How long will I be in hospital for?

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How long were you in hospital for?

I plan on giving birth at an MLU with just gas and air or Pethidine as pain relief. How soon do you think we would be able to go home?

I am aware that it does depend and my birth plan could go completely out the window though

I was in hospital for 12 days with DS1 and a week with DS2, both pretty unusual circumstances so very unlikely to be the same for you!

If you and baby are well, then you could go home on the same day, depending on when you can be discharged. That can depend on when midwives/doctors do their rounds.

I went in on a Wednesday to be induced. No beds on the labour ward - DD born on the Friday morning and I went home teatime Saturday. So 3 nights for me but obviously because of induction and the no need situation

Bed not need

I'm planning the same although am trying to remain open minded. My MLU state that if Mum and baby are fine then they will let me home within 6 hours!

Went in, in the morning to be induced. Left the following afternoon. Would have left earlier but they wouldn't let me.
2nd one at home.

Honestly, how long is a piece of string. I ended up with an escalation of interventions and needed to stay in 48 hours for monitoring (had already done 24 hours labour prior to this). Dc2 I could have popped him out and carried him home on foot I felt so good! Still had to stay 2 days with him though as he needed a heat lamp.

Went in at 1pm Thursday, born at 3pm, stayed overnight and then after the routine checks etc we could've been home by lunchtime. The hospital computers crashed though so it took a bit longer. Home by 5pm 😀

Went in at 1am - dd born at 1:10am - home at 5:00pm

Let's look at statistics!
The one we really want I can't find (post natal stay for first time mums), but I can find these :

1)Statistics taken from the NHS.
Length of postnatal for all mums.

• same day : 20%
• 1 night : 41%
• 2 nights: 21%
• 3 nights: 8%
• 4+ nights: 10%

2. that gives some indication - probably one night, could be more or less. But it depends on your type of delivery, which can differ depending on the number of children you've had. Ie, your chance of a non assisted vaginal delivery for first baby is 50%, with 11% forceps. But by your third baby, non assisted vaginal is 66% and risk of forceps only 3%.

Ive put the stats down, but basically it's 50% for non assisted vaginal for you, about 20% instrumental, 20% emergency section, 8% elective section. So I'd plan on being in between 1-2 nights, with same day if you deliver very early or get lucky, 3 nights if it's a bit tough. If you get to stay in the MLU, probably either same day or one night.

• spontaneous vaginal (50% first birth):

30% SD, 47% 1N 13% 2N 5% 3N 5% 4N+

• ventose (8% first birth) :

12% SD 46% 1N 21% 2N 9% 3N

Forceps (11% first birth) :
6%. SD
41%. 1N
25%. 2N
12%. 3N

Planned section (8% first birth)
1% SD
37%. 1N
40%. 2N
12%. 3N
10%. 4+N

Emergency section (20% first birth)
1% SD
19% 1N
37%. 2N
18%. 3N
25%. 4+N

A lot depends on the time of day you give birth. My DD was born at 18:30 so we stayed in for a night. I gave birth on a MLU with just gas and air and I always thought I wanted to go home on the same day but actually I really needed that night in hospital. By the time I was stitched up, showered and had successfully got DD to latch on it was pretty late any way.

5 days. I had the same birth plan as you but it didn't work out.

I was in hospital 2 weeks with bladder retention and DS was in intensive care for that 2 weeks as well.

1 night, birthed on the MLU with only has and air.

Gas*

First baby, Diamorphine and Ventouse delivery.

I arrived at hospital at 6am, had him at 11am and was eating dinner at home by 5pm.

I have birth at 1am and was home by 4:30am. In hindsight, that was a terrible fuck up on the midwives part but I was so tired I just said ok!

• gave not have!

I gave birth on MLU with gas and air and pethidine.
Baby born 6am discharged 8pm that night no complications though

DD1 was born at 4am. We had to stay in 12 hours for monitoring (some meconium in my waters) and I had stitches, but no pain relief (swift labour and had no time) and went home that evening.

DD2 born at 5pm. No complications but had pethidine during labour. Stayed overnight and went home about lunchtime the next day.

I had my Son 00:10, and I was Home by 11am.

Sorry forgot to mention,
Normal birth, no stitches afterwards but did make sure I had a Pee before I left & god I forgot how much it stung!

With dd. Arrived at hospital 4am, born 2pm that day, discharged 10am next morning.
With ds. Arrived at hospital 3.45am, born 4.15am, discharged 4pm.

With DC1, my waters broke more than 24 hours before he was born. This is associated with a higher risk of infection, so I was kept in for 24 hours after the birth. No sign of an infection so I was discharged.

With DC2 and DC3 it was shorter. Both were born during the night (2am and 10pm) and I left by early afternoon the following day.

4 weeks with dd1 very premature

Baby number 2, taken In For induction and told to be there for 9am. By the time the doctor had seen me, I'd been downstairs for another scan and they'd sorted paperwork it was 5pm before they put the pessary in. Waters went 6pm next day baby born around 7pm

They kept me 2 nights one before and one after but I was in a fair amount of pain, really struggled with the breastfeeding and in hindsight I would have benefitted from another night or 2 in there rather than being discharged in the dark and cold at 9pm and dp having to drag the toddler out of bed.