Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

How long do you have to stay in hospital after the birth?

36 replies

Myneaux · 18/03/2009 09:16

I am currently nearly 30 weeks and starting to think about getting the some stuff for the hospital bag ready.

Helpfully the NHS have decided that I dont need ante-natal classes until 34 weeks so I am a bit clueless about what actually happens after the birth (first time mum !).

I know it can depend on the hospital and whether you have any complications....but if you had a straighforward birth do they let you go home straight away or keep you in overnight?

....and daft question !...what do you wear? pyjamas/nighties....or normal clothes?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

rempy · 18/03/2009 09:18

Totally straighforward delivery, baby fine, can go home after 6 hours.

moopymoo · 18/03/2009 09:20

short nightie or big tshirt to birth in and then probably bin. Normal maternity clothes to go home in or very loose baggy comfy stuff.

sarah293 · 18/03/2009 09:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Tommy · 18/03/2009 09:23

a friend of mine had a baby on Saturday at 3am. She was home by 7am and her older children didn't even know she'd been to hospital

You'll want something to give birth in (old t shirt of DH's) a nightie or PJs for after and some maternoty trousers and top to wear home. and Lots of knickers.

Bramshott · 18/03/2009 09:23

In theory you can go after 6 hours, but because they have to get a midwife to check you over, and then a paediatrician to check the baby over, in practice unless you have your baby early in the morning you'll probably end up staying overnight. The paediatricians usually have set ward-round times etc. DD2 was born at 8.15am, and we did manage to leave at about 5.00pm that day, but only by saying forcefully to anyone who came near us "we're going today"!!

robino · 18/03/2009 09:28

With DD2 I went in at 5, gave birth at 8, home at 12! Was fab. Think they'd have let me stay in longer if I'd wanted too - just wanted to get home to DD1, bacon butties and the bottle of bubbly in the fridge

MrsMattie · 18/03/2009 09:31

Even after my last c-section I was booted out after 48 hours on the dot. I would have liked to stay in a while longer - it was so cosy lying in bed all day with my baby and being brought tea and toast

mrsgboring · 18/03/2009 09:34

Everything in hospital can take ages - hours longer than you expect it to, so I think it would be hard for them to tell you even at the classes how long you'd be in for. You don't know how the birth will go, what time you're finished, how feeding is etc. etc.

But having said that, it probably doesn't matter as much as you're now thinking it will (she says, extrapolating wildly from her own experience of first baby ) If you're there for a while, they do feed you, or failing that there should be food of some kind available on site most of the time, so your birth partner can go off foraging.

Just ensure you have a few changes of clothing, loads of pads and cotton wool and nappies and some emergency food and drink supplies in case it's the middle of the night and you can only get vending machine crisps.

Most hospitals produce a list of things you're supposed to take in. IME even if you only have what's on the list you'll still have way too much. If you run out of something, you'll be able to get emergency supplies either from the hospital or swapping with another mum on the ward.

theyoungvisiter · 18/03/2009 09:34

if it's a first baby they are usually a little bit more cautious. Also they often like to observe a feed (or at least be reassured the baby is feeding well) so it depends if the baby is being co-operative or not.

With DS1 I was all ready to go home a few hours after the birth but he wouldn't feed for nearly 36 hours - we had to stay in until he'd fed, and then there wasn't a doc available to discharge us until the following morning. We ended up staying in about 48 hours after the birth.

Most people on the ward wear PJs or kind of slouchy tracksuit type clothes, but you can wear what you like basically, and of course you will want something to go home in.

theyoungvisiter · 18/03/2009 09:36

don't forget though that if you're in for more than 1 night your DH can go home and get supplies. So there's no need to take 5 nighties just in case you have a c-section.

olivo · 18/03/2009 09:37

i would have been out after 4 days post c-sec but in the end, was in or another 3 days as dd was in scbu and it was easier to establish feeding with me being there. i was allowed out for a couple of hours at a time though, after day 5, so was able to grab provisions!

mrsgboring · 18/03/2009 09:37

Oh and your other question, you can wear what you like. I preferred lightweight day clothes as I hate feeling not dressed but most people were in pjs. If you want to go home straight away, take maternity clothes to get dressed back up in (you probably won't be very much smaller straight way). If you're in overnight your birth partner can go home and get whatever you want for the next day.

