Hospital stay after birth

[MeaganS]

I had my 3rd daughter earlier this week (yay!) and am going home from the hospital today. Usually I hear about people wanting to go home as soon as they can, but I have found with this and earlier pregnancies that I want to stay in the hospital as long as they will let me. I do have c-sections, so that may be a contributing factor, but I also sort of like the solitude of not having the rest of the family around all day. I feel less guilty for lying in bed and not doing anything, too.

 

I guess I was just wondering if I am alone in this or not? I know there are downsides, but I fall on the side of stay as long as I can.

 

Oh, and here's a picture of my new little one!

 

Edited April 21, 2012 by Meagan S

[Susan in KY]

Gorgeous girl!! Congrats!

[Carrie12345]

I've never had a section, so I know nothing there!

I've hightailed it out for some, and settled in for others. Every birth is different.

[Tinkerbell]

I had 3 natural births at a birth center, and each time they sent me home 5 hours after giving birth, so I can't really compare to a hospital, but I'll chime in with my experience :tongue_smilie:

 

The first time I was so happy to be home so soon, but I quickly discovered that I really needed to be resting in bed - not entertaining family and showing off the baby! So with my other births I really took it easy and made sure I had some help once the baby was born.

 

I think that's what is great about being in the hospital - you have that time to just stay in bed and not feel guilty about it. And not think about the laundry that's piling up, or the dishes that need to be washed, or the mess in the playroom. When you're home... you can't help but see all that.

[2_girls_mommy]

Yep, I liked having nothing to do but rest, watch T.V. and nurse. Taking a shower was the big event. At home there is always something I could/should be doing.

[Dmmetler]

I had pre-eclampsia and a C-section, and was only just barely beginning to feel human when they discharged me, with a baby who couldn't nurse and cried constantly. I would have gladly been driven back to the hospital and signed us both back in if they'd let me!

[momtoamiracle]

I've been in the hospital four times for pregnancy related things - only once I brought home a baby. Each time I was not in a hurry to go home. I LOVED being waited on hand and foot. The staff was always so wonderful, so kind and sympathetic to my tragedies, and so joyous with me when I finally did have a baby. I loved being able to push a button and have every need granted instantly. And because of what I went through I felt safer.

 

At home there was work to do and not much help... people thought coming and holding the baby while I did the laundry was helping. It would have been nice for someone to offer to wash clothes and dishes for me...

[Lara in Colo]

One night of being woken up every two hours to be asked if I had nursed the baby was all I could handle (that and I am a side sleeper who needs two pillows.

 

I was always about 1/2 hour off of their schedule, so I would FINALLY fall asleep, just to be woken up to answer thier questions.

After #2, I would write on the board in my room when I fed the baby and told them NOT to wake my unless they had to.

 

So happy to go home the next AM.

[Xuzi]

My favorite part of giving birth (besides the cute lil' squishy baby you get at the end) is the hospital stay afterwards! Eat, sleep, and enjoy your baby! What's not to love?? Maybe if I'd had to share my room I would have felt differently, but I was always so sad to leave the hospital after giving birth. My first was a c/s and, if it weren't for that whole "major abdominal surgery" bit about c/s's, I'd have gladly had repeat ones just for that extra day in the hospital! :lol:

[aggieamy]

I don't have a vote because I haven't given birth but I did want to chime in and say that you're little girl is so beautiful. Congrats.

[susankenny]

Oh my goodness!!! Congratulations! Your baby is absolutely precious!!:grouphug:

 

 

Oh & I'm in it for the longhaul! The baby stays with me, but I love being waited on and taken care of by the nurses:D. Plus, we don't have cable, lol. So watching TV was a treat!

 

Susan

[catz]

I had 2 c-sections. My 1st was complicated by a fibroid and extreme blood loss followed by transfusion. WAY settled in for that one. Definitely kicked back for #2 too, but I was ready to go home by day 4. I stayed 5 days for the first.

 

Your newbie is precious! Congratulations!

[catz]

Was going to add my SIL has incredibly short labors and birth and was ready to go home almost immediately. Her 3 kids flew out of her. :001_smile: I think there can be a huge difference in recoveries depending on how your delivery went.

[TexasRachel]

O has been my only normal csection and I thought with him I would want the full 4 days, but I felt so good by day 3 and I was so tired of the nurses I wanted to go home. We didn't because I would have had to come back the next day. Ive just spent too much time in hospitals to find them really relaxing.

