Hospital birth? How long did you stay?

[junipermuse]

I'm going to be giving birth to my first baby some time n the next couple of weeks and it will be a hospital birth. I don't really like hospitals though, and I feel like I will want to come home as soon as possible. Both my mom and my MIL have told me I should stay as long as possible. But I'm not sure why I would want to stay. I would rather be at home (my mother will be staying with us or at a hotel a block away) where I can have my own bed, and my family can help me care for the baby instead of strangers. I can't imagine getting better rest in a hospital bed than at home. I would rather eat the food at my house or have food brought in instead of icky hospital food. I can understand wanting to stay longer at the hospital if you would otherwise be returning to a demanding household, but I love my comfy house, I will be surrounded by loving and supportive family, and have access to all my familiar things, why would I want to stay at a sterile, strange hospital? Will I feel this way after the baby comes? How long did other people stay at the hospital? How did you feel about your stay at the hospital? Do you wish had stayed longer or left earlier? How quickly do you think they'll let me leave?

[Flor]

I had a hospital birth. I had to be induced for medical reasons, so I went in Monday, had ds about 5 o'clock Monday afternoon and they made me stay until Wednesday for no reason. I thought they were supposed to try to push new mom's out the door? I was totally ready to go on Tuesday. I think that people tell you to stay because of the nurses and such being another set of helpful hands. You can actually take a nap when the baby is off with a nurse or something, but I agree, go home. They actually work me up at 5:30 AM and told me it was time to take a shower. They came and got ds at 1 AM and took him away for a bath. BIZARRE.

[TypingMarie]

I gave birth at a hospital and couldn't wait to leave. I was released less than 48 hours after the birth. We would have been out earlier, but I had some complications. Had it not been for my complications we would probably have been out about 10 - 12 hours earlier.

Most likely they will "make" you stay at least 24 hours so a PKU test can be performed on your baby (in my state it's the law). After that you should be able to go Congratulations and good luck!

[hubris]

I stayed about 24 hours after each birth . I believe 2 nights was the norm but 1 was plenty for me.

[dakotamidnight]

I stayed just over 48 hours.

I could have left at 24 hours, but they wouldn't release DD until 48 hours had passed since I waited to come in after my water broke. Dunno how they figured they were observing her - we roomed in the entire time and they only checked on her once. :

[_betsy_]

I had baby at 11:30 a.m. on a Wednesday and was released around 10 a.m. on Friday. I did not need or want to be there Thursday night, and should have requested to be released Thursday. Hindsight, you know?

I think some people say they want to stay as long as possible when they have older kids, especially a demanding toddler, at home.

[HappiLeigh]

I had the baby on a Tuesday night, and was released first thing Thursday morning. It was perfect for me, because all the eager visitors came to the hospital instead of my house on Wed., and then about the time I felt like I really wanted to go home, I did.
Good luck with your birth!

[DoomaYula]

I believe that in some states there is a 24-hour law (unless you leave AMA). With my twins, they practically pushed me out the door -- less than 24 hours after I had them -- although the kids themselves were in the NICU for a week, so I wasn't going very far. But they needed the hospital room.

With dd, who did not need any NICU time, I had to stay 24 hours. She was born at 1:30AM, and I insisted on leaving at 1:30AM the next day. The CNMs and the peds on call were really annoying about it, they practically insisted that I stay until a "reasonable hour," like 9AM the next day. But I was very stubborn about it and I left at 1:30AM. Everyone was AGHAST that I wouldn't want another night in the hosp, but I had all the reasons you mentioned. HOME is home, ya know? Plus I had twin 2yos to get home to!

[skueppers]

I stayed about 48 hours, and plan to do the same this time. I was totally wiped out after my 30-hour labor, so I wasn't really paying that much attention to what was going on the first 24 hours anyway. I was definitely ready to go home by the time I'd been there 2 nights, though.

I really liked being at the hospital while I was still bleeding a lot -- being at home would have made me uncomfortable, because I would have been nervous about getting my own bed, floors, bathroom, etc. all bloody. Even if someone else was cleaning it up, it's just the kind of thing I find icky.

Plus I was happy to have the nurses there to help us learn how to take care of a baby, something neither of us had any experience with.

[witchbaby]

with k: c/s saturday night, released monday afternoon
with m: vbac wednesday night, released thursday night (after much badgering-- they wanted us to stay another 24 hours)

[veggijessie]

I had an "emergency c-section" with DD at 11:45PM and left the hospital at 5:00 PM the next day! Only 17 hours, I guess Washington does not have the "24 hour" rule.

[roadfamily6now]

my first was a c-section, mandatory 72 hours ( should have left sooner if I only knew)

2nd was a VBAC, 24 hours
3rd was a VBAC, 24 hours
4th was a VBAC, 3 hours
5th was a VBAC (but also a surrogacy and in CA), mandatory 48 hours. I was ready to go 2 hours after birth.

