!

I had mine 20 plus years ago. no gallery, no nursery, bassinet in room and cot for my husband if he wanted to stay.

I wonder why they portray it like that. I agree re the breastfeeding, must have been a nightmare to get going with it.
I would have lost the plot if someone just whisked my baby away. Hated being parted from her for the first few weeks.

30 years ago there were nurseries here; Mum left to sleep after delivery and baby given a bottle by nursery nurses or brought to its mother for a Brest feed. Once mother had recovered from delivery then the baby could be in with her in a bassinet.Those were the days of 4-5 days in hospital to establish feeding and recover from delivery for ftms.With second and subsequent babies mothers could go home after 6 hours or the next morning if they wished or stay in for up to 48 hours.

When I had my first my Mum was gobsmacked that they expected me to take care of him all night on my own! She said when she had my brother and I we would be taken away all night and then taken away again when the cake trolley came round so the new Mums could have a break.

I remember in hospital having to shuffle about while bent double (c-section) trying to find the linen cupboard to change the little cot sheets after DS peed all over them (rookie mistake to change him in the crib).

I did have a nuse who helped with latching on but everything else I just had to get on with. No tea trollies for me.

It's detrimental to bathe babies straight away, you shouldn't wash away the vernix (it's not muck, it's created by your body to protect the baby), it should be left to absorb into the skin in its own time. That's commonly accepted best practice and the US is massively behind the times, as with most things.

It's also pretty poor practice to remove a healthy baby from mum straight after birth. The Golden Hour, and all that.

It's also pretty poor practice to remove a healthy baby from mum straight after birth. The Golden Hour, and all that.

that doesn't happen in the US. I've had 3 babies here quite a while ago. rooming in was the norm even then and the baby was put on my chest immediately. breastfeeding was really encouraged - la leche ran daily support groups in the hospital so everyone could go to one even if only staying a day. After c section I received a lot of help in lifting baby to feed. I wouldn't have been able to breastfeed my first (removed from me shortly after birth because I was busy nearly dying and then unconscious) except for the incredible work the nurses did. One nurse spent hours with me trying everything to get him to latch - eventually he did because she squirted a syringe of milk into his mouth while I stuck my boob into his mouth and he clamped down. I'm still grateful to her.

My mum had me in 1972. They kept you in for 10 days and took the baby overnight. When she had my brother 8 years later she asked the midwife what time they would be taking him 😂 she was a bit shocked when they told her that she had to have him with her!

oh and not washing the baby is now common practice in the US too.

I had a baby in the US a few years ago. They did have a "nursery," although it was not that gallery-style thing you see on TV shows! I think modern shows may still do that as a callback to a time when that was more the norm, for example back in the days when fathers weren't allowed in the delivery rooms and had to come later to see the baby. We recognize it culturally as a sign that "this is a new baby in the hospital who has just been born," even though I don't think that sort of thing exists anymore.

They did offer to take my son to the nursery in his bassinet during the night, but if he woke up they brought him back to me in my room (and woke me up so I could feed him). Then once he was asleep again, they'd wheel him back and my husband and I could sleep for like 60 whole minutes. Truly a great service.

I had an unplanned c-section and was in the hospital for three days. I wanted to stay longer because it was so pleasant but sadly they made me leave! Still not quite over that 😄

Oh, and they also didn't wash him right away, under the premise that all that goop is good for them. I think that's pretty standard practice now.

@MolliciousIntent less judging thanks. I was a new mum in a new country. I did as I was told. I was giving my personal experience in reply to the op. I was actually quite happy to take my third home I’m her muck. So eff off.

@IpanemaBelle I wasn't judging you, I was judging the shitty US healthcare system!

I was pregnant with no.2 in the US although moved back to the UK before delivery and my choice of in network hospitals were all classed as baby friendly (read breastfeeding friendly) and there was no nursery and baby had to room in.

I had both my babies privately here and DC1 went to the night nursery which was lovely. Sadly with DC2 it was closed due to covid and it was so knackering! They both also had a post birth clean up, which I think I was asked about but honestly can’t remember, clean baby was my preference anyway!

This happened with my first DC born in 2008. They took the baby away to sleep and be watched by nurses and then brought her back into my (private, which was standard for everyone at this hospital) room to feed when she woke up. It was optional but I really appreciated it. Random people couldn’t go look at the babies though, you had to be buzzed onto the maternity ward. By the time I had my second DC in 2012 they had done away with the nursery. It was a lot harder post c-section as my DH had to get home to stay overnight with the older child but I buzzed the nurse anytime I needed help and they were mostly lovely. I could also call and order a meal from a menu anytime between 6 and 6. A normal post c section stay is three nights but due to minor complications I stayed four. I cannot imagine sharing a space and a bathroom with three other moms and babies and their various visitors.

I'm glad to hear someone else had a pleasant hospital experience. All I hear is negative stories. I stayed in for 3.5 days with my son after he was born and I honestly missed the hospital when we were home!

I slept with my baby in the hospital bed. There must have been a bassinet but I have no recollection.

They didn't have a nursery for well babies.

@GirlOfTudor Oh yes, for sure! I loved my hospital experience. Room was beautiful, bathroom was cleaner than the ones at my house, food was impeccable, the nurses and lactation consultants were like angels on earth. Plus all the morphine I could stomach (which maybe had an effect on my glowing review, I don't know)...I was absolutely BEGGING them to let me stay but unfortunately they took no pity on me! 10/10 would birth another baby except for the fact that I don't want another baby.