Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Staying in hospital after birth due to medication

22 replies

Happypillsandpregnancy · 28/12/2022 21:15

I take a low dose of an antidepressant. Have done for a few years and decided it was best to stay on them during this pregnancy.

The midwife has recommended that baby (and I) stay in for 72 hours after birth so baby can be monitored for signs of withdrawal etc.

This is not compulsory and is just a recommendation, but obviously I want what is best. However I'm so upset about staying in that length of time.

Has anyone else been through the same? Was the stay ok? Did you choose not to stay?

I guess I'm upset that my baby has to spend the first few days of their life in hospital due to my inability to get through life without pills 🙁

OP posts:
IET · 28/12/2022 21:18

I was in for longer than that with one of mine. The other got out a day after delivery and then ended up going back in again for a week as we really shouldn't have left.

I'd just stay in. It is tough looking after the baby on your own in hospital, but if you can get someone to visit regularly and let you sleep / shower, that really helps.

Good luck and don't feel guilty about taking the medication you need💐

IET · 28/12/2022 21:19

Should say that on both occasions, our hospital stays had nothing to do with any medication I'd taken, so my point is that people end up staying that long or longer for all sorts of reasons

SouthwestSis · 28/12/2022 21:20

I would choose to stay to stay at least 48hrs so you can recover well enough to be vigilant for withdrawal symptoms at home, but if you feel really strongly that you want to avoid staying in then perhaps you can reduce your dose or take your antidepressant on alternate days in the last weeks of your pregnancy if you feel you could work towards that?

FatGirlSwim · 28/12/2022 21:24

I chose not to. I stayed the first six hours and realised that he was fine, that nobody was taking his obs anyway and that we would be happier at home. Dc2 I had a home birth.

mynameiscalypso · 28/12/2022 21:26

I agreed with the perinatal psychiatrist and my midwife that it was more important for my mental health to have an accelerated discharge. I was in for 24 hours but only because I had an ELCS. Nobody monitored DS for anything and I was on the max dose of sertraline at the time.

PritiPatelsMaker · 28/12/2022 21:26

I think women get kicked out of hospital far too quickly. Take the opportunity to have a break from cooking/cleaning and everything else that comes with being at home and have a few precious days with your LO Flowers

Original poster
Happypillsandpregnancy · 28/12/2022 21:28

Thank you for the responses.

I will stay in for at least 48hours if the observations are going well, and ideally the 72 if I can. I just need to make peace with the fact that that is what I'll be doing. I still have a few weeks to accept and get over the guilt.

My partner will be visiting as regular as allowed. We just need to decide what to tell people as I don't want anyone to think the baby is ill but I'd rather not tell everyone I'm on antidepressants

OP posts:
bitfit · 28/12/2022 21:28

PritiPatelsMaker · 28/12/2022 21:26

I think women get kicked out of hospital far too quickly. Take the opportunity to have a break from cooking/cleaning and everything else that comes with being at home and have a few precious days with your LO Flowers

Which would be fine, if postnatal wards were even a tiny bit relaxing

PritiPatelsMaker · 28/12/2022 21:32

My partner will be visiting as regular as allowed. We just need to decide what to tell people as I don't want anyone to think the baby is ill but I'd rather not tell everyone I'm on antidepressants

Mums and babies have to stay in for many reasons. Mine was because my LOs were too cold, both times. Don't know why I have cold babies but I did and had to stay in longer. Really don't worry Flowers

Original poster
Happypillsandpregnancy · 28/12/2022 21:35

See that is my other worry, that staying in will have a negative impact on my mental health and stress levels. I don't want to end up regretting how the first few days of being a mum went.
It's done for the baby's wellbeing though, and are they not most important? Surely my wellbeing is equally important? I'm so confused and stressed about it all

OP posts:
JustTryingToBeUseful · 28/12/2022 21:38

there's huge numbers of reasons why sometimes this is necessary. your specific issue may end up not being the only thing they need to watch out for in any case. it's nothing to feel bad about. you didn't choose to have depression. it's not a virtue to not have depression nor a failing to have it, but let's all give thanks that effective medications exist that help you to live with it.

I had to stay in for 4 days after giving birth - totally different reason. My strong recommendation is to do everything you can to get a private room as it is so difficult to get any sleep on the main postnatal ward - not too bad to cope with for one night but torture by night 3. otherwise, it will all be ok. the first few days will fly by in a blur in any case and there is something to be said for being in the presence of trained professionals for a bit longer - being at home with your newborn and realising how unprepared you are is terrifying!

AnnaTortoiseshell · 28/12/2022 21:41

I stayed in for three nights with my first due to feeding issues. That would be a good excuse if you don’t want to tell anyone you’re on antidepressants. You never know what will happen when you have a baby, so you might need to stay in anyway for other reasons.

Being on a postnatal ward is grim but you could see if you could have a private room. Some places let you pay for them. However, even if you’re on the main ward, it’s fine in the day. Overnight is rough, but you’d likely have to stay one night at least anyway. But the main thing to keep in mind is that it’s a tiny amount of time in the grand scheme of things. You can always reassess if you can’t cope with it and baby is doing fine, and go home earlier if it’s safe to do so.