You CAN sign your self out AMA (against medical advice) when ever you want.

[AllisonK]

1st babe: cesarean 3 days
2nd babe: hosp vbac 24 hrs
3rd babe: HB txfr hosp vbac 10hrs, could have been sooner if I pushed my OB, baby was cleared to go by the on call ped at 3 hrs.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

With both ds's I was in the hospital and delivered with my family doctor...it's a small country hospital and they like to keep moms as long as possible. I was in Thursday - Sunday with ds#1, and Thursday - Monday with ds#2. At the time I thought it was nice...but...I don't sleep well in the hospital, the food is terrible, and they kept waking me and the baby up (both times) to make sure I fed him every two hours, whether he wanted to or not. So I came home exhausted.

This time after a homebirth transferred to hospital, under a midwife's care, different hospital, too - dd, dh and I left 8 hrs after she was born. It was fantastic, because I don't deal well with nurses telling me what to do I'm 25 so they all assume I'm a first time mom which drives me bonkers - just read my chart, lady, I've done this before!! and they insisted on teaching me how to nurse my not-hungry baby before I left.

You can sleep great at home, it's your own food, your own bathroom, your own thermostat...you can police visitors better (I had SCADS in the hospital with both ds's) and as long as you commit yourself to good rest, there are no drawbacks.

[Funny Face]

I arrived at the hospital sometime around 3:00pm on a Monday, delivered dd at 6:30pm and FINALLY got to leave on Wednesday around 4 or 5pm.

I thought I would want to stay at the hospital (dd was our first but we live with my parents and I thought it would be more secluded and feel more like time for just me and dh), but I couldn't get ANY sleep. There was someone knocking on the door ALL the time, even unnecessary things.

You don't sleep much anyway because you're excited and bfing but every time I finally got some shut eye someone was coming in.

Drs.
Your assigned nurse.
The nurse student to take vitals.
The phlebotomist to take blood.
House keeping.
The chaplain.
The woman who hands out Bibles.
The lady with forms for special screenings.
The lady for the birth certificate/ss card.
The pediatrician.
The cafeteria lady.
Guests.
My midwife.
The lactation consultant.

It never stoped!

Never mind all the phone calls!
By the time I got home I hadn't had any real sleep in almost 96 hours. We were so disoriented by the time that dh and I got home we were both crying with out even meaning to, our eyes just ran with tears and we were past the point of exhaustion.

Despite all of that I still look back so fondly on that time. The first few days with dh and dd was 10xs better than our honeymoon... so romantic!

Oh, and just be warned that if you decide to make out in your hospital room, a nurse WILL walk in and you'll be kinda embarrassed!
GL

[luckylady]

I chose a HB birth with a nurse midwife.

I had a natural CB with no complications.

I was in and out in 18 hours. I hate hospitals too.

The hold up is usually the pediatrician not wanting to release the baby too soon, but mine saw that DS was nursing great and was healthy so gave the go-ahead.

Good luck to you!

[2sweetboysmom]

I have had 2 hospital births. The first was a pit induction for pre -e and the second was AROM after several long days of prodromal labor.

In both cases we left the hospital 24.5 hours after birth. I started kicking and screaming(not really ) at around 20 hours and pushing the nurses to get every thing done so I could leave. On the second they wanted to keep me another day simply because ds was born at 7:20 pm
Nurse--"Oh we don't do check outs in the evening. Besides you already have a child to care for at home don't you want to stay here and rest?"
Me--......."There is noooo rest in a hospital, and yes I have a child at home already which is why I am leaving tonight!!!"


You'll know what you need, tell them, and then don't back down.

[germanshepherdess]

Less than 24 hours for me!!! i gave birth at 6:30 pm saturday and laft sunday morning as soon as my ob cleared me...

[1babysmom]

DD was born at 4:23 am and we went home before 4 pm that same day...so about 12 hours. We didn't even have to sign out AMA (even though there IS a 24 min. stay at our hospital). Oh yeah, and I had an epidural, too.

[GooeyRN]

I stayed two nights. However, the first night I delivered at 1:54 am. My stay was less than 48 hours. I was fine the second I pushed dd out. I was walking and felt great.

However, dd was low birthweight, jaundiced, lethargic, and could not coordinate suck/breathe/swallow or even latch. She had a tight nuchal cord which lead to low apgars. She was a bit early (38 weeks according to my irregular period, and 36 according to u/s) but not a preemie. So they wanted to observe her for awhile.

I did not mind nursing coming to assess me or baby, the pediatrician, the CNA's getting vitals, the nursing students, the pediatrician, the LC, or the OB coming in. They were all wonderful.

What drove me INSANE was dietary. They would come before each meal to ask what I wanted, then later delivered the meal, then came back for the tray. So they visited my room NINE times a day. I tried asking them to not bother me, I don't care what you serve me, as long as there isn't any meat/chicken/fish/eggs in it. Why are you asking me what I want to eat when I am in the middle of a contraction?