How long do you plan on staying in the hospital?

dawn3513 · July 2011

I went on my hospital tour yesterday and found out that the stay for vaginal deliveries is 48 hours and the stay for a c-section is 72 hours. I was kind of bummed because I thought I would be able to leave after 24 hours for a vaginal delivery. How long does everyone else plan on staying at their hospital or birth center?

beazbadazme2 · July 2011

You can be released sooner if your doctor lets you. I'm going to ask to leave at 24 hours and I barely stayed 24 hours with my first 3 because back then you only stayed a day.

JKGymnast · July 2011

Until they release me I guess....? I think 48/72 is pretty standard and I'm fine with that.

Ella&C · July 2011

However long they make me stay. I didn't rest well after DD...bed sucked, didn't have my pillow, staff in and out checking on my bleeding....lots of noise....I don't know how long my new hospital requires. I'll ask in a few weeks when I go back. But truthfully, my bleeding scared my OB, so I felt safer staying until the 3rd day PP.

camdenfaithful · July 2011

I'll be staying until my doctor releases me. I know if I end up having a c/s I'll probably want all the time they'll give me in the hospital because I'll be recovering from major surgery, but if I'm able to deliver vaginally I'd like to go home ASAP if my doctor will let me.

Also keep in mind that even if your OB will release you at 24 hours, the pedi has to release your baby too. Even if there were no complications sometimes they like to keep the babies in there a little longer. If I can go, but my baby can't, I'll be staying in the full 48 hours.

Marettie · July 2011

It really depends on how me and LO are feeling. If everything is checking out okay and BF is going smootly I will ask to leave early, if I'm feeling uneasy about anything I don't mind staying and taking advantage of the advice from the nurses.

Azrayla · July 2011

Im taking the full time before they kick me out.. the first 24 hrs theyre up your butt about vitals etc but the second night is nice.. and I could use the relaxation before heading home and chaos begins..

SusieBW · July 2011

As long as they tell me to. I think my hospital is also 48 hours.

TheFannins729 · July 2011

2 days. my mom has seen too many babies have problems present after 24 hours. i trust her judgment on this one.

shelley1002 · July 2011

My hospital is 24 to 48 hours for vag deliver and 72 to 96 for c-section. They said it depended on your medical needs and your insurance coverage because some only cover the shorter stay unless medically necessary.

ETA: I will still as long as needed or allowed by insurance.

elynds · July 2011

I would like to leave as soon as they let me, but I'm not going anywhere if they don't release the baby

. I'm delivering at a high risk hospital, so rumor has it that if you are free of complications they release you pretty quickly to free up space, which I'm fine with.

VitaminC · July 2011

I'm having a repeat section. And the stay for that is typically 4 nights. I had thought of only staying 3 nights. But I might stay the whole time just because when I get home I'll have DS1 to take care of as well. So it might be nice to have an extra day of bonding time with the baby. So it might be like a mini vacation for me. Except for the part where I'm recoving from major surgery.

becasmeca · July 2011

Two weeks? Nah just kidding! It is standard to stay 48/72 in my area.

Marion&Kit · July 2011

The law is that the hospital (and your insurance) cannot make or try to convince you leave until 48 hours after a vaginal birth or 72 after a c-section. You can volunteer to be released before that, as long as the doctors clear it.

chandwy11 · July 2011

They are going to have to kick me out! I have been dreaming about being in the hospital and laying in bed with DS#2 to bond only with him for a bit. Once I get home, DS#1 is going to be wondering who the new kid is and when is he going home. So planning on staying Thursday thru Sunday (scheduled c/s for 9/15)

ermaderma · July 2011

I honestly haven't thought about it too much. My BFF just had a repeat c-section last Monday morning and was home by Wednesday afternoon/evening, but she had discussed it with her doctor prior to going in. The nurses there were pretty shocked that she was allowed to go home so early!

If all is well with baby and I, I will probably ask to go home ASAP as well. DH will be there as well as my mom and MIL to help out with anything that I need, so I would rather be comfy in my own house than stay in the hospital.

Melett · July 2011

I am going to stay the full 48 hours to get rest and have some time alone with the new baby. Last time I left after 24 hours becuase the bed was very uncomfortable, and I did great at home, but this time I want to take a little more time to rest while at the hospital..

smorzandoj · July 2011

I requested a 24 hr discharge last time. This time I am not sure they will let me because of the awful infection I had that sent me back in....but who knows....I will def try for a 24 hr.

xtinaxmariex · July 2011

Ours is the same, 48 hours for vaginal and 72 for C-Section. I'll ask if I can leave earlier with LO, only at the doctor's okay though.

memali26 · July 2011

With DD1, I delivered at 1 AM Friday and was home by 4 PM Saturday. We were both doing great, both doctors cleared us, and we had been there since the start of my induction on Tuesday and I was just so ready to go home.

