When we left with DS we had a bit of a hoo-ha as did the woman in the bed next to me. She lived on the estate opposite so wanted to walk. The MW told her she 'wasn't allowed' so she arranged for her Dad to drive 20 miles to her house, pick up the car seat, pay for hospital parking and then drive her across the road to her house. She told me this when he was already on his way down, she was fucking raging when I told her they couldn't prevent her leaving on foot.
This conversation came about as we wanted to register DS in the hospital's register office so it was all done and dusted. DH and I both wanted to be present.
The MW insisted we couldn't take DS out ourselves, they had to carry him out to the car (past the register office) and make sure he was in properly. She suggested we leave DS on the ward, register him and then pop back. Not a chance was I leaving my newborn on a busy, understaffed ward.
I was getting quite agitated as I knew they couldn't legally hold us on the ward but we needed them to take the tag off DS's leg and physically let us out.
DH pointed out that if they watched us put him in the car, we'd then take the seat out and carry him back in to go to the register office anyway. She said that's what would have to happen and then took another couple of hours to sort my discharge paperwork.
Eventually a HCA came with us, she walked to the entrance and then handed us DS with a smile and then went back to the ward. It's such a bloody waste of staff who are already run off their feet - once you're discharged and off the ward, then you're no longer their responsibility.