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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

If you had to stay on post natal ward...

112 replies

CarrotPuff · 29/09/2015 11:21

...what was the reason? I mean, why you couldn't be discharged the same day?

I was quite lucky with DS, had straightforward labour, some issues with placenta coming out but nothing major. He was born before 11am and we went home about 8pm. I was actually wondering why we couldn't go earlier, but I am Rh neg so they were waiting for lab results on DS's blood.

It's a bit early to be thinking about labour with DC2, as I'm only 17 weeks, but I wonder why they make you stay? What was your reason? And how long for?

OP posts:

ceejoy · 29/09/2015 22:15

I had an emergency c section so I was in for 3 nights. The poor lady next to me had to have a Sun lamp for her little one and while I understand it was entirely necessary I do wish she had a private room so the ward wasn't lit up like midday until the early hours. It's hard enough to sleep on a ward after surgery as it is!

ImperialBlether · 29/09/2015 22:16

Baby 1: seven night stay; third degree tear and forceps delivery. I was really institutionalised by the end!

Baby 2: born at 2 pm - low birth weight - no question of us leaving immediately.

imwithspud · 29/09/2015 22:18

With dc1 I was in for 5 days. Not quite sure why, no one could give me a straight answer. Think it might have been breastfeeding related as we were having some issues with latch (which I eventually nailed on my own by watching YouTube videos), do was also slightly jaundiced. Also the fact we were waiting for the paediatrician to come round to do the check on baby which seemed to take days for some reason. I was not happy and I very nearly lost my mind.

With dc2 we were home around lunchtime the next day, only because dc2 was born late afternoon and by the time I got transferred to the post natal ward it was too late to start the discharge process. I didn't mind staying one night though, I was just worried I'd end up being stuck there for days like last time. It was a novelty being 'allowed' home less than 24 hours after birth.

Oldtomato · 29/09/2015 22:24

Difficulty establishing BF. I found it easier once home. The first night I stayed in delivery suite/MLU second on the ward. I found BF much easier at home I wish I had insisted on leaving after night 1.

SleeptightDaisy · 29/09/2015 22:26

I had an unexpected home birth with my dd everything fine but we had to go to the hospital as their policy was no midwife for unplanned home births so we supposedly went for just a check. The paramedics who took us in thought we'd only be a few hours at the most. No complications with me or Dd everything absolutely fine with the birth but we went in around 9am on the Monday and came home around 6pm on Tuesday due to both new staff from neighbouring hospital not being familiar with the computer system and everything needing to be double checked which took ages on busy post birth wards and to get Dd antibiotics for a pre birth diagnosed illness. Needless to say me and dh were tearing out hair out waiting to be discharged.

Patchworkturtle · 29/09/2015 22:29

Forceps delivery, 3rd degree year and 6 pint blood transfusion did it for me. Had him 4:09am Saturday, they let me go home once I'd walked unaided and had a wee on the Sunday night.
The night on the ward was literally the worst night of my life.. Awful experience.

badgerpillow · 29/09/2015 22:40

Stayed 2 nights because DS was given 48 hours of antibiotics. He didn't need them as it turned out because whatever tests they were doing came back negative. Don't even remember being told what they were testing for actually, it was something related to white spots on his face and maybe the prom.

Wish we had been able to go home as I was exhausted after a 38 hour labour and only got a few hours sleep in the hospital from various babies waking up through the night and waking up for DS to have his antibiotics. Ended up waiting hours to be discharged after DS was given the ok - was really happy to get out!

Havalina1 · 29/09/2015 22:48

Just home yesterday.

3-night stay. Gave birth friday 11.30am. Moved from Birth centre about 9am that morning to main delivery unit for emergency spinal and forceps delivery.

Result was after the 24hr catheter I could not empty my bladder myself. So they put it back in for another 24 hours to give bldder and rest and see if I pee after - I could. By then it was 9.30pm Sunday night and I stayed 3rd night. I left the following morning.

Hero1callylost · 29/09/2015 23:02

Had trouble establishing feeding, DS didn't latch properly and had to syringe colostrum, try pumping etc (ridiculous now I think about it as my milk hadn't come in then!) Also had to wait for doctors/midwives to do rounds - first wee check and newborn check - which all took time. They wanted me to stay another day or two until feeding was established but I couldn't relax/sleep enough as the ward was so noisy and had very little privacy with various midwives popping their heads round my curtain to give conflicting advice! So I discharged myself. DS was born very early morning and I was home by 8pm the day after.

I too got very little sleep with all the babies crying at various points through the night, awful! Was exhausted and wasn't yet tuned in to DS's cry so kept thinking it was him needing attention. I just needed to be at home to rest.

elliejjtiny · 30/09/2015 00:12

With DS4 I had a section and he was early (35 weeks). I stayed for 3 nights and DS was in the neonatal unit for 4 weeks.

With DS5 I had pprom, a section and sepsis. DS was early too (36+6). I was in HDU for 2 nights and then the postnatal ward for 3 nights. After that they wanted to discharge me but ds was in intensive care and I was desperately trying to establish breastfeeding. DS was feeding well whenever I went down to feed him but I was really struggling with walking from postnatal to neonatal all the time. With a lot of effort on my part and on the neonatal nurses part too we got breastfeeding established that night and the next morning he was able to come and be with me on postnatal. We were there together for another 3 nights, mostly because of DS's jaundice. I spent most of the time I was in hospital alone as DH was looking after the other DC. The loneliness was the worst bit, especially in HDU.

