carrying babies out of the hospital

[Ms Ladybug]

Did anyone else HAVE to use a carseat when they left the hospital having giving birth? Both times, we had to have the baby strapped into the car seat, and sitting on my lap in the wheelchair as we left. It would have been nice to have them in a sling, but hospital policy said no way.
Anyone else??

[towsonmama]

I had to use a carseat for mine too. I thought it was pretty ridiculous that I had to sit in a wheelchair.

[lilylove]

They told me a had to put him in the carseat on the way down to leave. When I told them I planned to wear him they told me it was unsafe
They didn't really push it though, and I did wear him down in a pouch.

[wasswifey]

I dont really understand your question. I think you mean--they made you bring the carseat inside and hold it on your lap with you in the wheelchair to the car? (weird) I just had the carseat in the car and held him (in the wheelchair) til I got to the car. Why did they say no sling?

Before I gave birth I thought it was pretty crazy to have to be in the wheelchair too! but after, I didnt even want to move out of the bed.

[VOBetz]

I carried my son. I'll carry my daughter.

With my son, we had so much stuff, that we didn't bring the infant carseat into the hospital. We put him in the car when we got there.

I'm not sure if we will be using the infant seat with this one or our convertible. But either way, it will remain in the car.

What if you weren't using an infant seat (like using a convertible)? How could they possibly make you put your baby in that inside the hosp?

[EviesMom]

I think the idea is supposed to be that they make sure you have a car seat. But, many hospitals leave it to the nurses, and some of their ideas are just odd.

When dd was born, I brought the car seat into the lobby and the nurse got all pissy that she'd be too cold in April (going 3 feet from the lobby to the pre-heated car?!?!) and swaddled her in about 4 blankets. I said "we have to strap her into the carseat in the car anyway. What are you doing?" and she actually said "you can just hold her in the carseat, why would you need the straps!?!?!?!" If I ended up with in the hospital this time (I'm planning a home birth, so not likely!), we live literally 2 blocks from the hospital, and I don't see the point in a taxi or car getting home. Finding a parking space would take 3 times longer than walking home!

[LoveBaby]

egads...I hope they don't make me use a car seat! I'm planning very carefully which carrier I want to take to carry her out in serious babywearing style!

not to mention being an advocate to other families and mama's at the hospital, KWIM?!

[CanBoo]

Similar here. I did not try to carry, but we had a convertible in the car, no infant seat. They did not want to leave with the baby in our arms. They apparently had to see the baby strapped in the seat while leaving the maternity unit on 2nd floor. : So DH had to get the seat out of the car, bring it to the room, we put baby in, walked out like that... Got her out, seat went in the car... then baby went in. The thing is that they have no idea if your seat is properly installed, just that the baby is in it.
Next time, I would just borrow someone's infant seat, get the baby out of the maternity unit like that, they will never know that she is going in a different seat.
My husband did rub it in and asked the nurse what would happen if someone was to take public transit to get the baby home, so no car seat. She was quite puzzled about it...

[lilgsmommy]

My oldest was on my lap in his bucket. With the twins, they pushed them out to our car in thier bassinet thingy.

[Ms Ladybug]

Originally Posted by LoveBaby

egads...I hope they don't make me use a car seat! I'm planning very carefully which carrier I want to take to carry her out in serious babywearing style!

not to mention being an advocate to other families and mama's at the hospital, KWIM?!

It was actually your post on another thread that made me start this question.

Kinda like..."Hey! I didn't get to do that!"

[ATruck]

They asked us to bring the carseat in, and I told them that we didn't have an infant seat. The nurses are required by law to make sure the baby is going home in a carseat, so she had to come downstairs and wait for my husband to bring the car around. We have had a convertible seat from the beginning, so we couldn't bring the carrier in.

So we could have carried her in a sling... but she was coming out of her 6 day NICU stay, and we had never had her in one before.

[elladee]

Now we weren't actually allowed to carry the baby out of the hospital in the bucket seat. A nurse followed us out to the car to watch that we properly strapped DD in.

I was actually kind of irritated about that because it was January in Buffalo and not real warm out. I wanted to strap her in and tuck blankets around her before we went out, but they said no way.

ETA: We now live about a 5 minute walk from the hospital, so for the next one, I'm actually pretty tempted to suck it up and walk home with the baby in a sling just to see what they say.

[Ellp]

With Dd, the nurse strapped her into the bucket seat before we could leave. However, I just walked out of the ward, and I had a C-section! I did fine, but had to walk slowly. All our gear and stuff went in the wheelchair, which I think I pushed...

[junipermuse]

At the hospital I was at they wouldn't let you carry the baby out in the carseat. The mom had to carry the baby while riding in the wheel chair. They suggested you bring the seat in to adjust the straps and then to have dad take the seat back out to the car. It didn't matter for us since we didn't use that style seat. We have a Britax decathalon. I can't imagine trying to carry a baby out of the hospital in that thing.

[the_lissa]

We did not have to use a car seat or a wheel chair.

What about people who don't use buckets?

[althara]

We were never told by the hospital what to do. We just brought the car seat in when we were leaving the hospital. No one even checked to see if she was strapped in properly.

Thankfully, I didn't have to sit in a wheelchair; I would have protested very vocally. I didn't sit in one post birth when moving to the postpartum room. I walked the whole way and the nurses were looking at me like I was crazy. But my stitches hurt so bad I didn't want to sit down.

[Naomismom]

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that different states have different laws about this. With dd, I had to sit in a wheelchair and hold her. No carseat checking or anything. They let me know that after we pull away in the car, they were no longer liable. Easy enough...

[Jenlaana]

I hope I don't end up in the hospital. ugh

That being said, I will do what I want, when I want, and they can kiss my butt if they don't like it. I'm making a ring sling for my new babe and intend to carry her around in it, her will permitting of course, from the moment I can stand and hold her, on.

[treqi]

I had to sit in a wheelchair and hold her in the carseat i thought it was weird but was to rushed to argue(i wanted out of that hospital)

[sunnmama]

Originally Posted by ATruck

They asked us to bring the carseat in, and I told them that we didn't have an infant seat. The nurses are required by law to make sure the baby is going home in a carseat, so she had to come downstairs and wait for my husband to bring the car around. We have had a convertible seat from the beginning, so we couldn't bring the carrier in.
.

same here