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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

How long is long enough?

43 replies

Leogaela · 02/02/2005 14:58

I live in Switzerland and here they book you into hospital for 5 days after the birth. I know in the UK this woudl be considered a long time and I also think it could be.

How long did you stay in for? How long would you liked to have stayed in for if you could choose? Isn't it nicer to be at home asap to spend the first few days with the baby or is the security of the hospital better (this is my first baby)?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

bobbybob · 03/02/2005 06:26

Here in NZ it's 3 days for a vaginal and 5 days for a CSection. I stayed in 3 nights as ds was born at teatime.

I did get a little institutionalised, but it was nice not having to make meals, clean anything etc. Do they room in at your hospital, because 5 days would have been overwhelming without ds right next to me. Also do you get your own room? I certainly wouldn't have shared with others for any more than 1 night.

Once I got home I found that everything I needed was always in the wrong room and I must have walked miles.

Now I have ds I wouldn't contemplate being away from him for 3 nights unless it was medically necessary, but the first one it is nice to be allowed to stay until the merconium is passed. I get the feeling that wouldn't come out of any soft furnishings.

Oh, it was nice to have the baby blues on day 3 and see how matter of fact the midwives were about it, if I'd been at home it would have seemed like the end of the world.

root · 03/02/2005 12:54

I had to stay 24 hours as there was meconium in my waters when they broke which means they have to monitor the baby for a day. If I'd had a choice, I would have gone home an hour after the birth - the last place you want to be in is a ward with people coming and going all night and bossy midwives poking you and telling you everything you're doing is wrong. Next baby will be a homebirth for that reason.

Beansmum · 03/02/2005 13:00

I stayed in one night, not by choice, I wanted to go home straight away but my parents had come down when I went into hospital and they refused to go home and get the car seat. I'm still annoyed about that!

serenity · 03/02/2005 13:18

DS1 - had him at 6.30pm and went home about 5 the next day. I would have gone sooner but we had to wait for a lift. That was the worst night ever, it was noisy - I was starving as I hadn't eaten for the previous 48 hrs, but there was nothing to eat and the M/ws on the ward were very unsympathetic. I wanted to be with DH and couldn't, just a generally miserable experience. So with the next two........

DS2 - Induced, had him at 4.10pm and was at home watching DVDs and eating M&Ms by 8pm with the help of a very nice M/W

DD - Had her at 9.55am and left at 7pm, but only because we had to wait for our lift.

Personally I'm more relaxed in my own environment, with my own stuff so I can get to know my baby without anyone interfering (no matter how well intentioned)but, if I didn't have such a tiny flat (and nervous DH!) I would have home birthed anyway....

NameChangingMancMidlander · 03/02/2005 13:29

We came home on the day that DD was born, she was the first live birth I've ever had (first baby was stillborn). She was born at 2.31am and we were told that we could go home at 11am the same morning. In the end we ended up leaving at 6pm as we had to wait for the paed to do his rounds and sign us off.

I hated the hospital and was gagging to get home so for me, one day was plenty.

nutcracker · 03/02/2005 13:45

Dd1 I had a section and stayed 5 days.

Dd2 i had another section and stayed 5 days, Dd stayed 2 weeks in scbu.

Ds i had another section and stayed 7 days as Ds was jaundiced.

I know that you can now currenty be let home after a section 3 days or sometimes even 2 days later. Personally i think that is wrong and it should be 4 days at least.
For a normal delivery though i think you should go when you and baby are ready.

zubb · 03/02/2005 14:20

I was in hospital for 5 days with ds1 and thought it was really positive. I was on an open ward but only had one bed opposite me as I was near all the storage section. I didn't have any problem sleeping - it was ds1 that woke me up rather than anything else - but maybe I was just lucky.
I was only meant to be in one night, but ds1 was ill and in NICU for a night so I had to stay while he had antibiotics.
Being in for so many days meant that I was totally confident with feeding / bathing etc when I did go home, and felt totally rested. By the fifth day I was starting to get bored, but before that I was enjoying just being on my own with ds1 with nothing to do, and people bringing food to me!

lunavix · 03/02/2005 14:23

I was in two and a half days before (labour) and 5 days after as ds was poorly/had eating problems.

