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Original poster

how long in hospital when the baby is born?

38 replies

jan2011 · 14/05/2011 20:23

hi!
i am just wondering how long people normally are in for after the baby is born. my midwife told me that at the hospital ive registered for we are to leave after 6 hours assuming things are ok. is this pretty standard? my hubby thought it was very quick. do you think its better this way?

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tiggyhop · 15/05/2011 04:59

I had 3 children in hospital and I have never been on a labour ward. Each one was 6 hours before we left, which was fine for me (and small people).

ballstoit · 15/05/2011 05:07

DS, arrived at 5.30 Saturday morning, left Sunday morning. Had forceps birth and struggled to latch on Day 1.
DD1, arrived at quarter past midnight Monday morning, left at about 11. TBH this was too soon for me, particularly as we spent 6 of her first 11 hours on a chair in the day room as there was no bed available.
DD2 was orn at home, at least I knew I'd have a bed to sleep in!

Original poster
jan2011 · 15/05/2011 07:49

Hi
thanks for all the replies its so interesting to hear everyones different experiences, this is my first baby so i was a bit apprehensive when she said our policy is that people leave after 6 hours since id heard never really heard of this before. i guess im just worried about being under pressure to leave before im ready as its all new to me - i do have an underlying health condition which means i am likely to be very tired after the birth, and i do want to establish breast feeding. but obviously if everything is find and i feel ok i don't mind leaving and going home, its just that hospital might be a bit less stressful just for the first while with getting some extra support.
i will just see how it goes and as someone said if i don't feel ready to leave ill have to try to stick up for myself and say so! xx

OP posts:
notnearlyasblondasiwas · 15/05/2011 08:03

DD was born at 2.15am and we were home by 10am same day - could have stayed and we had a private room where hubby could sleep too but I just wanted to be home. Was re right decision for us and hope to do the same again in 8 weeks (fingers crossed!!)

ImBrian · 15/05/2011 09:55

Think it depends on the hospital, I had my first dd at a tiny mid wife led unit. There were no problems but they kept me in for 5 days as I was breast feeding. I was the only birth there the whole time though. With dd2 it was a large city hospital and I stayed in over night as she was born at about 5pm. DD3 was born at 8 am in same hospital but due to having a spinal I had another over night stay. I like staying in over night, gives me a chance to bond a bit with baby before its siblings are unleashed on it

OppositeOfBlooming · 15/05/2011 09:58

I had an emcs after quite a difficult labour and they really pushed me to leave because they were busy. I was discharged 12hrs post surgery. DD hadn't bfed and they hadn't removed my catheter but they were signing the papers and nagging me to ring dh to collect me.

I'm really looking forward to giving birth there again in September.

harassedinherpants · 15/05/2011 10:29

Blimey Opposite that's a bit extreme!!!

Mine are various ages and had varying stays with all of them. Ds1 is 21 and I stayed in 10 days, I'd had a difficult birth and they were fabulous. Ds2 is 20 and that stay was 7 days cos that's what they did then.

Dd is nearly 5 and I had her at 1am and was discharged around 2pm. Much of that was spent waiting for a duty doc to examine her before discharge at our mw led birthing centre.

travispickles · 15/05/2011 10:32

Mine was EMCS and for a number of reasons I was still there 8 days later. It depends entirely on the birth, I certainly hadn't planned how mine went.

memphis83 · 15/05/2011 10:39

I lost a lot of blood and my heart rate went to 225 bpm so they called the cardiac team, as they were stitching me up I asked as it was before 5pm could I go home, they said no but I went the next day with a cathether still in.

Standard practice in out hospital is 4 hours, 6 if you've has an epidural.

My friend gave birth 3 weeks early, hadnt collected the car seat from the shop, was so scared to leave with her new baby she kept ignoring them when they asked her when she planned on going, 48 hours after birth they practically threw her out of delivery suite!!! Grin

imo you will get more rest at home, staying on that ward is awful, sods law is your baby is sleeping you want to sleep but every other baby is screaming in the ward!

holderness · 15/05/2011 11:03

Hah JetLi - nope ,only 50 although I agree it seems vastly different to now.

I was just lucky to have caught the end of an era in this area .A lot of Mums went out within 12 hours if there were no complications but if you chose to stay no-one pushed you out.You were 'allotted' 10 days and could stay for some or all according to your situation. Many did take up the option . It was fantastic and like a small hotel with medical staff to babysit if you wanted.

harassedinherpants · 15/05/2011 14:03

Was like that when I had my eldest two holderness. They used to take the babies out of the ward at night and wake you when they woke....... was fabulous. No being kept awake by other people's babies when yours was fast asleep Grin.

TheHumanCatapult · 15/05/2011 14:06

ds1 nearly 17 years ago first baby 3 nights
ds2 14 years ago had him at 5am and left at 10 am

Dd 4 nights due to emergency section but she stayed in scubu lot longer
Ds3 csection 2 nights had him 6pm on the sunday left 10 am on the Tuesday was fine walking and not needing pain relief

confuddledDOTcom · 15/05/2011 14:44

My eldest I was in for two weeks, went home for 2 or 3 nights then was taken back in for a week. My youngest I was in for a week.

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