DH sleeping on that uncomfy couch at the hospital

thebigmare4 · February 2011

We had our hospital tour yesterday and man do those couches look uncomfortable!!! We had planned on having DH spent the night (and we still might), but I don't want both of us to be sleep deprived. (I should mention that my DH uses a CPAP to sleep since he has sleep apnea, so he already has sleep issues) Our hospital has a fabulous policy if dad spends the whole time there. When we arrive in labor, there's a valet parking service and as long as we don't move the car until we leave, it's free. If DH runs home, if only for a few hours, he'll have to park in the regular parking garage which is $10 a day. So the valet parking is very tempting. We were discussing how we might just check ourselves out as soon as they'll let us. I'm sure that I won't be comfortable in the hospital either. Any idea of how soon you can check out? I know that the peditrician has to see the baby first and obviously I have to be feeling well. Also, what was your DH's experience sleeping at the hospital? Did he actually sleep?

Gina418 · February 2011

I wouldn't check myself out until I was cleared by a doc. If you have an uncomplicated vaginal birth, you'll be out in 48 hours. Don't rush that.

Also, check to see if that couch folds out - the chairs in the rooms at the hospital I will deliver at fold out flat and are more bed-like.

luvdv8 · February 2011

DH goes home to sleep as well- those chair beds are awful! I'd pay for the parking and let DH get some rest.

musicamh · February 2011

Usually OBs will release you pretty soon after deliver. The problem is the LOs. Peds won't release them for 48 hours (usually) because they want to make sure everything is okay with them. I agree with PP trust me enjoy the hospital stay time. You will return to the real world soon enough. I actually can't wait (minus being away from DD at night).

GreenBride624 · February 2011

Gina418:

I wouldn't check myself out until I was cleared by a doc. If you have an uncomplicated vaginal birth, you'll be out in 48 hours. Don't rush that.

Also, check to see if that couch folds out - the chairs in the rooms at the hospital I will deliver at fold out flat and are more bed-like.

This!

Sidenote - if DH will be staying with you, bring warm clothes & blankets. When we were at the hospital with DD the room was FREEZING at night!!!

tarak1111 · February 2011

Last time we were there 5 nights total (induction/c-section).. I think he only stayed a full night once and it was miserable.. The fold out chairs were awful, even though our house was a 45 minute drive, I MADE him go home everynight to get some real sleep.. I think it was beneficial to all of us in the end.

00tedsgirl · February 2011

DH went home, but parking is free for patients and their immediate families at our hospital.

Could someone give him a ride home and back so he can sleep at home?

lilmommalcw · February 2011

My sons dad just toughed through it! Everyone is different though. I just remember really needed his help at night. This time it's different because it's just me & I've been begging my mom to stay the night. She said I will be fine & thats what nurses are for. It's not as nice as having someone close to you help though!

UGAbride · February 2011

If his sleep is THAT important to you both, then it doesn't sound like $20-$50 (basically 2-5 nights in the hospital) should be that big of a deal, no? It's not easy to get much sleep in the hospital because you will have a newborn, so it's just a matter of *when* he starts losing sleep (immediately, or 2 days later). Plus, people are in and out all the time, so I was always ready to go home as soon as I was able to be discharged (they had to come check me every 4 hours and deliver meds, (round the clock), the pediatrician rounds start at 7am, changing your trash, the birth certificate lady, the hospital picture lady, the lactation consultant, the person taking your food order, the one dropping off your food, not to mention your baby waking at all hours, etc...it's NUTS in the hospital).

o2bme · February 2011

At our hospital the Dad gets to sleep in the window with a pad on it. DH barely fit in it but he stay the entire time I was in the hospital with DD (4 nights). If you have an uncomplicated vaginal delivery you can be released 24 hours after giving birth. I'm hoping everything goes smooth this time so we can go home the next day.

wifeofadam · February 2011

With #1 DH spent a lot of time up at the hospital and I sent him home to sleep. There is no way I would make him sleep on that couch!

With #2 he was barely up at the hospital after the birth because I wanted him home with DS1. They wouldn't let me leave any sooner than 24 hours.

This is why we're having a homebirth this time. We can all be together and sleep in our own beds

cekelly11 · February 2011

DH slept on the chair both nights I was in the hospital with DD. He got more sleep than I did and it was nice to have someone else there with me. I'm pretty dure he will be spending the night/nights in the hospital with me again unless DD has a really hard time, we only live 20 mins from the hospital so he can go home if he needs to but he's smart enough not to complain about lack of sleep/uncomfortable chairs to me after I have given birth to his child. He'll have to suck it up.

CitCat1119 · February 2011

Maybe I'm selfish - but that last damned thing I'm going to worry about after giving birth to my child is whether my husband gets to be comfortable while sleeping. Really. He's a grown up. He can stay, he can go home, he can whine about it. I don't care. Least of my concerns. I'll go home when the doctor says my baby and I are ready.

KhloesMom · February 2011

After the length of my labor & pushing process, I would have shanked him if he complained about the comfort level of whatever surface they gave him to sleep on. And I sent him home shortly after getting settled into PP anyways. I don't see what benefit he would have or offer me sleeping in PP, especially with with the nurses coming in ever few hours to do vitals and check bleeding.

And I wanted fresh, piping hot Starbucks first thing in the morning too!

circe811 · February 2011

Wow, our PP floor has a queen sized bed for fathers to share the bed with their wives after delivery. Now, if you have a c-section then DH is stuck on the couch but I'm surprised to hear that other PP floors don't offer this!

chipperberg · February 2011

After DH sees all I will have to endure, I think he will be thankful he has some thing to sleep on other than the cold hospital floor. A couple of nights discomfort compared to 9 months. Sorry, I guess I am the selfish one on here and DH agrees, he feels he should sleep on the floor! He feels HORRIBLE about the whole pain with delivery, etc. He will sleep on the pull out of course, but he still feels bad about it.

aggy34 · February 2011

circe811: Wow, our PP floor has a queen sized bed for fathers to share the bed with their wives after delivery. Now, if you have a c-section then DH is stuck on the couch but I'm surprised to hear that other PP floors don't offer this!

Same here our hospital has queen sized beds in the PP rooms. We haven't decided what we are going to do yet it depends on when LO wants to come out and if we have SD at the time. If we do I am sure he will be going home since we only see here EOW and he will want to spend sometime with her and bring her to the hospital to meet LO.

cranberry27 · February 2011

Ditto the PP who said he can suck it up. You will have more important things going on, and you probably know that already. I tend to obsess on the weird details when I'm stressed and it sounds like you're doing that too. If he needs the CPAP and a comfy bed, pay the money. It's probably only going to be a couple of nights. Well worth the $20-$30. If he gets a few nights of imperfect sleep, he will live. Checking out early to make sure DH gets his rest is pretty extreme, which again is why I suspect you're obsessing on the details you can control.

darmca · February 2011

At my local hospital, for an uncomplicated vaginal birth you go home 3 hours afterwards if everything is 'normal', often with the baby. I'm planning a home birth, so unless I end up in the hospital this isn't a concern for me anyway, but if I were in the hospital he would so be sleeping at home- especially when its $50 or less at stake- he's 6'3" so he'd be really uncomfortable at the hospital.

DH sleeping on that uncomfy couch at the hospital

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