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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Do you HAVE to leave hospital with baby in a car seat?

92 replies

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 18/10/2009 19:38

Or can I buy a birth-4 years car seat?

DS lived in his car seat last time as it rocked and he loved it, but we've got lots of rocking chairs and bouncy chairs and swings etc so no need for that really. I hate struggling to get a baby seat in a car, would rather leave one in and then put baby in it.

Does this sound good or like a silly idea?

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LadyOfTheFlowers · 19/10/2009 10:56

DH came up to collect us when it was home time (had to stay in one night as DS had pooped before exit from me) with the pram. He wheeled it up so he could push him out in it. We had a carseat that stayed in the car. No one asked if we were going home in car or bussing it. Probably assumed the latter as he brought pram up.

BarakObamasTransitVan · 19/10/2009 11:13

ButtercupWafflehead I'm pretty sure it wasn't you, the post I'm thinking of wasn't on MN and there was no mention of it being "suitable with... restraints"
Thing is this is the one time when medical types will get to see you, your dc and your car all together, so it's an opportunity to get the message across good and proper.

toolly · 19/10/2009 11:25

It was a very cold November day last year when we bought back DS2. Of course no member of staff was going to come out and check. To be honest there are not enough midwives for women in labour so I don't see how they can spare them for sortees in the car park on discharge.

hanaflower · 19/10/2009 11:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ButtercupWafflehead · 19/10/2009 11:33

BOTV sorry I'm feeling a bit prickly at the moment! Have the good solid bucket-type car seat ready to rock in the next 4 weeks or so!

Original poster

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 19/10/2009 11:46

Buttercup- mine says the same thing! I've never dared try it. Is yours a Bebecar? I wouldn't know how to do it.

OP posts:

helpYOUiWILL · 19/10/2009 11:50

I do find it surprising that parents have no idea on how to strap their child or the seat in propably. I made it my priority to know how to use the seat once i got it, so i knew my baby would be safe on its first car ride. I used to practise with a huge teddy

helpYOUiWILL · 19/10/2009 11:52

Also each seat is different so why on earth would a madwife (opps sorry meant midwife ) know how to strap them in when some arent even parents themselves.

ButtercupWafflehead · 19/10/2009 11:53

It's not but it says you can use it in the car.

TBH though, it doesn't look very safe so I'm not going to bother. Perhaps the Bebecar is a bit safer?

link to my thread if you're interested.

GreenMonkies · 19/10/2009 13:06

Another vote for the Britax First class here, we have used it for both DD's, and I hated the carry out car sear we had to use for a while due to the 1st class and DD1's seat not fitting sidebyside in our smaller, 3 door car.
As others have said, DD1 was carried to the door by a MW, and then we strapped her into the carseat. DD2 was born at home, so we carried her when and where we wanted!!

Mamamoppel · 19/10/2009 14:45

With dd1 they would not let me leave until I had 'shown' effective breastfeeding (no one had to show effective bottlefeeding!) and then wait most of the day for an extremely junior and very stressed paediatrician to arrive, who told me off for my dd not to open her eye properly so she could shine a bright light in!!
Relieved to read on here that I am perfectly entitled to leave as when when I wish with dc2 and I can't wait to put my foot down on this!

As for car seat, no one seemed to bother and I could have just put her in my suitcase for all they would have cared, as long as I cleared the bed quickly (and that after making me wait until late afternoon before 'allowing' me to go!)

TheBossofMe · 19/10/2009 15:38

No-one even asked how we were getting home when I left hospital - we just strolled out with baby in our arms. Which pretty much sums up my care in hospital - didn't see the same midwife twice, got no painkillers after my c-section, breastfeeding advice limited to two different midwives grabbing my boobs and trying to shove them into DDs mouth before muttering something about big nipples and wandering off....

Strangely enough, none of the above bothered me!

mamaloco · 19/10/2009 16:35

Nurses woud not let us carry the baby in hospital at all. They even carried the car seat (with the baby attached) and handed it to us after the doors (not the responsability of the hospital then but ours). So we would not have been able to leave without a car seat.

LevitatingCopy · 19/10/2009 17:22

Seems to be a different policy wherever you go then Probably worth checking with your MW to avoid hassle.