DawnAS · 18/03/2009 09:40

Can I add a weird question to this?

You're all going to think I'm crazy I'm sure, but how long can you keep your underwear on during labour? The initial part of labour is so long, I'm assuming you don't have to fling your knickers off straight away??!!

theyoungvisiter · 18/03/2009 09:42

well depending on the type of labour you have, you will probably have at least one or two internal exams, and will need to pee at least 2 or 3 times. There will come a point in the labour when you honestly can't be faffed pulling up your knickers any more . At that point you stop caring.

That's my experience anyway!

theyoungvisiter · 18/03/2009 09:44

also you may find that your waters or plug goes, or you have a lot of "show". At that point you might want to get rid of your knickers anyway (or at least change them).

ilikeyoursleeves · 18/03/2009 09:44

I was in for 3 days, DS looked like he had jaundice so they wanted to keep an eye on him (turned out he was fine) plus I had bad tearing. I also wanted to stay in to get to grips with breastfeeding and it helped me learn other things like how to wrap DS in a blanket LOL. I wore a nightie for the birth, you can get cheap ones in Primark- try to get one with lots of buttons on the front if you intend to breastfeed.

After the first day I wore day clothes until visitors went home then back into (clean) nightie.

Oh and I PLEADED for my own room and got one, it's worth a shot so you're not in with 10 screaming newborns in a ward.

brettgirl2 · 18/03/2009 09:47

We were told if you were a first time mum and breast feeding you may stay in for up to four days because they would want to check that the baby was feeding OK.

olivo · 18/03/2009 09:48

i second that,sleeves! i was on a ward (without my baby!!!) for a week and got no sleep whatsoever!!

Letsgo · 18/03/2009 09:51

I was told I could go home after 6 hours but they said I could stay as long as I wanted. I decided to stay in over night so I could master breast feeding before I got home. I also just wanted to make sure I felt confident before I left.

I would wear nighties in hospital rather than pyjamas because it's hard work pulling pJs down.

theyoungvisiter · 18/03/2009 09:52

you often have to pay for a private room though - unless there are special circs like a baby in special care or something.

I got a private room purely because the main ward was full and it was teh only bed left, but the MW told me if I had requested it, it woudl have been £90 as I'd had a problem free delivery.

Also if you have a c-section some hospitals won't let you have a private room at first as they want to keep you on the main ward for observation.

Reallytired · 18/03/2009 09:54

"You're all going to think I'm crazy I'm sure, but how long can you keep your underwear on during labour? The initial part of labour is so long, I'm assuming you don't have to fling your knickers off straight away??!!"

Last time I kept my knickers on until the second stage. Even then I wore an old nightie so I was reasonably covered. Its not complusory to give birth in the nude.

If I was you I would have a mininal bag packed for going into hospital, but have a second bag packed that your partner can bring in if you have to stay longer. Men are often useless at packing stuff you need for hospital. For example my husband brought in a tight cropped top when I was breastfeeding!

I was in seven days with my first because he had jaundice. However that is unusual.

rempy · 18/03/2009 09:56

Clothes? Delivered nekked. But then I was in the pool, I think a bikini would have been a bit superflous.

brettgirl2 · 18/03/2009 10:02

I'm not worried at all - I live 10 minutes walk from the labour ward so if he brings anything in that's ridiculous he'll have to go back again!

DawnAS · 18/03/2009 10:02

Reallytired, PMSL at your DH bringing you a tight cropped top!!

I was discussing the whole "Knicker" scenario with my DH last night and (typical man) he suggested buying me a pair of crotchless undies from Ann Summers "then you won't have to take them off at all" he said.

Completely defeats the object of preserving my decency for longer doesn't it?!!

Can you imagine the faces of the MWs and Docs if I turned up in some!!!

xxx

FAQinglovely · 18/03/2009 10:04

with DS3 I went in at 1.30, gave birth at 4.20, placenta delivered at 5pm, few stitches, had a bath to freshen up and left at 9pm.

Flip

1 2