[freesia]

So, sweet!

 

My first 2 I wanted to get out as soon as possible. My last 2 I'd have stayed longer. :-)

[staceyobu]

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Edited April 23, 2012 by staceyobu

[mommaduck]

Beautiful little sweetie!

 

I've had two homebirths, but, yes, when I've delivered in the hospital, I take advantage of the length of stay to relax away from kids and chores.

[MrsBear]

Two c-sections here and both times I wanted to go home ASAP. With DS7 I stayed the time they wanted, but with DS1, I was outta there in 48 hours - between the horrible food and nurses constantly needing to do something to me (BP, etc.), I just wanted to go home. OB discharged me at 48 hours since I hadn't had a fever.

[myfatherslily]

Your baby is SOOOO beautiful!! Really and truly!!! :D

 

With the two that were born at the hospital, I left the minute I could get away. The beds were very uncomfortable, the food was terrible, and I was sooo bored.

 

Now, when my youngest had pneumonia at 7 weeks old, he and I stayed a couple nights at the Children's Hospital. I slept next to him on a chair that folded out into a bed. Other than the fact that he had pneumonia (he improved greatly after the first night, so I didn't spend the whole time worrying about him), it was great. The bed was comfortable (but I hadn't just given birth, so that may have affected my comfort level), the food was excellent (they fed me since I was breastfeeding), and overall the experience was very positive. Maybe the hospital where I gave birth just isn't too hot as far as amenities go:) I definitely didn't choose it for the food!

[jenangelcat]

I voted other. I'd like to be out of there within an hour of giving birth but that hasn't been the case.

 

The first was c-section, so 4 day stay.

 

The second was vaginal, 2 hours pushing followed by third degree tearing and stitches. Stayed overnight because of the pain.

 

Third was vaginal with forceps. So I was cut and I tore, third degree again. Major pain, spent two days.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I found it too annoying to be woken up in the middle of the night. I had minor complications from my c-sec, so we were there 3 days (my mw was going to send me home after a day if I felt up to it). For some reason their standard time to do baby measurements and such was 1am! They'd come in wheeling the cart with the scale and everything and basically do a full checkup in the middle of the night.

 

The first night I let it happen because baby was awake having just woken up to nurse. She'd nursed enough to be happy but hadn't fallen asleep. The next two nights I told them sorry, she's sleeping, try again later. They didn't like it, but hey, she was asleep on my chest, what were they going to do, take her from me? :) I figured if it wasn't for my very minor complications keeping us there, she would be home with me that night, so they had no reason to check her out. She was cleared by the pedi to go home 24 hours after birth, so really they could have ignored her completely as a stay in guest of mine. Too bad they didn't see it that way!

 

Your baby is beautiful, congrats!!!

[usetoschool]

I cannot wait to get home. It is too noisy and disruptive at the hospital. With my 3rd, after a 24 hour labor, I was finally sound asleep and the nurse came in at o'dark thirty to remove my iv. I was so tired I just sort of sat there on the edge of the bed and apparently my hand, where the iv was removed, was dripping blood. It didn't hurt so I didn't notice, but she yelled at me, like it was my fault or something. Argh. Get me home where I can just sleep and have family and friends to help and can snuggle in with my family.

 

And your baby is beautiful! Congratulations on a new little bundle of love.

[Momof3littles]

Get me outta there.

 

I stayed two nights with my first and should have just asked my midwife for early discharge. I didn't get any sleep because the nurse would come in for vitals, etc. and then tell me someone else would be in to check the baby in 20 mins. So I'd stay up because I couldn't fall asleep knowing someone was going to be there shortly anyway. And then they wouldn't come for an hour. On my 2nd morning, the hospital photographer came in at 7:30 am and pulled up the blinds (!). It wasn't restful. I wanted to room in, and wouldn't have it any other way, but we were pretty much on our own anyway. They even forgot to bring me my dinner a few hours after DS1 was born.

 

With my 2nd I had a birth at a FSBC, and was packing up our stuff at the 3 hour mark (while DH slept :tongue_smilie:) and we were discharged at 4 hours, which was their minimum. Most moms there leave somewhere between 4-12 hours after the birth.

 

My third was a homebirth.

