to be shocked at a 4 day old baby out shopping...

[mrschop]

with his mother of course. But - four days after giving birth you should be resting, recovering, letting all your innards get back to where they should be. Surely not marching around a shopping centre?

And even if the mother is OK to be out and about, shouldn't newborns be given bit of time at home to adjust to being born? Mine didn't leave the house for a week, and then only a short walk up the road.

Am I really old fashioned in thinking that a week or two of rest, peace and quiet (and no germs from random strangers) is the normal thing to do with a new baby?

sagpuss, didn't I say, the baby was driving!

Her dh was in the car too before anyone reports my friend!!

Dh took DS out to Asda (less than a mile up the road) while I had a nice soak in the bath. I then took him myself when he 5 days old - both times he was fast asleep! I took him out simply because I was going stir crazy being cooped up. But I was utterly knackered when I got back, as I walked both ways (what was I thinking . I was more worried about DS waking up though, needing a feed!

mrschop I am not sure that it is a criminal offence as such to work within 14 days of giving birth. (to me, criminal means that the mother and/or her employer would potentially go through the criminal justice system.)

I know that there is some "rule" about working within 14 days, but I am sure that popping in for a meeting isn't a criminal offence in the true meaning of the words. (although I am happy to be corrected as my knowledge of the law is not particularly wide)

I've had two caesareans. I still liked being out and about afterwards. I think I had post-natal euphoria too.

YABU. If mum was up to it, then why not. Babies and mums don't need keeping at home out of the way IMO.

I had a c section and it drove me mad being stuck inside. On our way home from hospital, at 3 days, we took DD into work to meet his colleagues. By a week old we had taken her to the local pub whilst we had dinner out.

My friend had a home birth whith her second child. She as up and doing stuff the same day, and out and about thereafter, feeling great. It is what she felt like doing, and didn;t want to be cooped up at home.

A walk round a shopping centre shouldn't be a problem surely.

I have an ally in Turnip (seems only 1 though!).

I'd discussed this with a friend who is a midwife. She said her view is that it is best for mum & baby to rest for a week or two after the birth, but she said she feels inhibited from saying that to people. I can see why - I am really, really surprised at how uncommon it is to take that view.

And that lying in period was really common until recently - the ten day hospital stays that my mother had (not suggesting a return to that, before anyone leaps on that comment!).

In 'ye olden days' when it was - get breastfeeding established or your baby's going to come to a sticky end - women were kept indoors for 40 days, spending a lot of time in bed, holding their babies and feeding them.

Now women are back in Sainsbury's on day three after the birth, with their baby all wrapped up and in a pram, or at home washing up while other people hold their baby. It does make me wonder if this is contributing to the massive fall-out rate with breastfeeding in the first 2 weeks.

My midwife was adament that you spend as much time in bed as you can after your baby is born (obviously getting up to go to the bog etc so you don't get a DVT!) if you want to give yourself the best chance of getting bf going. I was up for this - just very short outings to the corner shop and the odd drive out, or short trip to my mums to lie on her sofa by day 5 (to prevent hideous cabin fever) but otherwise in bed, surrounded by packets of biscuits....

I also noticed that Caroline Flint's midwifery practice (The Birth Centre in Tooting) recommends two weeks of staying in bed, naked if possible, holding your baby skin to skin as much as you can. 98% of their mums bf at birth, but 90% are still going six weeks later.........

Erm, this business of lying in bed for a couple of weeks after the birth is a) fairly recent and b)was only for posh women. The poor always had to just get on with it: either they had to get back to work on the farm or they had other DC to look after.
I think people should do what feels right for them depending on what they could manage. I think DS was about 1 week old when I first took him up the road and back in a pram and I was petrified he would explode or escape or something, ubt if I'd had another child I might well have done the wander-round-shops-get-some-air thing.

with dd, i didn't leave the house for about 3 weeks, with ds, we all went to ikea when he was a couple of days old.

I'm talking about day trips, shopping centre visits, rather than a turn around the local park, pottering around at home or medical trips. It's just the full-on 'leisure shopping' so soon after giving birth that makes me wonder a) how they do it and b) whether it is the best thing (mentally/physically).

I went to a wedding 5 days after my crash section under general anaesthetic.

I wouldn't recommend it though.

(Baby didn't come, was in NICU)

I think if you feel up to going out then fine, but there is a perceived notion that unless you are up, about, back in your size 8 skinny jeans with full make up, wafting around the (immaculate) house making plans to meet friends for a spot of lunch 8.76 minutes after giving birth then Something Is Wrong.

I agree that the weeks-in-bed thing applied only to the wealthy.
Many babies did die or had to be nursed by another member of the family or community, if they were very lucky.
For exaple, my Grandmother had 7 kids and a job to go to. Some of her kids were fed by her, some by a local woman who wet-nursed in return for food/chores.
This wasn't THAT long ago.

Ah! A publication to back me up (Tittybangbang). Was wondering whether I was completely out of step with the rest of the world, tho not sure how practical the two weeks of nude bedrest would be, not very compatible with the in-laws visiting..

I took my baby to London to do a voice over when he was one day old. I felt fine. It depends how the birth has been. I could NEVER have done it with 2 and 4.

I should say though, mrschop, I do see your point about 'leisure-shopping' and about the need to be seen to be 'getting on with it'.

I took DD2 to tesco (how exciting) when she was 36 hours old. It was actually quite peaceful as I left rest of family with DD1 and stuck her in a sling so I could BF round the shop in peace.
Had to take her out as she came a bit earlier than I though and I didn't trust/want DH or MIL to buy me san pros or knickers and couldn't leave her.

Looked like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards mind!

I think I would have truely gone mad if anyone had made me stay in hospital for 10 days after DD's birth! I didn;t feel like a proper mummy till I got out of hospital; the time in there was like some hazy mist, kind of like I was still pretending.

i went on a hike one day post partum

since then i have been on numerous days out -parks- museums- restaurants - lido -two hours in a vw garage - habitat....etc

he is 14 days now

i went to asda with dd when she was oooh...14 hours old. She was early and I hadn't a chance to buy any bog roll. Not great when you are bleeding.

Besides, she was healthy, and bf, and I felt fine

Oh, God, this is turning into a Monty Python sketch...

"Aye, when i were a new mum, I went up K2 without oxygen, wearing a pair of Crocs and a Wilkinet."

After Dd1 I was out of hospital 7 hours later and shoping the next day
She was fine and so was I.
But in hindsight I wish I had stayed in hosp for a bit and then at home for longer as breastfeeding didn't go well.

When the twins arrived I was lucky enough to have a friend to take Dd1 to school for the 1st few weeks.

With dd4 I had 3 other kids and no chance of resting as she was 7 weeks prem so I spent my time back and forth to the hosp.

Ds1 (baby #5) had to just fit in with such a big family.

I had no choice to be up and about on the school runs less than 2 weeks after my c section