Hospital birthers: How long did you stay after the birth?

[ProtoLawyer]

We are anticipating an uncomplicated, natural hospital birth sometime next month.

"Hospital policy" is a 48-hour postpartum stay for both mom and baby, though my doctor "might" sign me out early ("but the pediatrician probably won't sign your baby out, and do you really want to go home without your baby if you don't have to???"). Assuming a straightforward birth with no complications and a healthy baby, 48 hours seems like an eternity to me.

But I've never been there, so who knows how I'll really feel? (And, yeah, if there are problems, I would imagine a longer stay will be necessary and I get that.)

How did it work for you? Did you leave AMA or with medical approval prior to 48 hours, or did you want to stay as long as you could?

[PoppyMama]

I had two hospital births and left the next day with both of them (so a little less than 24 hours I guess) in both cases we got the ped to release the baby but I'm not sure if it's harder now. When my first was born 24 hours was standard and even though it had changed to 48 before my second I guess they weren't so strict yet. I had originally been happy to have extra rest but I can't think of a less restful place and I needed to get home ASAP so I could get a decent meal and relax. My third was born at a birthcenter and I went home 3 hours after the birth (I was ready, would have gone home sooner) and now with my fourth I've considered going to the hospital again but our I can't stand the thought of my baby being in the hospital. After working in the medical field for a long time they are like sitting pits of disease to me.

[fruitfulmomma]

I had two unexpected hospital births with a couple of my girls and with the first one they would have left me go right away if I wanted to. I chose to stay overnight. With the second one I was in and out in less than 48 and that included time with my daughter being in NICU. They tried to keep me longer because they stated I did not have a strep b culture done, but I had in fact been tested the week before so dh sent them back to find it. When they did we were good to go.

[mambera]

Gee, I liked being in the hospital. Insurance paid for two nights; I arrived around 10 am, delivered less than an hour later, and stayed that night and the next, so just about 48 h.

We got lots of breastfeeding help from the nurses and hosital LC, food came on a tray (not great food, but so what), I didn't have to deal with household chores. When I dripped blood all over the floor, it wasn't MY floor! - and somebody else cleaned it up.

By the end I was definitely ready to be out of there but for the first day or so I really enjoyed the help.

[artgoddess]

With my first I was terrified of being home alone with the baby and no one to tell me I was in fact doing everything just fine. So they had to push me out the door 44 hours after he was born. With my second I could not wait to get out of there. Had her at 9pm, went home at 9 am the next day. Both the ped and my OB came by early and signed us out because they got the message I wanted to leave asap. I was happy to have such an accommodating experience with my hospital.

[Sharlla]

I had to stay 3 nights with ds1 and 2. its part f the reason i chose to uc with dd
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[Sharlla]

and i found being in the hospital boring and stressful. getting pestered by nurses every hour while trying to sleep in a strane place with the world's most uncomfortable bed. oh and the food was awful with tiny portions, i was starving! Then they tried to put another mother in my room and i pitched a fit and they moved her before she even moved in lol. dont think its sanitary to expect 2 pp women to share a bathroom (blood everywhere yuck) and i certainly wasnt going to leave my baby in the room with a stranger
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[hotharmony]

Our hospital only allows 24 hours stay for non c-section birth. Only long enought to get the PKU test at the 24 hour mark. THey won't throw you out if that ends up being in the middle of the night but they won't hold you for any longer than 24hours. Which is how long we stayed with DS.

[StrawberryFields]

With my first I wanted to get out of there ASAP, but my doctor was also the baby's doctor, and she knew we had transferred in from a planned homebirth. She released us as soon as I asked to go.

With my third I was more than happy to stay the whole duration. Laying in bed, snuggling with my baby, having food brought to me, while dh stayed home and wrestled with the 2 and 4 year old, watching kid movies and sweeping up mac and cheese ground into the carpet

[rhiOrion]

DD was born at 3pm and we were out by 5pm the next night. So we stayed about 26 hours after the birth (of course, I'd been there for 28 hours by the time she was born).

We'd actually told them we wanted to leave by early afternoon that day...and the wheels started spinning way earlier to get us out, but hospitals are notoriously slow to get everyone together to get you out of there. In my case I had my midwives, the hospitals drs, and the pediatricians who all needed to do things to get me out. And even after that we had to wait for freakin-ever to get the cart to come get us and take us downstairs.

The midwives wouldn't have even required 24 hours, but with the nature of my condition (cholestasis) she warned me to expect to be there 24 hours just to make sure everything was resolving itself.

[Theoretica]

I stayed 24 hours the first time and about 18 hours the next. This time I've been told we'd be able to discharge at 6 hours with no complications but we've opted to stay home anyways

[SeekingJoy]

I was out within 24 hours both times. It wasn't a problem. I just asked my doctors (OB and peds) about it beforehand and reminded them right after delivery.

[eclipse]

With my first birth, I only wanted to stay 24 hours, but my son ended up in the NICU - thankfully a short stay, but he didn't come back to me until we ahd already been there about 34 hours or so. We stayed for one night after that.