[Farrar]

People kept coming in, taking my babies away from me, telling me I wasn't a fit mother (I know that sounds absurd but the exact quote was, "If you can't stop joking around and demonstrate to me that you can use this bulb syringe then I won't let you take your babies home because it won't be safe."), grabbing my nipples, waking me up when we finally got to sleep to take a survey at 3 AM!... So, um, yeah, get me out of there. We signed papers and left against medical advice.

[Amber in SJ]

We call the hospital stay The Night of the 1,000 Nurses.

 

It seems like every time I fall asleep someone wants to come in & check my bottom, or the baby, or ask me if I need to go to the bathroom, or check my blood pressure, or take pictures of the baby, or get me to sign something. It is insane. With the last two I think I was being punished for not letting them take my baby to the nursery. One nurse finally said; "If you'd just let us take her to the nursery we wouldn't have to keep coming down here and you could sleep."

 

We call the ride out the door in the wheelchair the freedom trek.

 

For the first week or so, I do not answer the door (front or bedroom.) I screen my calls. Dh is home to take care of the other kids and all I do is sleep & nurse.

 

Amber in SJ

[PIE!]

YOUR BABY IS ADORABLE!

 

If the hospital was relaxing, I'd love to stay. But it seems that every half hour around the clock someone is coming in to check something. And they won't let you co-sleep. I'm not an attachment parenting guru, but if baby can nurse while I sleep, I get more sleep :001_smile:.

 

My favorite thing is to get out of the hospital ASAP, and have the other kids go visit their grandparents for a few days so baby and I can get some real rest at home.

[JFSinIL]

With my first - post-term twins - I (we) got an extra day to recover after the c-section as I was wiped out. My ob yelled at the insurers to make it so. The other three c-sections he made them let me stay at least one night and/or until after all that painful gas had passed (you c-sectioners know what that is like!)

[wapiti]

It depends on the hospital and how many children are waiting at home. I've had a noisy hospital and less-noisy-hospital with carpeted floors and helpful nurses who would offer to change the baby after a middle of the night feeding so that I could get back to bed that much quicker. But once I'm home, it's back to work (everyone wants something ;)).

[MinivanMom]

Congrats!

 

I had my first 3 in the hospital and I was counting the minutes until I could get out of there. With strangers coming in and out of your room at all hours, getting woken up all through the night just so some nurse can ask you when you last nursed, and having to wait until they decide to let me eat or let me have some advil . . . ugh . . . let me go home already. That's before having to deal with controlling nurses who don't want you to room-in or to pick up your baby or who yell at you for walking around (um . . . I feel fine, thanks).

 

I've never understood how anyone feels pampered by the experience. Let me go home to my own bathroom, my own kitchen, and my own handy bottle of advil. Of course, I don't feel the least bit guilty about staying in bed while my husband cooks, cleans, and cares for the other children. And I would never tolerate relatives coming to stay with us to "help" or camping out at our house all day to hold my new baby. My own home is so peaceful and relaxing.

[delaney]

I can't sleep in the hospital. I mean literally I can't. I wander the halls, shower at 2 in the morning.....it is terrible. With my last I was out in just over 24 hours.

[mumto2]

Absolutely beautiful!!!

 

I loved the hospital stay. Especially with my second. I knew getting to be by ourselves would be a rare event. I just stayed in bed and enjoyed him. When I went home it was crazy -- no more bed rest for me!

[GAPeachie]

I find that the more births I have the more I want to be left alone and not in a hospital. (Barring my csection for #2)

 

Sadly, no matter what, I cannot homebirth or use a birth center. I risk out.

 

I can get pretty cranky about people intruding on our private time to ask if I've gone to the bathroom and nursed, and, and, and.

 

I try to remain grace giving and sweet, but I always seem to get a Nasty Nellie Nosy Nurse, interested in lecturing me about how to hold baby, or wrap baby or any of the other things I've done ten million times, with four children. Or giving me birth control advice. Bleh.

 

(Can you tell I'm slighty hormonal? #5 is due in August. LOL!)

 

Congratulations! She looks *SO* snuggly!

[Harriet Vane]

The sheer number of people in and out of the room all.the.time. drives me nuts in a hospital. After ds was born, my darling dh pulled a chair in front of the door so that if someone tried to come in, the door would bang the chair and wake dh, who would then interrogate whoever wanted to come in. Most people were turned away, bless him. He was frustrated, though, because someone wanted to come in the room constantly--there is no way I would have gotten ANY sleep if dh hadn't guarded the door like that.

