To leave maternity ward without red book?

[SOPH781]

So, I'm due in hospital for an elective c-section this week. This is my second ECS and with my first I was ready to leave the next day. Baby was great, I felt great - no pain etc. However, the midwives were not happy about me leaving so early and told me that I had to wait for the red book. They kept me waiting for something like 14 hours - it felt like they were holding me hostage/punishing me for wanting to discharge myself!

I chose to wait for it as I was unsure if I would be able to get the red book from somewhere else and I was aware of its importance. I've asked my current midwife and she didn't know if I would be able to get it later down the line. Have any of you had experience of this? Were you able to collect your red book at a later date?

Thank you

I'm a bit baffled by this thread there are many risks to major surgery and I'd agree to wait and see how you get on/how you feel etc instead of moaning upfront about a hypothetical situation

Gosh when I had my dds by elective section 25 and 22 years ago, you stayed in for 5 days. It was lovely!

I can't imagine leaving the next day after having major abdominal surgery!

I had catheter and drains in the day after the section. theres no way I'd have gone home straight after having them removed.

I hardly thing the HCP bashing is thinly veiled. 'Punishing' you? Why the hell would they do that? Do you really think they're vindictive? Why on earth would they be?

And a service industry? Are you being sarcastic? Apologies I genuinely can't tell.

maybe the HCPs could have explained the actual medical risks rather than holding The Red Book over the OPs head as a threat/enticement

that might have helped the situation along.

I don't think if you had major abdominal surgery for another condition you'd be telling the staff when you should leave, would you? Everyone knows that the way the NHS is today people aren't kept in longer than necessary - ergo if they want you to stay it's very likely there's a good reason for that.

HV's give out red books at their first visit here, until I read this thread I didn't know they came any other way!!

agree that you should just wait and see how you feel, and remember that you might have to stay longer because of the baby, not you, this time.
I had an emcs with dd and was probably physically ready to go home after 3 or 4 days, we had to stay for 6 because a late growth scan picked up that she had an enlarged kidney and they didn't want to discharge her until they had rescanned her when she was 5 days old. she had the scan late in the afternoon on day5 and so we had to wait for the paeds doctor to do her rounds on the morning of day6 before we could be discharged. I think I found it easier to stay because it was a reason with DD, rather than me feeling fine and just sitting about IFSWIM?

Thank you everyone for your replies. It seems that getting the red book at a later date won't be a problem according to others' experiences. That's a relief, knowing that if baby and I are fine that I will just be able to discharge myself without having to jump through hoops to get my hands on it.
Lol at anyfucker. 'Eeeviil'

The hospital I had all 3 of my DCs in never liked to keep anyone in any longer than their Consultant felt absolutely necessary. There was always a very swift turnaround for those with no problems.

Generally, women who were not under Consultant care for their delivery (although you would be for a planned CS) were allowed home as soon as they felt ready, provided baby was well and feeding.

I totally agree that waiting for your paperwork & meds on discharge day can be tedious but I can't imagine wanting to actually discharge myself early against medical advice. I guess I tend to be somebody who believes that the professionally trained staff know better than me about what's best. I trusted my Consultant's judgement - after all it was her knowledge & training that made sure DD was induced as an emergency at 38 weeks, and born fit & healthy. I felt that if I could trust her to handle that, I could trust her to know whether we should stay in hospital for an extra night or not.

My sister had a baby at home last month and didn't get her red book until the following week when the HV came.

I'm Not ' moaning' owl just asking for advice / expressing an opinion.

Since when has talking straight and to the point been presumed as ostentatious AND without calling other people "stupid"

OP, I think it's always been the HV who gives the red book.

The HVs give you the red book at the first visit here- or they did when my DCs were born.

I just had my newborn and they had no red books left to give. I got told I would get one off my H/V but she didn't have any either when she did her visit. Went to the midwife clinic at the hospital and she asked if anyone said they would post one out to me and told them they hadn't. She actually went and got one from the delivery suite,they must of had a batch delivered. This was after DS was two weeks old. So they can't be that important. Maybe suggest you will come back for it at a later time. I understand after having a baby you just want to be at home in your own environment to rest and recover properly.

I think you are underestimating what you are going through and focusing on something that isn't important. Which might be a coping mechanism for you, I don't know. No one knows what will arise during surgery, I'd just concentrate on what is going to happen to be prepared, but that is just my opinion.

Good luck for later in the week

And I don't understand why anyone would want to stay a minute longer than necessary

Hmmm. Stay in hospital with newborn whilst recovering from major abdominal surgery or go home with toddler liable to demand your attention and climb all over you. Can you really not think why someone might see a benefit in staying?

Actually pootles yes. The 2/3 midwives in question were awful to me. (The others were amazing) I ended up putting in a complaint against two of them and I received an apology and was told they had been disciplined. Others had complained too. So yes, they were being vindictive. Not to mention unprofessional and unkind. But anyway, thank you everyone else for your responses and advice. I feel a bit more prepared now.

They generally aim for 48 hours discharge anyway, which in the grand scheme of things isn't long.

It is major surgery, why would you want to put yourself at risk? I absolutely hate hospitals and was miserable in hospital after my elective c-section but I know that the midwives would not keep me in unnecessarily so I would perhaps listen to the experts and not put yourself at risk for the sake of another 24 hours.

I had an elective section on Weds this week and came home on Thursday afternoon. I was surprised they let me home so early last time I was in for 4 days but that was mainly due to issues feeding the baby. I am glad to be home but am struggling, physically finding it a bit tougher than my first although mentally easier and if it hadn't been so hot in the hospital and noisy I would have stayed a bit longer. I thought I wanted to be home but it's not that much easier than I thought it would be.

Just realised your having another c section. I agree you need to consider how you will feel at the time. Healing might take longer due to previous scarring from your first c section. There could be further complications so it's best to see how it goes rather than jump the gun. Good luck for your c section tho

Yes owlady I agree. If there are complications or the baby isn't ready to leave then I will stay. I won't want to though if we are both fine and it is for that situation that I was asking advice.

AF I generally am in agreement with you but I must admit my experience having DS2 did make me wonder why I was still in hospital the next day. No-one was monitoring me for anything at all; no notes were taken, I wasn't examined prior to leaving the hospital, nothing happened yet I still had to hang around for 18 hours after he popped out in a completely boring and run-of-the-mill way.

I can't remember when I got my red books so no help to the thread

You can definitely get the red book in other places than hospital as ds2 was a home birth (as was ds3 but we had a post birth transfer grrr) and we got ours. Nor sure when but we got it!
I would have done anything to get out of hospital quicker after ds1, and in fact with ds3 earned their undying hatred by insisting on leaving as soon as the issue we'd been transferred for was confirmed as a non issue. I see it on every discussion of postnatal wards- the environment is awful, women are desperate to leave ASAP and feel that they are unnecessarily forced to stay somewhere they hate, no one gets any sleep etc etc etc. It's so clearly a significant issue that it boggles me that it continues to be shrugged at and that discussion of it is so often seen as unfair and malicious attacks on saintly HCPs.