Congratulations on your baby!

Goodvibes84 · 28/12/2022 21:43

Please don’t beat yourself up for needing antidepressants 💐
Would you beat yourself up for needing epilepsy medication? Insulin if you were diabetic? Your physical AND mental health are important. If you can, stay in and have baby monitored. Enjoy spending time with your baby and those first few precious days of bonding.

upfucked · 28/12/2022 21:43

DD1 was 10 days old when we ended up out of hospital the second time. With DD2 I had to stay in for 2 nights. Both due to my physical health. It’s not as uncommon as you may think.

Notanotherusername4321 · 28/12/2022 21:44

PritiPatelsMaker · 28/12/2022 21:26

I think women get kicked out of hospital far too quickly. Take the opportunity to have a break from cooking/cleaning and everything else that comes with being at home and have a few precious days with your LO Flowers

You’ve never been on a postnatal ward then?

they are the polar opposite of a break. At least at home I have my own bathroom, a nice shower, someone on hand to take the baby, do nappy changes, bring me food, help me up. It’s also not hotter than hell itself and I only have the baby keeping me up and not other people’s whinging, moaning, music, tv, conversations etc..

dh is perfectly capable of doing the cooking and cleaning, I don’t need a hospital stay to get a break from it..

o/p it’s a balance. If you feel more comfortable at home, do it. You will get home visits for the first few days anyway, and they can guide you on what to look for and when you need to seek medical help.

PritiPatelsMaker · 28/12/2022 21:47

See that is my other worry, that staying in will have a negative impact on my mental health and stress levels. I don't want to end up regretting how the first few days of being a mum went.
It's done for the baby's wellbeing though, and are they not most important? Surely my wellbeing is equally important? I'm so confused and stressed about it all

If you think it's affecting you negatively, it's absolutely fine to change your mind and go home.

mummatobeat33 · 28/12/2022 21:49

I would take the opportunity to stay in. I had to stay for 6 days after my little girl arrived. Don't get me wrong I wanted my own house and comforts but knowing that me and my baby were getting the care we needed was important. We had to stay in for infection and jaundice (her) and blood products and infection for me

Round123 · 28/12/2022 21:58

Congratulations on your baby!!! Hope you are doing ok. I had to stay in (I was/am on 100mg sertraline) and I was a bit gutted but even though the ward was busy I was glad of the help/disabled loo/bedsheet change/food/mechanical bed and I got lots of advice from the midwives on establishing breastfeeding. I just told people that the doctors weren’t happy to discharge me as they wanted to keep and eye on me/baby, kept it vague and changed convo.

fwiw I was v glad I got kept in in the end as I was really worried about my baby’s grunting, it was noticed by a midwife and turned out to be an infection and baby needed antibiotics so we were in for 6 days total in the end. 48hours seems nothing!

mynameiscalypso · 28/12/2022 21:58

Happypillsandpregnancy · 28/12/2022 21:35

See that is my other worry, that staying in will have a negative impact on my mental health and stress levels. I don't want to end up regretting how the first few days of being a mum went.
It's done for the baby's wellbeing though, and are they not most important? Surely my wellbeing is equally important? I'm so confused and stressed about it all

That was exactly my reasoning (and as the psychiatrist said, postnatal wards are, I quote, 'a shithole'). The most important things for my mental health are feeling safe and secure and sleep, that wasn't going to happen in hospital. As soon as it was clear that DS was fine, I was out of there. So many women are on ADs during pregnancy/birth that it's pretty standard these days. I reckon at least half my friends who have had children recently have been on ADs.

WingingIt101 · 28/12/2022 22:12

Some postnatal wards have private side rooms. My trust used to do these on a paid for basis if they were available but for both of my pregnancies they have been reserved for women with covid or high needs - for example have had twins/multiples or other health requirements. You'd be a great candidate in that category to be eligible for a side room if they have one.

This might make staying easier for you.

Personally I was quite happy staying in for a couple of days - midwives and hca's on hand to help with my recovery and baby! Yes postnatal wards are shit but with dd1 we were in for 3 days and dd2 discharged on day 2 and readmitted for 2 days 24 hours later!

Cuppasoupmonster · 28/12/2022 22:15

I don’t understand what’s so bad about needing to stay in hospital for a few days? If you end up with an emergency c-section or the baby needs a bit of extra care at birth that could happen anyway?

frangipani13 · 28/12/2022 22:36

Definitely enquire about the possibility of paying for a private room; I did this when I gave birth to my first but only needed it for a very short while. It’s worth it if you can stretch to it as the postnatal ward is hell. Luckily they put me in a private room with my second dd so if there’s availability and they know it could be beneficial for you, there’s every chance they could do this. PS I’ve had week in for both babies postnatally for different reasons so it’s not uncommon, just be vague if you don’t want to explain. X

New posts on this thread. Refresh page