 

I also reflect on my aunt's many hospitalizations for a brain tumor. Same story--lots of people in and out, lots of noise. The worst by far was when the hospital was rehabbing the corridor. There was dust, noise, loud machinery, etc. I was incensed.

 

The hospital is absolutely the last place I want to be when I am sick and needing rest.

[Mommy22alyns]

I know I'm an anomaly here as I was happy to use a hospital for my births. Rebecca was not a C, so I left after a couple of days. Sylvia was a C, plus she had nearly severe jaundice and I'd been on bedrest for a month, so we stayed an extra day - I think we left the fourth day after she was born.

 

OP, your daughter is gorgeous.

[Annie]

Oh my gosh, I can't even express how much I wanted out of that hospital. I'm sure part of it was that I had planned a home birth, so I wasn't mentally prepared to be there. I had a 37 hour unmedicated labor, with 7 hours of pushing, and a c-section to top it off. By the time I got to my room I was *so* unimaginably exhausted, but they would. not. let. me. sleep. Someone always needed something. My LO was high needs from birth, and he would cry every time he was put in the bassinet. Every single time. The policy was no sleeping with baby in the bed, so I could stay awake and hold him or ??? My DH had been up for almost 48 hours too by that point, so he couldn't stay awake holding him. The day after he was born, I got my sister to come to hold him so I could sleep, but the nurses kept waking me up! If it wasn't the nurses it was the picture people or the birth certificate lady (who came 4! times) or the maintenance people to try to fix the broken thermostat which was making the room like a sauna. I kept thinking about our giant double queen floor bed, where I had planned on spending our post partum days in peace and quiet, sleeping happily side by side. :sigh:

 

They didn't deliver meals at meal times. You had to call down to order them. I was so messed up from the pain meds (I hardly ever even take a Tylenol) and lack of sleep that I never ordered food. :001_huh: I'm pretty sure nobody explained the process to me, and if they did, it was one of those times that they woke me up from my 20 minutes of precious sleep. The nurses kept bringing me those little juice cups, but it seems nobody thought to encourage me to actually eat something. I remember ordering my first meal on the day I was discharged, and I was there for 5 days! My husband brought me subway once, and my mom sent some trail mix and muffins or something, so I was eating something I guess. Looking back, I can't believe how exhausted/out of it I must have been if I didn't remember to eat meals.

 

I remember one night it was slow so a saint of a nurse offered to hold my baby for awhile so I could sleep.

 

The thought of going back makes me twitchy.

 

 

OP - Congratulations! She's beautiful! I hope resting well. :)

[horsellian]

I voted get out - but I've had quick normal vaginal deliveries, so I didn't feel the need to stay in. I actually felt fantastic for the first few days post-partum both times, until the sleep deprivation kicks in.

 

With DD, the midwife convinced me to stay in overnight, which was dreadful - I got no sleep, and the midwives on the ward were not very nice. Even so, I was out 24hrs after I arrived (20hrs after the birth).

 

With DS, I arrived at 8pm, he was born at 11pm, and the quickest they would let us go is 2am - so at 2am we went home! 6hrs all in. It was great to have put DD to bed before we left her with Granny, and next morning when DD came in to our room to see us, DS was there too in his cot.

[Night Elf]

She's beautiful!!! FWIW, I was home in less than 24 hrs. from admittance when I had my 3rd child. I had to push for them to release me quickly. The nurses bothered me and I wanted my baby with me all the time which they weren't happy to do. I wanted to be at home, so Kaiser sent a home nurse to check on us 2 days later.

[mom2scouts]

I voted other because with my first few I wanted to get home. By the time I was having a c-section with #5, I decided that I would stay as long as possible in a place that brought me food, cleaned my room, and allowed me to nap.

[TammyinTN]

I need to get home after delivery....I miss my space and all my comfort stuff.

 

Your little one is just precious...enjoy and congratulations! :D

[Greta]

I only have one child so I think my situation was a little different, but I remember my Grandmother saying how much she appreciated every single moment that she had in the hospital, because that was the only break that she ever got! She had eight kids, and ran not only the household but also a dairy, and this was back in the days when men did NOT change diapers or do any "woman's work". The minute she was home, it was back to her full workload. Don't feel guilty about enjoying that time of rest, and I'm sorry they wouldn't let you stay longer!

