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Childbirth

Discharging yourself from hospital

29 replies

Happilymarried155 · 28/01/2017 19:52

Has anyone done this? What was the reaction?

Obviously, if baby needs extra care I wouldn't discharge us. However last time I had to stay in for 2 nights due to bad tear. By the third day I didn't get discharged until 6pm and I felt awful. I hadn't slept in days, eaten a proper or had a proper shower I was so close to tears for the whole day. As soon as I got home I felt normal again! Added to this I now have a little boy who is only just 2 that I will want to get back to. How easy is it to just tell people you are going home!

OP posts:

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RealMidwife · 21/02/2017 14:11

It's a secret in the NHS, but we often keep women in for fun

We do not look after one woman and her baby. It's as frustrating for us as it is for you, but there's a discharge procedure to be completed once you're both fit for discharge. We can have 6 of these happening at once, and unfortunately you're not always the priority.

You're an adult and not a prisoner therefore you're well within your rights to self discharge, but also the NHS has a finite amount of time and resources and doesn't spend them keeping women in without good reason.

PossumInAPearTree · 28/01/2017 21:53

Oh, missed the diabetes post.

They'll want to check baby's blood sugars, our hospital say three normal blood sugars in a row 3-4 hours apart. I would really, really recommend staying for this. Babies of diabetic mums can drop their blood sugars quickly.

PossumInAPearTree · 28/01/2017 21:51

As a midwife I promise we can't legally keep someone's baby until ss arrives. Not unless there's a court order.

Just tell the midwives you'd like to leave asap after delivery. When I had my dd a long time ago it was policy to have to stay in for five days. I buzzed on the second morning and politely asked the midwife to sort my discharge out as I would be leaving that day. There was slight muttering about it being non standard but I was polite and firm and left with my paperwork two hours later.

Don't walk out without paperwork. It doesn't help the community midwife!

jellyandsoup · 28/01/2017 21:50

I used to work on the postnatal wards and in our hospital anyone with diabeties the baby would need at least 24 hours of observations plus blood sugar tests. It's not as simple as just discharging yourself, and just walking Our with baby would definitely mean ss getting involved I would think.

crombanna · 28/01/2017 21:43

Midwife here.

I always tell women on the ward "if you want to leave, you can - you are not prisoners". It is illegal to keep someone in hospital against their wishes. When I come to have my babies, if they are dragging their feet to discharge I will quite simply get my bags and leave!

The baby needs a check within the first 72 hours of life, not 6 hours.

RandomMess · 28/01/2017 21:36

I had an unexpectedly large baby (they told me a measured small for dates - LOL) so they were very concerned about her blood sugar levels, hence my offer to leave the baby behind whilst I went home at 2am to get some sleep - think this was day 3 post birth! In the end I gave her a bottle of hospital formula (not sure you get that anymore) as the bfing was going too badly (maternity was packed due to baby boom) as soon as we got home (about 3 miles away) then we all had 5/6 hours solid sleep and life suddenly felt so much better!

minipie · 28/01/2017 21:26

With GD they will keep your baby in for blood sugar checks for 24 hours minimum (longer if any fail). We were in for 48 hours (one test failed despite well controlled diet and sugar levels). Sorry.

My advice to get out asap - do whatever you can to get baby's blood sugars up after the birth, formula or if you want to fully BF then hand express into a syringe (ask the midwives for some help) so you can top up after feeds with extra colostrum.

Also, ask if there are any amenity rooms (ie private rooms! ) - my hospital has them, they are given firsto to those with medical need but if any are empty you can pay £100 and get it. Sooo much better than a ward. Yours may have them?

Happilymarried155 · 28/01/2017 21:03

I'm hoping bloody sugars will be OK, I have only just been diagnosed at 36 weeks and I haven't had a high blood sugar since even though I haven't changed my diet too much. Obviously if I need to for the baby il stay in. Really useful advice here, thank you everyone!

