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Re: Postpartum hospital stay
I'm late to this discussion but DS is 2 weeks old. With DD (2.5 years ago) we stayed the required 2 days and it stunk. I just wanted to be home! So this time I talked to my pediatrician and midwife about early discharge and they were fine with it if everyone was healthy.
DS was born on a Sunday at 3:52pm and we left Monday before lunch. We had to return a few days later for another PKU (outpatient) because he wasn't yet 24-hours old when they did the first. I was SO glad to be home. So I would talk to your pediatrician and care provider to see if they are willing to let you both go home before 24 hours, or shortly thereafter.
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Re: Re: Postpartum hospital stay
I had my first child in the US and went home at 2 days as normal. I hated the hospital and would gladly have gone home immediately (we were both perfectly healthy and it was an uncomplicated painless vaginal delivery with early epidural). I was up and about 10 mins after he was born.
But I had my 2nd child in another country and gladly stayed 6 days in hospital (the norm there). I got pampered, looked after, the nurses would mind my DD while I slept, I BF much better with sleep and it was just fabulous. Even the food was ok. Double bed. Night nursery. No looking after older child or doing ANYTHING other than sleep and spend time with my newborn.
It isn't clear to me that the number of days in hospital is the key. It is how those days are spent. How much support do you have IN hospital as opposed to at home. I would have been sooooo stressed without those lovely nurses who took the baby for 5 hours a night so I could sleep.
I agree that it's not how long but how you're treated.
I'm in New Zealand. I birthed in the hospital and then transferred to the birth centre. Private rooms, double bed so DH could stay, ensuite, TV, delicious meals., kind helpful staff. We only get two days and I could have happily stayed a week.
To be fair to our hospital staff here, I think they are very good just over-worked and under-resourced. Unless you medically need to be there, the hospitals want you out the door so they can give your bed to someone else.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old