Hospital stay after birth

[Aelwydd]

I had my son at a birth center. I went home 10 hours later. One of the reasons I chose that option was wanting to avoid the mandatory "confinement" of a hospital stay. If I want a nice, quiet stay, I check into a hotel. A hospital is not my idea of a quiet, relaxing environment!

[kalanamak]

I had a C section, baby hadn't nursed yet (there was a very nice night nurse who was helping me), I'd never changed a diaper in my entire life, and I was rather terrified. I stayed under 60 hours and was reluctant to leave. Hubby is NOT a nurse, and my first week at home was not fun.

[amyco]

Congratulations! She's beautiful.

[Sue in WI]

I stayed as long as the insurance allowed. Like others have said, I found it was easier to rest when I didn't see everything that need to be done. With my dd I was able to rest more when I was home than with my other births. (Oldest ds was a huge help this time)

[Tammyla]

Oh, what a beautiful baby. Congratulations!

[justamouse]

Maybe I got preferential treatment because I was old hat at it, but they totally left me alone in the hospital. I mean, they almost ignored me. Baby was at my side the whole time, I nursed on demand, changed diapers, all alone. They had me track feeding and would weigh the baby, but that was about it.

 

And I never argued about shots, I politely declined, they thanked me and left.

 

I stayed (though I had my first two at an awesome birthing center and went home in 6 hours). The more I had, the less rest I knew I'd get. And it wasn't THEM, but if I knew there was laundry, dishes, whatnot, I'd be getting up to do it. So I hung with the kidlet and nursed and read all day.

 

 

Congrats! She is beautiful!

Edited April 21, 2012 by justamouse

[Mothersweets]

Congratulations! Your sweetie little girl looks so healthy and happy.

 

I voted "in for the long haul". I enjoyed my stays in the hospital - except for two times - it usually was restful, the food was actually pretty good (lots of choices), and I didn't have to worry about dh or the other kids. I think the longest I stayed was 48 hours after birth.

[littlebug42]

I voted for the long haul. At the hospital where I had my babies, they really didn't bother me much. I know many do not but I also took advantage of being able to send the girls back to the nursery so I could sleep. They would bring them in when they needed to nurse and then take them back out. I would not have rested so well at home. Also after Boo-Boo was born, I really needed the IV pain meds for that first night.

[m0mmaBuck]

DS was an unmedicated VB and I was out of there within 12 hrs of his birth.

 

DD was a scheduled CS and I would have gone home the next day (24 hours) but she was cleared to go home until 48 hrs after her birth so that's when we left.

 

I hate hospitals. I hate people being around, bugging me, trying to do things to and for me. If I were a dog, I would be the one that wanders off into the woods to die alone.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Congratulations on your beautiful daughter!

 

I voted for stay as long as you can. It was nice to have people bringing me meals for a change. ;)

[higginszoo]

With my first, I had the floor nurse from he**, and was glad to get out of there.

 

With my middle two, I enjoyed my stay. I had the same floor nurse both times (17 mo apart), and she was mainly on the private floor with the rich people and left me alone, which suited me fine. Both times I had a toddler (or two) at home, so having the time with just the new baby was nice.

 

My youngest was a c-section. The nurse was routinely 2-3 hours late with my meds (serious understaffing). My midwife had decided to keep me another day, but midday, her partner (MD) came by, saw how much pain I was in, and sent me home where I could manage my own meds and take them on time (my other dc were older and my mom, who is a postpartum doula/hospital nursery nurse was there to help).

[Birkenkathy]

She is so beautiful.

 

I opted for a homebirth for my last one. But with my hospital babies I stayed as long as they'd let me. I loved having the nurses to bring me food and drinks whenever I asked. And it was nice to have lactation consultants on call as well because I always had bfeeding drama.

[besroma]

Beautiful little girl!

 

My natural births.....get me home ASAP!

 

My one cesarean......happy to stay a couple of days.

[Miss Innocent]

Congratulations!

 

Homebirth all the way for me! My first was a five day postnatal stay in hospital, my second a homebirth. I am very good at staying in bed or in my pyjamas and being waited on and letting family and friends help out. :D I wouldn't have another hospital birth except in dire circumstances. (BTW I used to work in Maternity.)

 

Emma x

[lailasmum]

There is no way I would opt to stay in a UK hospital any longer that the bare minimum time. The hospital I had my son in was a dump and you don't get looked after by the midwives. They barely have the numbers to keep the place running and attend to women in labour. I found it incredibly stressful. I had to fend for myself for most of the 30ish hours I was in there (I was only in labour for just over an hour-quick birth) not knowing where anything was and often not able to find a member of staff. Trailing around corridors and having to leave my ds right after birth was not good.

 

My first birth was a home birth, it was so much easier in so many ways.

Edited April 22, 2012 by lailasmum

[PollyOR]

Congratulations! What a gorgeous baby!

[PinkInTheBlue]

Well, my local hospitals don't believe in natural anything and they enjoy (apparently) waking you up EVERY SINGLE hour during the night. I nursed so I was already waking up a minimum of every 2 hours and then they were in multiple times throughout the night taking blood or blood pressure and temps. It's truly and genuinely horrible. I was deliriously exhausted by the time I could go home. The last night there my husband got into quite a fight with the latest nurse who walked into my dark room and rudely flipped the light on talking about what she was about to do. I had just nursed my son and had gone to the bathroom. He told her to GET OUT. It didn't go well. :)

 

Unfortunately there are not options around here. No birthing centers and to say home births are frowned on is a supreme understatement. Doulas are rare to say the least. To have to really big hospitals and nearly every doctor you can think of coming out our ears you would think SOMEONE would have learned a little something.