Pyjamaface · 30/09/2015 00:27

EMCS at 32 weeks. DS was in SCBU for 23 days

I stayed for 6 nights because my iron was really low, for all but the first night I was in a single room and bored (first night I was out of my head on morphine anyway, could have been on the moon for all I knew ) At least the food was bloody marvellous

NewBallsPlease00 · 30/09/2015 00:50

My temp slightly raised indicated possible infection
Catheterised
Ds failed hearing test- peads wanted to wait to see him following day

Millie2013 · 30/09/2015 09:25

I was quite poorly, had to have a couple of blood transfusions, then I got a haematoma, so had some ultrasound treatment. To add to the chaos, my milk didn't appear, so DD dropped weight and they wouldn't discharged until we'd sorted feeding
I was in for a week, but had my own en suite room, so it wasn't too horrific

Jeffreythegiraffe · 30/09/2015 13:41

PPH both times, worse with dc2.

Arkkorox · 30/09/2015 13:44

Had dd on the sunday went home on the Wednesday as they decided I wasnt 'safe' to be on my own with my baby at home. Midwives actual words.... Along with calling me a crap mum at 3am when dd was crying from wind.

Still seething 9 months later.

Bishboshbash · 30/09/2015 13:50

I was in for 4 days to be induced then had a placenta infection so had to stay another 4 afterwards, was so glad to go home!!

Siennasun · 30/09/2015 21:20

I was in for a couple days because I had a c-section. I really enjoyed it. I had a private room. Visitors, except for DH, were banned Until I was home from hospital. It was so nice and peaceful and I got 3 proper meals a day

pinguina16 · 01/10/2015 09:15

Multiple factors
1-Waited for epidural to wear off and check I could pee
2-Severe PPH-had to take pack out on day 2 + needed 2d blood transfusion on day 4
3-Baby declared jaundice within first 24 hours so was put under phototherapy
4-Pain management after epidural wore off-they could give me diamorphine for coccyx/back passage pain
Turns out I was seriously injured. Although I hated both the high dependency unit and the maternity ward (noisy, no privacy, rude neighbours playing music and skyping at all time of day and night, staff mostly unavailable) I should really have stayed in hospital for 3 months until I could at least walk more than half a mile and they could have given more diamorphine.

sausagepoo · 01/10/2015 09:37

DS and DD both passed meconium during labour so had to stay in overnight for observation.

Doilooklikeatourist · 01/10/2015 09:45

DS born just before midnight on Thursday , we stayed in until monday as I had a PPH following a forceps delivery and episiotomy
( it was Easter weekend , DH and his parents were running a busy pub and couldn't have had any time to help me )
I needed a 3 bags worth of blood transfusion
DS was shocked and floppy at birth , so needed a lot of help with feeding

DD , born at about 8-45 pm , an hour after we got to the hospital , and we were home by 11 pm

camelfinger · 01/10/2015 09:47

DS1 - timing - born 10pm
Emcs.

DS2 - Elcs. Monitoring baby's thyroid and blood sugar for 48 hours. I also fainted and felt pretty weak.

I was keen to go home as early as possible in both cases. I pushed to be discharged with ds1 - 2 days. With ds2 I assumed we'd be in for ages so didn't push for early discharge. Also 2 days.

I think if there was some sort of discharge lounge then that would be great, so you can get help with feeding and changing etc without having to use a bed. This might also prevent readissions for e.g. Jaundice.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 01/10/2015 11:09

48 hours in labour, EMCS at 4am on a Monday. Discharged at Thursday lunchtime in a rush because they needed the bed. First child, feeding not establishing and weight dropping fast [sadly not mine].

VikingLady · 01/10/2015 11:43

DD was EMCS so had to stay 48 hrs

DS was vaginal delivery but a LOT of stitches. They told me I could go home after 6 hrs but that was 4am - no taxis and we don't drive. No way was I walking home! So stayed til after lunch by my choice so I could get all the newborn checks out of the way too and avoid them coming to the house.

Elledouble · 01/10/2015 12:01

I stayed two nights. First night cos my blood loss was a bit borderline and the second because I hadn't managed to get my son to latch yet and they were trying to help (and it worked! A midwife came and sat with me while I was crying at 2am cos I couldn't feed him and she got him latched on - she saved us!).

I didn't mind at all. I quite liked it on the ward, my PND kicked in shortly after, and I wished I was back there being cared for.

ClaireFraser · 01/10/2015 12:37

DD induced a fortnight early due to pre eclampsia, stayed in the Sat&Sun night, gave birth 4am Mon morning.

Kept in four nights after birth due to high blood pressure, protein in urine, DD had jaundice and then lost 12% of birthweight due to my milk not coming in, so had to supplement with formula. It took 7 days to come in, but was determined to hang in there.

Was so glad to go home, midwives were amazing, brand new postnatal ward, food was edible if a bit stodgy, but just really wanted to be back home. Despite all that time in hospital they still failed to pick up her posterior tongue tie, local breastfeeding counsellor picked that up at 3 weeks, snipped at 5wks and breastfeeding finally painfree at 10wks. Has since been established that the TT contributed to her rapid weight loss.

Will be really firm on them checking for posterior TT with any subsequent children (they checked for anterior TT but missed the posterior)

Have been told next birth will be consultant led rather than MLU and classed as higher risk due to pre eclampsia, but hopefully will be just in and out with a straightforward water birth, which is what I had hoped for this time!

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