Should mothers go home ASAP after delivery?

[mears]

As promised I have started a new thread on this. I am involved in the planning of a new maternity hospital. Ours is going to move to be near a general hospital for emergencies.
The plans are that there will be rooms that you deliver in then go home after 24 hours - sooner if possible, all being well. Some midwives are horrified that women will be going home too soon - especially those who have other children and perhaps need the rest.
Does anybody feel that they would have liked to stay longer? Did anyone feel 'kicked out'.
Is there a need to be in hospital after an uncomplicated birth?

I have to say, and it's evident here, that Scottish hospitals are superior to our inner city dumps. I lived there for a number of years and have friends still up there, 20% more NHS money available. Nearly everyone I know who gave birth up there had a private room post-natally.

I was seriously considering going up for a months hols when due last time but chickened out. Even more chicken this time so will have to do with what I get.

Sadly, Scottish hospital food, I'm talking bridies and neeps, not too enticing.

I had ds just after midnight on Tuesday & we were out by Thursday afternoon. They didn't really want to let us go as he was a ventouse delivery & I had a slight temperature & had fainted straight after delivery. We still escaped though - I couldn't bear the heat or the food & ds was absolutely fine. Ended up sending dp to the GP to get the antibiotics that the hospital were insisting on (but saying we had to wait another 24 hours for). By a stroke of luck I got a room by myself with a DOUBLE BED, right down the end of the corridor. So no-one seemed to notice that I had 10 visitors at all times and was using my mobile...

Oh yes, health assistants pleeeese. I had to wait 2 days to bath my meconium covered baby as I was terrified of drowning him, the staff were too busy and a lady in the next cubicle took pity and helped out. Ditto, nappies, had never changed one on a newborn, had no idea about the cotton ball thing that had to get wet.

gosh, clucks. dh & lovely midwife bathed dd covered who was covered in meconium while I had my caesarean scar neatly stitched up

I stayed the "regulation" 5 days after my section, and was quite glad I did,as my gut went on strike for a while and blew up ( I mean expanded rather than exploded ). I put it down to the plates of toast, fish and chips, pudding and chocolate that I wolfed down as soon as I got back to my room. The relief at getting rid of my reflux rather ran away with me! In the unlikely event of another baby, and the likelihood of another section I would be a good girl and get out to my nurse husband asap!

BTW, mears, can you enlighten me as to the new parking arrangements that will be made at the DGH? There isn't enough parking at the moment, without the mat. unit moving there lock, stock and barrel. Multi storey? Underground parking? Field over the road?!

I stayed till as I had the whole breastfeeding figured out - or so I thought!!! The first night back home could I get dd to feed - OH NO!!! and then when the midwife came round in the morning she was feedinf fine!!!!

I found staying antinatually in a ward with woamn and babies horrible - but I suspect this is what not your asking!

Clucks, are you booked into Kingston? I think you have a good chance of getting a room to yourself, or at the most, one other person. Plus they have a "snacks" area with cereal and hot drinks which is available 24hrs. But the "real" food is truly terrible. But cross fingers with your second you will have a speedy uncomplicated birth and head home ASAP!

On the original question, it seemed to be the policy at Kingston for everyone to go home ASAP the next day - DH overslept though and I didn't go home until after lunch! I think as long as there is enough support initially - to get breastfeeding started, show you how to bath baby, change nappies etc etc + a good community midwife scheme, 24hrs is OK.

I had DD by emergency cs on the Friday night and was home Monday morining. I was desperate to get out! I did manage to get myself an indidual room though which helped a bit.

I had originally hoped to be allowed to go home after 6 hours. Such plans!!!

My days on postnatal were awful - because I had no visitors and the other women around me did, which made me even more aware of my lack. Well, except for an hour or two in the evening.

Waking up for the cry of every baby. Not properly dark. Too bloomin hot on the ward (why do hospitals waste so much money on heating the places - they are always too hot, everyone walks round in summer clothes year round). Too much hstle and bustle.

A friend opted to stay on longer at the Wessex and is very sad it has closed down. She loved those days she had there eating proper food, being visited and getting to know her baby whilst others managed at home with her two older children.

Florenceuk, yes I am. Thanks for the info. I do whinge don't I, this is one of my favourite whinge topics though

clucks, bridies and neeps, I should've been so lucky (both births in a Scottish hospital). First time the worst meal I had was supposed to be some sort of ham and pasta bake, it was green and sludgy, oozing across the plate with chips that were stuck to the plate. Second time round I was only there for breakfast and lunch, lunch was pork pie salad and the only bit I could eat was the pork pie, the salad had definately seen better days! Apologies a bit off the subject.

There's a question that is on everyone's mind. I have no idea what they are planning. Don't even know where they are going to put the new unit I would not be at all surprised if staff and visitors are charged for parking as well. Seemingly there are quite a number of cars left there as people meet-up then car share going to Glasgow, never even entering the hospital.

Sorry - last post was a reply to Tissy. How are you by the way? Still B/F?