This time, I'm torn between coming home as early as they'll let me so we can start getting some new normalcy for DD1, and staying as long as they'll let me to get some rest and help with DD2 before we're on our own with both girls. I guess we'll see how things go. The standard for our hospital and insurance is the same as everyone has already said - 48 hours for vaginal delivery, 72 hours for c-section.

lovelyophelia · July 2011

3 days is the max I can take. I seriously hate hospitals more than anything. Hopefully it will be all I have to stay but if I need to stay longer I will.

Mereou12 · July 2011

24 hours is the bare minimum for hospital stays post vaginal delivery (birthing centers are different)....48 hours is pretty much the norm for liability reasons.

I stayed 2 nights (almost 48 hours exactly, in fact) after DS was born. I'll probably stay the same this time.

Onward · July 2011

Marion&Kit:
The law is that the hospital (and your insurance) cannot make or try to convince you leave until 48 hours after a vaginal birth or 72 after a c-section. You can volunteer to be released before that, as long as the doctors clear it.

This!

I have no idea if I will try to get released early... really depends how I am feeling and who (from our families) is in town.

twinkle_toez69 · July 2011

I have lots of options. Midwife CAN release me if I've had a smooth labour and everything is OK within 3 hours after...but I'm not entirely sure I'll be taking this option. It's based on the fact that they come to your home to visit you the next day, day 3, and day 5. So you're getting that follow up.

If I stay in the hospital - it's usually 60 hour max for vaginal, but they don't push you out they say. C-sections are around 3 days, I believe, but again it depends. If anyone needs to stay longer, they don't force you out.

Broadway1 · July 2011

I'm going to stay the full time I can. As a first time parent, I'm all about getting as much help as possible and I would be more confident after two days of professional help.

The other advantage is that I will need less help from my mom when I come home. While I love my mom and she is great, sometimes when I'm tired or stressed she makes me crazy. I'll also be able to share the baby with family and friends a bit more if we have two full days to just focus on the new baby.

lajolla09.30.06 · July 2011

I am using a birth center so I will be going home a few hours after the baby is born unless it's the middle of the night in which case I'd wait til morning. I certainly had enough of the nurse interruption check everything every 5 minutes last time to know that a hospital is NOT somewhere I want to hang out to relax or recover, I would much rather be at home and maybe have someone else watching the big kids. Ditto the previous answers though, if you want to go home after 24 hours just ask! They won't make you stay if everything looks good.

marriedtoeric · July 2011

4-8 hours. But we're delivering at a birth center where the average stay is 6 hours. I guess if we give birth in the middle of the night it will be on the longer side so we don't leave for home at 4am.

littlemiss511 · July 2011

Ours requires you to stay two midnights for vaginal delivery than 3-4 days for c-sections.

ZZsmommy · July 2011

Last time around, I wound up staying in the hospital for 6 days (5 days after delivery). My blood pressure stayed so high after the baby was born, I wasn't even released from Labor and Delivery to postpartum until 2 days after he was born. In fact, my son was released before I was!! (That was really stupid - once the baby is released, the nurses can not do anything with him, for him, or to him - they rolled him into my room and dropped him off. I was still a patient, but he was my responsibility. My whole family had to LOL at that one....)

I hope I'm not there that long this time, but I will definitely wait until I am released, and will enjoy the time to rest and recover some. C-section is painful recovery, and it takes time and rest. Once you go home, there is no nursery to send the baby to so you can sleep/rest - you are ON 24/7!

buddy83 · July 2011

I will probably stay for as long as my doctor wants me to. Better safe than sorry, especially since I'm already nervous.

JaninneAlvarado · July 2011

I've delivered all my boys in hospitals and the last one I wanted to go home after 12 hours and they were going to let me but I couldn't get a ride home (dh works his seasonal job plus his regular job) so I had to wait for someone to drive the 45 minutes to an hour so I stayed 36 hours total. I will be going home as soon as I can talk the doctor into releasing us. I won't be leaving my baby so if she can get released early on and is healthy, and I feel comfortable, I will not be staying at the hospital. If I need time alone just baby and I, I can have my mom keep the boys at her house for a day or two with no questions asked.

mjune3881 · July 2011

Our hospital is 2 nights with vaginal delivery and 3 nights c-section. They said legally you need to be there for 24 hours, but could leave thereafter should you choose. Frankly, I'm going to stay as long as they let me - more time I have to ask questions of all the nurses and get their expertise!

Mrs. Alice · July 2011

I stayed almost 96 hours (my insurance's max for c/s). The OB wanted me to stay as long as possible because of the babies in the NICU and me being far from home. I honestly was ready to go the day before - it's not like the postpartum staff was having to do much for me after the first 24 hours since I did not have babies rooming in and I wasn't even there half the time!

Corbin30 · July 2011

I will be headed for the door as soon as I can. I have spent too many years working in hospitals...when I am there I feel like I should be answering call lights and doing charting. I will not be able to sleep at all while I am there, and I am gonna need some rest. My midwife knows I will be after an early release. She says that as long as there are no issues she will be fine with letting me go early. How early she wouldn't say, but at least I got that much!

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