For DD, I was going to leave after 24 hours, but that would have been at around 11 at night, so we stayed an extra night. We had a bitchy nurse who though we should stay the next night, and didn't bother to tell my OB that I wanted to leave (my OB was not happy - he was under the impression that I wanted to stay another night), and kept putting off having the people come by for the hearing test and pku. I finally had to threatend to leave AMA before she got all the sh!t together, and even then I got a lecture about how I should worry about the baby and not getting home to my 2 year old who had never spent a night without me up until that point.

My third birth was preterm, and I thought I might have to stay longer, but we only spent one night at the hospital. He was born around 6AM and we left in the afternoon the next day - so more than 24, less than 48. Only one night in the hospital.

I've never heard of a hospital that had a mandatory 48 hour policy. I know they aren't allowed, by law, to kick you out sooner than that, and insurance has to pay for at least that (and longer if there's a medical reason). Is it your OB telling you this, or the hospital itself? Do you know who you will be using for a ped? If they have privliges at the hospital, they can come and sign the baby out.

[LorenaAZ]

I stayed as long as I could. It was GREAT not having to worry about cleaning (dripping blood everywhere), warm blankets were delivered at the push of a buttom for both baby and me, lactation consultant on hand, drinks whenever I asked, food deliveries, etc. The birth itself was traumatic, I was a UC transfer and they treated me like trash. But the nurses that took care of me post-partum were a different batch of ladies and were very nice (it was a different floor from labor and delivery). Someone mentioned the nurses coming in every hour to take temperature of the baby, etc.....after the 3rd time they did this, I started faking I was asleep lol and they would come by later (and I would fake again) so they would leave us alone. It was sooooo helpful having people there to help around the clock. When I got home, reality hit us really hard as we had to do everything.

Have you toured the hospital and pre-register yet?

[CherryBomb]

I think it depends on how you're feeling and how the hospital is. I personally liked being there, I have other kids and getting some alone time with the baby was really nice. Plus it's a Catholic hospital so a Eucharistic minister would come and give me Communion every day, which I loved Anyway, my doctor was happy to sign me out after 24 hours, but the UAV ped though dd3 looked jaundiced so wouldn't sign her out (her levels were absolutely normal, the guy was just a freak, for many reasons).

[AlexisT]

Originally Posted by hotharmony

Our hospital only allows 24 hours stay for non c-section birth. Only long enought to get the PKU test at the 24 hour mark. THey won't throw you out if that ends up being in the middle of the night but they won't hold you for any longer than 24hours. Which is how long we stayed with DS.

This is really cheeky, given the laws that require insurance to pay for 48 hours following a birth. I wouldn't be happy about a hospital enforcing a 24 hour stay given the backlash after insurance companies started booting women. (BTW, this is why many hospitals have a policy about 48 hours being standard.)

I was technically discharged 36 hours post section. I say "technically" because I stayed in the hospital in a special unit for moms whose babies were in Special Care/NICU for 2 more days, but I was formally a patient of the community midwifery team. My hospital subsequently got criticized for its use of that unit, and I think from a medical POV it was probably not the best decision. OTOH, my hospital had 6 bed wards with mandatory rooming in, so if I had not required care I would have left ASAP.

The hospitals around here are all private rooms postpartum and I would probably stay at least 24 hours for a vaginal birth and 72 for a C section. I would want at least one full night to recuperate.

[Peony]

DD1 was my only hospital birth, I stayed 20 hours. I would out been out before 12 hours but the pedi forgot to sign DD1 out so I had to wait until after his office hours were over for him to come back and do it. The RNs couldn't believe I wanted out so quickly, maybe because I kept getting woke up every hour all night long. I could not wait to be home again!

[VillageMom6]

I would stay for a week, if I could! My hormones tend to crash dramatically and it leaves me with great anxiety. The hospital makes me feel more secure and cared for.

My first baby was born at a birth center where you had to leave within 23 hours. I was not ready.

My next four babies were born with midwives at a hospital and I told them that I would like to stay "as long as I am Federally entitled to stay".

I think it should be up to the mother. We've come full circle, from requiring ridiculous two week stays to sending moms on their way within a matter of hours.

If you feel ready to go sooner than 48 hours, I hope that everyone facilitates that for you easily.

I just wish that I could stay longer.

[seagull]

I went home 36 hours after a c-section. I loved the support of the nurses, but it was so much quieter at home even with my toddler there.

[Calee]

Two babies, two different experiences

First baby-induction gone bad to C-section. Had to stay three days. HATED it and wanted to go home. HUGE hospital. Disappointing birth.

Second baby- VBAC. SMALL personal hospital that supported my decisions. I was HAPPY to stay the 48 hours!

So I think a lot depends on the hospital and your caregivers.

I would check with your insurance about leaving AMA if you plan to do that. Many companies are not required to cover your stay if you leave AMA.