 

NOT an experience I care to remember and at least partially the reason I decided on no more babies.

[Meriwether]

What a beautiful baby!

 

I left at approximately 24 hours with the first three and approximately 12 hours with the last one. I have back problems and find it hard to sleep on hospital beds. I always had a mom or MIL waiting for me at my house. And I am money conscious enough to not want the insurance charged more than they have to be.

[DusksAngel]

My first I wanted out as fast as possible, mostly because E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E was delivering the week I delivered (ice storm 9m prior) so it was crazy busy and I had the resident from HE**! He was determined I was going to do things his way or else. He was rude and loved playing "The Lord Doctor".

 

Next two were in a different hospital and complete opposite situations. I had a much better experience there. The nurses were great (except one whom I ignored for the most part) Both times the baby stand with me unless it was time for them to be examined or weighed or I was talking a shower.

[garddwr]

I wouldn't mind the stay if they would actually let me get some rest! Nurses coming in every hour of the night to take my blood pressure etc. drives me nuts.

[whitestavern]

Your daughter is just beautiful!

 

I voted staying as long as you can. I had an (unexpected) c-section with my first child, so I stayed for almost a week afterwards. Dh had paternity leave and he stayed at the hospital with me the entire time. The room was private and lovely. The food was amazing. The nurses were kind and helpful. It felt like it was just our baby and us (with a few visitors sprinkled in throughout our stay). As first time parents, it felt comforting to be in a place where we could try out the whole parenting experience without distractions of home, work, and regular life, and with all sorts of professionals there to answer any of our questions and concerns.

[KarenC]

After dd #1 was born, I was ready to go home right away. By the time the third was born, I was happy to stay as long as they would let me.

 

Karen

[Alphabetika]

She is EDIBLE!!!! Her cheeks are pillows! Welcome to the Three Girls Club!

 

I voted "get me out of there" because for both of my hospital births I've had irritating roommates with LARGE and LOUD families who had to be kicked out of the hospital room after being there all hours. With #3, my roommate's boyfriend stayed ALL DAY both days I was there, and he watched violent and disturbing movies on the hospital TV the whole time. Even while the other 653 family members were there. I was glad she had a lot of support, but.......I guess I needed to speak up at the time instead of venting here nearly three years later. ;)

 

Also with #3, I had high blood pressure at the end of my pregnancy and during the birth, so I had to have my vitals taken every hour for 24 hours after the birth. And where we live, there are many people on gov't assistance and/or in need of social work services, so they send social services around to everyone by default. This meant that I had to go through lots of mock-cheerful, really condescending lectures. Sigh....

 

But if I'd had private rooms, where I could just be with my baby and nurse and kiss and hug the little dumpling, a few days in there wouldn't be too bad!

[SMRB]

We had private rooms and a nice hospital both times, but I'm firmly in the get me out of here ASAP camp. With our first, the "helpful" nurses and LC's gave me all kinds of horrible BF advice. I thought they were the experts and knew best, but when we honestly filled out the feeding log, they refused to release us and forced formula down DS's throat with a syringe, leaving me with a baby who refused to nurse and me doing exclusive pumping for 6 months. Now bear in mind that DS was still well within the acceptable weight loss limits for a newborn, and I had taken BF classes beforehand - it was ridiculous for them to have forced formula or hold him, but they just wouldn't release him otherwise. And this was a "BF-friendly" hospital. The longer we were there, the worse it got. With our second, I studied harder and knew a lot more, told the nurses and LC's to stay away from us, lied on the feeding log, left as soon as they let me, and had a wonderful 15 month BF experience. My philosophy is to get out before they have a chance to mess it all up, especially if you plan to BF.

[Donna]

She's so pretty! Congrats!

 

I had fairly easy labors and wanted to be home as quickly as possible. Two of my kids didn't help with that plan and ended up in the NICU for 16 and 10 days but I got discharged as soon as possible and was able to stay in a different room to board while they were in the NICU so I could nurse. With my middle ds, I had him at night and went home the morning after the next night.

[*Michelle*]

Ugh. This thread is reminding me of why I detest the MIU. I've never had a poor experience in L&D, but the postpartum floor is awful. With each child, my patience grows thinner.

 

Last time, after having our fourth kid, it was all I could do to not just get up and walk out. Constant interruptions at night: couldn't the baby nurse and my nurse come in and do their assessments together? All I wanted to do was get some sleep.

 

The best was when I was finally getting ready to leave. My husband is military and I gave birth at the base hospital. There's nothing like having a 19 year-old male corpsman trying to give me advice on breastfeeding and monitoring my bleeding as I'm holding my fourth child and trying to leave.

 

I'll be giving birth to our fifth sometime in June. I'm thinking of just making a sign to put on the door: "This is our fifth kid in six years. Yes, I know. Yes, I know that too. Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for leaving me alone!"

[Tap]

Other. Both were c-sections. I don't have family to help me out (other than dh for just a few days) so when I go home, it is all on me.

 

For number one, I wanted out ASAP.

 

For number two, I wanted to stay the 3 days I was allowed on my insurance. DD was born with low blood sugar so she was in the incubator off and on until she stabilized. I had a rambunctious 4yo at home waiting for me, so we stayed. :0) The nurses pretty much left us alone unless we needed something. They would physically check in every 4-6 hours or so.....I was really, really surprised how seldom they came in and when they did it was for a specific reason, not just to check on us to see if everything was OK. I was walking the halls the same day dd was born (I'm a natually active person), so that my be why they didn't feel the need to come in the room.