OP posts:

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 28/01/2017 21:01

You can discharge yourself but if they have any worries about the baby then you can't discharge the baby. That's what I was told when I had DS back in 2014 anyway was too hormonal / drugged up to look into if that was true or not.

Gaaaah · 28/01/2017 20:58

I know! She said I had to have her before 2pm in order to leave that night. She was born at 2pm and straight away, I said "I'm going, so get the papers done!"

20 degrees

jinglestheelf · 28/01/2017 20:54

I had GD three times. The babies all needed their blood sugars monitoring after birth. The earliest I made it home was two days after the birth.

ToadsforJustice · 28/01/2017 20:50

Please explain "legally keep your baby".

UpYaKilt · 28/01/2017 20:46

If you've got gestational diabetes it's likely that the baby will need blood sugar levels monitoring for a while after birth, so a 6 hour discharge is fairly unlikely.

TellMeHowToLiveMyLife · 28/01/2017 20:43

I left 4 hours after having ds1. They did the 6 hour check the following day (which they were going to do anyway as I'd given birth at 5ish and the doctors weren't doing the rounds at night).

AndNowItsSeven · 28/01/2017 20:41

You can just walk out, however the hospital can legally keep your baby in their care until SS arrive.

RandomMess · 28/01/2017 20:39

LOL Gaaah, love the time limit & even more that you made it!

With DC3 it was in the heatwave of August 2003 they tried to tell me it was too cold to take the baby home at 11pm at night - it was 20 degrees and the hot water had broken down in the maternity unit!!!

ToadsforJustice · 28/01/2017 20:37

The hospital can have their policies. In essence, if you and your baby are feeling well, the hospital cannot hold you prisoner. You are free to leave. If you make noises to leave it's amazing how quickly the "discharge" can happen. You will see a MW at home anyway, it's not as if you are going to be left to get on with it.

Gaaaah · 28/01/2017 20:34

I left the hospital last time without my baby having had her checks. I told them as soon as I got there that I wanted out asap. The midwife said I'd have to have her by a certain time, which I did. I was allowed to stay on delivery until paperwork was completed and left at 8 at night. A senior midwife came in the morning and did the newborn checks on our dining table! We went back to the hospital when she was a couple of days old for the hearing tests.

RandomMess · 28/01/2017 20:31

I did say I was leaving (2am) and they wouldn't let the baby leave without being seen, I did offer to leave baby behind - I was very desperate for some f*cking sleep at this point in time...

RandomMess · 28/01/2017 20:29

Not 100% sure but I think legally the hospital has an enhanced duty of care for the baby until discharge?

The 6 hour rule is because there are certain health issues that if they occur at birth they don't always appear until up to 6 hours later, it's that length of time for safety reasons. If you just disappeared with a baby prior to formal discharge the hospital wouldn't just shrug their shoulders and go "oh they've gone home" - remember the mum that took her baby and committed suicide/infanticide?

Happilymarried155 · 28/01/2017 20:21

I really hope your all right!

I would love a home birth but dh was too worried. Up until 2 weeks ago I thought I was going to MWL but have just been told that I have polyhdramnios and gestational diabetes so now they won't take me! I suppose that's why I've only started worrying about staying in now as I really thought it wouldn't be a problem!

OP posts:

ToadsforJustice · 28/01/2017 20:19

Why can't you walk out? Why do you need a formal discharge?

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RandomMess · 28/01/2017 20:12

Actually when you have a baby, you cannot just walk out and take baby with you, that would set panic stations off!!! You do need to do formal discharge, the 6 hours baby check is very important.

Put it on your birth notes, speak to your midwives. If your baby is born late evening they will probably want to discharge you the following morning as the paediatrician will be on call rather than working a regular shift.

Trainspotting1984 · 28/01/2017 20:11

Always said I'd do this but couldn't physically manage it due to birth injuries. However they said I had to pass wind before I could leave and I just lied about that. Best decision I ever made

ToadsforJustice · 28/01/2017 20:09

Of course you can discharge yourself. Just walk out. You are not a prisoner.

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