Wish that was true of all Scottish hospitals, Clucks! I've had three babies in Scotland and only once did I get a room to myself, after I threw a hissy - and that was 20+yrs ago.

As for the food....best one ever was a plate of mince swimming in greasy gravy and nothing else at all. Other mums had the same so we asked the staff where our Shepherd's Pie was. The reply was that we were supposed to order the potato topping separately, d'oh!!!!

I felt I could have run a marathon after I had both my babies and certainly didn't feel the need to stay in hospital. I had both babies in Melbourne 4 & 3 yrs ago and was booked in for the standard 5 day normal vag/birth stay.
I was absolutely running on endorphins and around 48hrs later absolutely crashed! I felt like my world had ended. My milk came in and I had never felt so uncomfortable or so hopeless in my life. I couldn't breast feed and the staff were so wonderful saying i wouldn't leave until I was established.
The rooms were all private with a queen size bed and fabul9ous ensuite with massage showers, bath sheets etc etc
Physio came twice daily with a group session every morning. That really was fantastic.
My husband stayed with me the entire time ( you checked in rather like a hotel).
The food was restaurant standard....we had a doz oysters each daily....you need that zinc ! It was all such a pampering, loving and joyous environment.
The staff were totally committed to ensuring we all got off to the very best start and I know there is no way I would have persisted with breast feeding if I had gone home straight away.
I ended up feeding both girls for 22 months.
I thought when I was going in with #2 baby that I would breeze through and probably leave early but although the birth was brilliant I really appreciated the time to just relax and enjoy getting to know my baby in beautiful soothing surroundings while every need was attended to.

I did have private health insurance which is common in Australia and it was entirely covered.It wasn't actaully hugely expensive anyway, I know at the time it was cheaper than the average 5 star hotel.

Oh and the last night the midwives offered to baby sit so we could go out to dinner!

Wow Tilba, that sound amazing....I'd almost be tempted to have more babies just to have the luxury of it all. What was the hotel....opps I mean hospital called I may just fly half way around the world to experience it!

message withdrawn

mears, thanks for asking

Yes, I'm still breastfeeding, but only morning and evening now. Dd still gets EBM at nursery, but only mid- morning and mid-afternoon, and only small quantities. It looks like I may have to stop completely fairly soon, as its likely I'm going to need to take some nasty immmunosuppressant drugs for arthritis

Meant to say, I think the mat. unit is going to be on the patch of ground next to the main carpark and the helipad, in front of the day surgery suite, IYSWIM

Oh I so want to emigrate to Australia now!

Yes GeorginaA, me too!

Mears what would be really great would be for midwives to know their patients well enough to work out those gagging to run out the door and those in desperate need of more time and support in a hospital environment.
I had one awful experience and one reasonable experience of births (both at Kingston Hospital). My biggest complaint would be that staff were so horribly overstretched that they had no time to care for their patients.
Thanks for asking, and good luck with the new maternity hospital.

mears, rereading your original post, and putting my cynical head on...

This rather smacks of "downsizing" which is sooo common in the NHS when planning new hospitals. The "powers that be" look at the facilities that you currently have and work out ways to get away with much less! I don't think I've EVER heard of a new hospital that has MORE beds than the one it is replacing. I suppose if you have more beds than you need that's fair enough, but usually, hospitals are stretched to cope with the number of patients they have to accommodate.

It must be reasonably easy (and I'm sure someone must have already done it) to work out what the average stay is at the moment, and to work out the shortest and longest stays. There can't be many people who meekly stay put when they could have gone home, can there? Those confident enough to go home within hours of a delivery are already doing so, aren't they? Its all very well planning to kick women out early, if they're OK, but the funding for incresed Community Midwife provision/ Healthcare Assistants won't be included in the budget for the new unit. Ooh, I could go on and on, but I probably shouldn't

Mears, I think it's brilliant that you are canvassing opinion here for real women's views. I have been involved in a project re the NICU locally. We have two maternity hospitals and two NICUs and they have been considering getting rid of one. The no of babies born is approx 6000 over the two hospitals I think and about 125 (plus their families) would be affected if one NICU closed.

The review team have been out and spoken to dozens of women in the area about their experiences. It was raised at our MSLC and our chair of NCT said it was no good holding meetings in drafty church halls at 7pm to find out opinion - they needed to come to us and talk to us on our territory.

So the team have visited coffee mornings and playgroups - Asian Women's Project, homeless shelters, teenage mums groups etc. asking about their experiences, what could have been better, how they felt about NICU in the event they had a baby who needed it. And they also spoke to women who had had babies who transferred to NICU. Their opinions were actually quite different to those who might one day need it.

So I'd suggest that if the planners are serious, they get out there and talk to the people who have used the service, in their time and space.

If you want to contact me offboard, I could give you the name of the person who has been doing this and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to talk it through.

YOu can get my email address from mumsnet or contact me at [email protected]

Can I put in a bid for bidet's in the bathrooms? I had one in mine and it was wonderful to run water over the stiches as I peed, relieved the pain no end.