How long in hospital?

[amarantha]

Hi ladies, I'm 22 weeks and even though I've ages to go I'm worried about how long I'll have to stay in hospital. I've read somewhere that with your 1st its 2 days minimum. I can't imagine staying on a ward that long and don't want anyone visiting me whilst I'm there, is this flexible?
Thanks

amarantha, also bear in mind, nobody can make you stay; hospitals are not prisons. You are free to go whenever you want.
If there are policy sound medical reasons why the staff feel you should stay longer, you will simply be asked to sign a "discharge against medical advice" form. Everybody is scared of being sued these days...

With DD I gave birth at 7.45 and was discharged at 9am the following am.

I agree with you that you do not want to stay in hospital very long (you will sleep better at home, believe me!), but at the same time you may want help with establishing bf - a colleague of mine refused to leave until her DD had had a good feed, for instance.

(my DD was in SCBU as very prem, so I really did not need to stay longer than I did).

I was out in less than 48 hours after the birth, and I had an emergency section.

4 horrendous days. Never again. This time, I'm going to be assertive about getting us out as soon as possible.

shudder

With my 1st emergency csection I was in for 4 days. Would have been longer if I had continued to perservere with breast feeding.
With my 2nd antother emergeny csection I had ds at 10.30 pm Saturday and was out 1st thing Monday.

9 days, but then ds was in scbu with jaundice/lost quite a bit of weight/eye infection. i was climbing the walls by the end of it and cried all the way home with happiness at getting out. i was becoming institutionalized

dd1 - 5 days (but cs and not UK hospital)
ds1 - 5 days (i was in a shocking state due to a back to back labour and various internal veterinary type procedures, he was fine)
dd2 - 14 days (she stayed for 5 weeks)

i may not be average lol.