 

Congratulations, your daughter is beautiful and precious!

[dirty ethel rackham]

What a darling pic! Beautiful.

 

For a c-section, I would probably want all the help I could get, but still, I would want to be out of there as soon as medically safe to do. The longer you are there, the more stuff they can do to you and the baby. I didn't have c-sections - one highly interventive birth and two natural births One older woman in my life instilled it in me that, for the first two weeks, the mom's job is to recover, nurse the baby, and receive hugs and snuggles from any other kiddos. All other responsibilities should be done by others. So I didn't feel one bit of guilt for laying around. The less I did the first 2 weeks, the better I felt the next 2 weeks.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Congrats!

With my vaginal births, I was ready to get out of the hospital and go home. But with my c-section, I opted to stay the extra day--for the hospital bed. I never in a million years though that I would want to stay for the hospital bed, but I was so sore (it was an emergency c-section under general anesthesia, so I was in worse shape than the standard planned c-section) and it was so great for lowering and raising and reclining and all that.

[Coffeetime]

Oh, I LOVE the hospital stay. :001_smile::001_smile: It like a vacation! They bring you food whenever you want, wait on you hand and foot, you can nap at any time.... I can't do any of that at home.

I don't have sections, but my doctor was always nice enough to order the longest stay possible (3 full days) because he knew that was the only way I could get any rest. ;)

I have given birth 5 times at the same hospital and they are so great there.

[FairProspects]

5 pages in and no one has mentioned insurance?!? The picture of that beautiful baby must be making everyone forget about reality. :D

 

I'm in the get out as fast as you can camp. Each day in the hospital cost us something like $1000 out of pocket even with insurance. I'm all for being pampered, but dh can do it for a heck of a lot cheaper than that at home.

[KristinaBreece]

I hated the hospital stay after DS was born. They took 6 hours to get him back to me after he was born, and they wouldn't let me sleep. I couldn't leave fast enough.

 

I had HELLP syndrom with DD and was in the hospital for a week after. The hospital I had chosen transferred me to a larger hospital nearby and let me choose between the hospital where DS was born and the big University hospital a few miles farther away. I loved the stay there. Except for DH coming in every day and complaining that I was still there. :glare:

[cjzimmer1]

I voted other because it depended on what type of birth I had. I had 2 c-sections followed my 3 natural births.

 

With my c-sections, I was in the stay as long as possible group. It was so hard to move, that I really appreciated having a bed that I could raise and lower to shift positions and aid in getting up and laying down. Also they give you much better drugs when in the hospital versus what they send you home with. Finally, I really appreciated the extra help with caring for baby since it was so difficult to move on my own.

 

With my 3 naturals, I was so ready to go home the next day (my kids were all born at night). My joints and muscles were soooo sore. The drugs they give you after a natural are pitiful and the beds are rock hard (which I didn't notice after the c-sections thanks to the good drugs they give you when you have surgery). Since I was able to get up and move around pretty easily, and caring for baby was easy too, I just wanted to get home to my soft bed and rest my muscles.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I hated the hospital stay after DS was born. They took 6 hours to get him back to me after he was born, and they wouldn't let me sleep. I couldn't leave fast enough.

 

 

Yeah, that was the other issue ... sleep. I was told with my first that the last night in the hospital would be last night sleep you ever get. Well, with people popping in every hour on the hour to check vitals, take out the garbage, mop the floor, bring food, ask if I needed anything, plus the nurses talking very loudly in the hallway, I got much better sleep at home.

[Guest sahmtx]

My first birth I stayed two days and hated every minute of it. I had a natural birth but a first time mom and nervous. I felt less stressed at once I was home. My second birth, I signed the baby out AMA and my midwife let me go 5 hours after birth. My last was a home birth and it was amazing. I feel safe at home, I get home cooked meals and can sleep with my baby comfortably.

[Parrothead]

I was gone from the hospital less than 24 hours after dd's birth.

[chepyl]

Even with a few minor issues, I loved my hospital stays! The hospital dd was born at, where I will have this baby, has gourmet meal service with give servings and lots of options. It was as food as home cooking!

 

Bit more importantly....your baby is beautiful!!