Spent the whole 5 days desperate to get home, then suddenly terrified I wouldn't cope. Did, of course!

root · 03/02/2005 15:35

Just like to add that whilst I think getting out of hospital quickly was the best thing for me, it would have been wonderful to have had a close relative at home (as well as DP) to help out in the first few days, as you don't know what's hit you. Unfortunately living in a one bed flat ruled that out for us and my mum couldn't even come and visit as she was ill with cancer and died shortly after DS was born. You need someone to mother you while you are mothering the baby!

purpleturtle · 03/02/2005 15:52

Prior to dd's arrival I was quite unsure what babies were all about. I can't remember how long I intended to stay in hospital, but I think I was planning to stay a day or two. She put in an uncomplicated appearance at 11.30pm and we made it onto a four bed ward about 2.00am. I did not sleep a wink all night. The nurses took dd away for a bit, but I ended up reading a book! I should have stayed 24 hours after the birth, because there was meconium in my waters, but I managed to get out at 9.00pm, so I slept the second night in my own bed.
I had ds at home. It was great. Moved from birthing pool to my own sofa and didn't budge till bedtime. But I did not even consider a home birth first time round.

aloha · 03/02/2005 15:57

Can't imagine why it would be 'wrong' to 'let' mothers home after 2 days for a section! Firstly, you can actually go home when you like - hospitals aren't prisons, and I'm glad that there is less pressure to stay. Two of my friends left hospital after two nights with a second section and I intend to do the same. Stayed in for five days last time and it was far too long for me. I nearly cried with happiness when I got home and everything went so much better from that moment on.

pepsi · 03/02/2005 18:20

I stayed in one night with my first but with my second I got to the hospital at 10.00 am, she was born at 12.22pm and I left the hospital at 3.30 pm on the same day. It went so well and I felt fine, we go out for longer than that normaly on a Sunday so it was really odd bringing a baby home so quickly, but its the way I wanted it. I knew my dh would look after us all.

bundle · 03/02/2005 18:21

sections both times, 4 days with dd1, 3 days with dd2

hatsoff · 03/02/2005 20:33

dd1 was born about 8pm and I left about midday the next day. We were desperate to leave - I just felt the only reason for being there was to "wait" for the paediatrician but after us asking where he was for about the 15th time they "let" us go on the condition I came back for an appointment within a couple of days

Hulababy · 03/02/2005 20:35

I had an emergency c section at 9pm on the Fridat night and I was back home before lunch on the Monday. I was so desperate to get home; hated being stuck in hospital - didn't feel like DD was mine until I was home. If I had had a normal birth I would have wanted to be home within hours if possible.

eidsvold · 03/02/2005 22:27

my consultant prefers mums who have had sections to go home after 2 - 3 days if it was all straightforward. His opinion is that you tend to be a bit more mobile at home - far to easy to lay/sit in your bed and call for help when in hospital rather than getting up and that mobility ( provided it is within reason) actually aids healing.

Socci · 04/02/2005 00:31

Message withdrawn

Chandra · 04/02/2005 14:44

It depends in the hospital and the system, I hated to be in hospital and as others just wait for the paediatrician to check DS and headed home. I think if I have had a room for myself with a clean bathroom things would have been better but I had not that luck, six women with their recentyl born babies and lots of relatives droping by even at midnight to congratulate the mothers. The worst were the toilets, blood everywhere and worms in the shower.

I hear the stories of my friends having babies in impolute, one-room-per-mum,-mummy-you-need-some- rest hospitals back at home and feel so ... I'm sure they exist in England, but unfortunately my local one was not one of them. Could you speak to other mother who have used the same hospital?

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