DD went home in a pram, but we only lived 5 mins walk away. I do seem to remember a bit of fussing and questions about how we were going to get home though.

bebejones · 19/10/2009 19:58

We were told that we had to have a carseat & know how to work it!! No advice given as they can then not be held to account if something goes wrong! DH brought the infant carrier part in and we were accompanied out to the car to check that we knew how to put said car seat into the car! Bit OTT IMHO but there we are, better safe than sorry I guess!

Original poster

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 19/10/2009 20:06

Bebejones- I think we might be at the same hospital- it was the same with us. I'm going to give them a ring and ask if I can have a birth-4 car seat, I do have a car seat from DS but it's a bit worn now. I'll just take her to the car in that if the hospital are funny about it.

OP posts:

memorylapse · 19/10/2009 20:28

when I had dd 18 years ago..the midwife carried the baby wrapped in a shawl down to the main entrance then watched while we strapped her in and waved us off...however when I had ds2 8 years ago...we were discharged and that was it..no one took any notice of the method of transporting the baby and we werent asked how we were getting home..

I had the first class for dd2 and it was a fab car seat..am gutted that I sold it

JackBauWooohooohoowaaer · 19/10/2009 20:43

I left with DD1 in my arms, car seat was a birth to 4 fitted in the car already.
I left with DD2 in a ring sling at 15 hours old. The MW on the ward nearly had kittens
She also had a carseat fitted in the car already.

Tangle · 19/10/2009 20:47

At the end of the day it does depend on the policy in your local hospital and how determined you are - the hospital have no legal power to stop you carrying your child within their walls, or to stop you leaving howsoever you wish, but if you can abide by their policy it makes for fewer arguments. If you decide you don't want to toe the line and they insist that you can't leave, ask what piece of legislation they're using to backup that statement...

I take the point that this policy underlines the message you should only have a baby in a car in a car seat, but as has been shown here it does nothing to make sure that the parents now how to put the child in the car seat or the car seat in the car correctly or, indeed, to own a car seat at all even if you're going home in your own car but it does cause a lot of stress and agro for some parents who have no reason to own a car seat.

If you feel that a birth-4 car seat is most appropriate for you and your family then get it and let the hospital worry about how they deal with any deviations from their policy. You're not their employee - its not your problem!

mybabywakesupsinging · 19/10/2009 21:25

Walked out both times, baby in arms, bag on shoulder, by myself.
Don't expect anyone noticed me go. Post natal care in my local hospital was not ideal.
And I also hate waiting for a paediatrician (SHO) to come. I had to bite my tongue when she introduced herself as the "baby doctor" (was tempted to ask when she planned to grow up). Was even more irritated when she got student to do baby check (would have been quite happy if she'd only done it herself as well).
Being post natal obviously makes me grumpy.

feralgirl · 19/10/2009 21:53

We did put DS in a car seat to carry him out but noone noticed us going or checked what we did with him afterwards.

He was a month early so we had absolutely no clue what we were doing when it came to fitting the thing. Tbh I would have appreciated a hand but I reckon there was no way the nurses on the ward were going to traipse down the stairs into the freezing December rain.

Paediatrician wound me up too. Spoke to me like I was a feckin idiot. As did most of the nurses. I wish I'd realised that they can't keep you there

We've just now got the Britax First Class Plus and I wish I'd not been so tight and bought it from birth as it's great.

curiositykilled · 19/10/2009 22:31

I'd like to see them try and make me carry 2 car seats and 2 babies! Much easier to just grab the bubs.

nappyaddict · 20/10/2009 01:25

I have known people get the bus, tube, taxi, walk and go in their own car. No problems with any of these. I really don't think they can enforce how you go home

June2009 · 20/10/2009 11:37

they did not check at my hospital, we asked why as we were told that a car seat had to be fitted in order to be allowed to leave, the mw simply said they don't check any more (in june this year, we're n N. london)

jeee · 20/10/2009 11:43

I saw one woman explaining that she didn't have a car seat, but hey, it's only a few miles in the car. The hospital tried to dissuade her, but she wasn't having any of it. The hospital metaphorically shrugged its shoulders and let her go.

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