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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

ELCS - how long do your nhs hospital let you stay?

33 replies

soppypreggyloon · 31/03/2011 18:44

I was to be told in no uncertain terms that with an elcs at my hospital I would be out within 24h. The midwife who booked us in was adamant about this. Even though they still class it as major abdominal surgery.
When I asked what happened if you went home too early and had to be readmitted- she just shrugged!

I'm not sure if they have nightclub bouncers to physically remove you from the premises or some sort of ejector beds but I know I'm not leaving till I can walk straight and till dc2 is feeding well etc!

What's your experience?

OP posts:

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Wormshuffler · 31/03/2011 18:46

My goodness! I was kept in 4 days, and it should have been 5 and I had to beg to go home! I would need 2 days for sure, i will still throwing up from the anesthetic at 24 hours!

BikeRunSki · 31/03/2011 18:47

Barnsley kept me in for 4 days after an emcs. They said this was standard for cs. And then they kept us in for another 3 days because DS was not well.

Friend of mine had hers at Jimmy's in Leeds and was kicked out after less than 24 hrs.

AtYourCervix · 31/03/2011 18:47

2 days where i work.

nunnie · 31/03/2011 18:53

2 days here dependant on birth time, if before 12pm then will be classed as a day, if after won't.

Here they don't take the cathater out or let you move till 18 hour post.

harrygracejessica · 31/03/2011 19:47

2 days with my first and 24 hours after the 2nd but theywerent happy about me going after 24 hours but the babies were in SCBU so it was only me leaving and they couldn't stop me.

pinxminx · 31/03/2011 19:53

24hrs for me too in central London. My DH paid the taxi driver a massive tip to drive at snails pace and avoid potholes and speed bumps! The conditions in the hospital were dire so I was glad to be home, but in hindsight I really ought to have been in for longer (got wound infection) etc

pinxminx · 31/03/2011 19:54

Oh it wasn't an elective section if that makes a difference

CrapBag · 31/03/2011 19:56

I was in for 2 days last month. No way would I have been up to it after 24 hours.

DoodleAlley · 31/03/2011 19:56

Three days minimum here. Can't believe 24 hours though!

mrsravelstein · 31/03/2011 19:58

i had to beg to be let out after 24 hours when dd born last year... the first 2 c sections i was out within 2 days but they weren't in a hurry to let me go, it was more because i wanted to

flopsy1974 · 31/03/2011 20:25

I was out 48 hours after DD was born by ELCS. I was happy to go home then, but I think 24 hours might have been pushing it.

detroitdoll · 31/03/2011 20:52

Two days for me. I was over the moon though as my consultant had told me that I would be kept in for four days. Was so glad to get home.

clareanna · 31/03/2011 22:12

Had an elcs on the Thursday lunchtime, hospital wanted me out on sat morning. Refused to go and asked to stay another night and they were ok. All the leaflets they gave me said expect a stay of 4-5 days, so I was surprised when they wanted me out after 36 hours! I wanted to stay in as I was very anaemic and also for the "rest" - private room in hospital being preferable in my mind to being jumped on by a toddler!

COCKadoodledooo · 31/03/2011 22:26

I went in Wednesday morning, eventually had elcs at 1.15pm, they came round first thing Friday morning to say I could go home that day (was the first time it had been mentioned), so I'm guessing we don't have a 24 hour policy in Salisbury.

Incidentally I told them I didn't feel ready to leave then, could I stay another night, and it was no problem.

reddaisy · 31/03/2011 22:31

Mine was an EMCS but I stayed one night but I asked to go home. I was desperate to be at home alone with my baby! Mine seemed to be very much led on what the patient wanted although obviously they had to be ok to discharge as well but I got the impression that if I had wanted to stay, I could have.

In hindsight I wished I had stayed longer as DD ended up with jaundice and we were back in the main hospital in days which was very, very uncomfortable for me. It was much cleaner and nice in the maternity hospital on the same site.

Pseudocreme · 31/03/2011 22:34

EMCS here. Was discharged after 12hrs. They say 2 days but day one is the day of surgery and day 2 the next day. I gave birth at 10pm at night, was discharged at 10am the following morning.

They needed the bed and were very pushy. DD hadn't even fed.

babylann · 31/03/2011 22:38

2 days after my EMCS they came in to discuss me going home. But because of a few different complications, I was in hospital for 14 days. In hindsight, I wish I'd just packed up and left the morning when I was ready because I hated it so much. They only ever came into shout at me for not breastfeeding properly and telling me to stop crying when I was emotional and hormonal, they said they would call social services if I tried to leave despite me never hinting that I planned to, and they expected me to deal with DD all alone throughout the night even though I could barely walk and was recovering from SPD.

I honestly think I had PND and bonding issues purely because I was forced to stay in hospital for something that could easily have been treated at home.

japhrimel · 01/04/2011 09:57

I was in for 5 days but had PE and DD in SCBU. It was 24hr before my catheter was removed so no way could I have left then. 2-3 days would've been good IMO.

gloyw · 01/04/2011 10:29

I was in for 2 days after my ELCS - I could happily have left after 24 hours, though, I had catheter out very quickly, could walk - didn't need to be there, really. However, day 2 was a Saturday, so it took for ever to get a paediatrician to sign us out etc.

If you have any problems, they won't kick you out! Remember most women want to go home from hospital as soon as they can, if they are recovering well, so they may feel they are giving women what they want in that respect.

That said, readmittances to hospital are logged as 'new' admittances. There's a political reason for that - it means hospital records show shorter stays by patients, which imply that recovery times are quicker. Hospitals are under pressure to free up beds quickly, and tackle 'bed blocking.' I found this out when my elderly father was discharged after an op for bladder cancer op, very quickly, when he was clearly still very poorly. He was back in a week later with an infection and other complications, and needed another stay to recover properly. I pointed out that keeping him in longer to start with would have been better, as these 2 separate stays meant he was actually spending longer in hospital - I was told that no, 2 separate admittances meant it would show up as less time spent in hospital. It's an accountancy thing, apparently.

oggybags · 01/04/2011 11:57

here its 3 days - and thats a hosp who chuck you out encourage you to leave after 5 hours if reg birth

WidowWadman · 01/04/2011 11:59

I was out 40 hours after EMCS, once all the checks were done on the baby. Hope will be the same for my ELCS (consultant says it probably will)

Meglet · 01/04/2011 12:01

3 days for my EMCS and planned CS, it was bearable TBH.

FWIW the midwife who did my 'birth reflections' session hated the fact that CS mums were sent home so soon. The gynea team who did my hysterectomy thought it was awful the way post cs mums were / are treated.

sh77 · 01/04/2011 16:56

3 days after elcs. Consultant was happy for me to leave after 24 hrs provided I was moving fine and no other complications.

Leilababyno1 · 01/04/2011 17:09

What about the risk of infection???!!!.....Can't believe that any hospital would discharge anyone after major abdominal surgery so soon??!! Are you sure? It would normally be a minimum of 2-3 days?!

WidowWadman · 01/04/2011 18:01

Leila - at home you can't get infected with hospital bugs, atleast that was one of the explanations I got. And you get more rest at home than in a 6 bed room with all the visitors. You get freqent midwife visits at home anyway, so really no reason to stay in.

I indeed did have a postpartum infections 3 days after getting home, but it was picked up and treated straight away, so I don't think being in hospital would have made a difference

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