STMs who delivered med-free in hospital

vlevitt · November 2012

How long were you at the hospital before going home after baby was born? Also how long after birth until you felt 'recovered'?

gimmietimmies · November 2012

You'll get different answers both sides of the border. Shortest hospital stay was dd4. 12 hours. It would have been shorter, but someone else was delivering and there was a shift change. They try and get you out in under 24 hrs, even FTM, unless there are issues. I've noticed that the US tends to keep moms at the hospital longer.

It depends what you mean by "recovered". I noticed things not to be 100% not back to normal months later, even with ds. But for the most part, I felt okay around the 6 - 8 week mark.

KateLouise · November 2012

I'm in NZ. so it's probably all relative to your local hospital, but...

I left the hospital 2 1/2 hrs after DD1 was born. (My parents are still horrifed that I walked out at 4am, with no wheelchair and no ambulance transfer to the birth centre)

Here we have the option to transfer to the local birth centre and stay there for a couple of days. Which we decided to do because you have a private room and your partner can stay, and it felt nicer to be catered to and making a mess on someone else's bedding, and towels.

I probably felt completely recovered after 10 days. Obviously I was up and about doing stuff, but I didn't feel "normal" for over a week.

Recovery was much faster with DD2.

ETA: like pp our hospitals try to get you out as quickly as possible if you have no issues. Regardless of whether or not you intend to go the birth centre.

superned · November 2012

With DD we stayed as long as possible because she was in the NICU due to pneumonia. I was admitted around 11:30am on Tuesday and left at 3:30pm on Thursday. It took a long time for me to feel recovered after her birth because I suffered pretty severe SPD during her delivery. I couldn't walk unassisted until I left the hospital and was in constant pain for several weeks after. (From my understanding though, that complication is pretty uncommon.)

With DS I was admitted at 8:25pm on Friday (he was born at 8:48pm) and we left at 1:30pm on Sunday. I would have liked to have left sooner, but we were dealing with jaundice (he spent Saturday night in the nursery under the UV lights) and he couldn't leave until his levels were at an appropriate level. I felt recovered much more quickly with him. I was moving around normally by the time I went home.

Full recovery from stitches, hemmis, and the general stress of childbirth took a few weeks with both.

funchicken · November 2012

I stayed as long as I could (about 36 hours)

It was a great hospital, so I thought I'd rest while I could. I felt amazingly awesome within 4 days of having DD2. I was walking up and down stairs no problem as soon as I got home--I had almost no tearing, so that helped a LOT.

alphahelix · November 2012

I was released about 36 hours after birth, but only because I was GBS+ and didn't get both doses of the antibiotics, so they wanted to monitor DD for longer. Otherwise we could have left after 24 hours.

I was feeling able to be up and moving around pretty much right away, but I wouldn't say I felt back to 'normal' until about 3-4 weeks. I had a 2nd degree tear.

Dman85 · November 2012

I got to the hospital around 9am on a Tuesday. Had my son at 4am on Wednesday, and went home by Noon Thursday. They said I could stay another day, but I really just wanted to be at home so I opted to go early. I felt fine a few weeks after when the bleeding swolleness went away.

ETA: This time around I'm staying until they kick me out lol. I want to be pampered before I go home to 2U2

tokenhoser · November 2012

We were in the hospital 2 nights, counting the one after deliver at 1 am. That's about normal here. I'd love to get out faster next time if I'm stuck in a shared room again... shared recovery rooms are not humane.

It took a couple weeks to really feel good, but I was out of the house recreationally within a few days.

ridesbuttons · November 2012

Had babe at 3am. Went home 36 hours later. Was ready to go home 5 hours later.

I felt recovered a couple of days later (went in to work to visit when babe was 3 days old).

Nechie122 · November 2012

The birthing center would have released me within 12 hours of birth but because I was GBS positive and got there too late for antibiotics, I had to transfer to the hospital for observation for DD. We it settled in a room around 9pm but our awesome pediatrician came by and signed DD out the next morning. So all told, I was home after 36 hours.

I didn't really feel "recovered" until about two weeks later, but I was more than able to fend for myself at home. It hurt to sit, walk long distances and use the bathroom, but being in the hospital wouldn't have made a difference.

aliena · November 2012

I ended up staying about 36 hours because I had to get a foley, get it removed, then demonstrate I could pee on my own. Took about 2 weeks to feel better, the first week I couldn't sleep at all due to hip pain.

angelacez · November 2012

I had to stay 24 hours after birth. That was the earliest my drs would let me leave. They want you to have a bm before you go. So annoying. I felt pretty good after 12 hours or so and ready to leave and asking to go! I was up walking around pretty soon after having my kids.

ncbelle · November 2012

Callum was a hospital birth. We were discharged 24 hours afterward but had to wait a few extra hours because the lab was slow with his PKU (it was evening; we left around midnight!).

With both births I was up and doing stuff the next day - just tired. I'm assuming you are more interested in the 1st birth For that...I had only a tiny tiny tear so aside from some expected tenderness when using the bathroom I felt pretty normal within a few days.

JuneBug86 · November 2012

We were in the hospital for 3 nights. It took about a week to a week and a half to feel recovered.

oliversmommy32912 · November 2012

I'm in the US and I was in the hospital for about 20 hours after delivery. I didn't feel "normal" until I was about 10 weeks pp because I had a pretty bad tear but I was up walking around about an hour after the birth.

aylafsu88 · November 2012

I think it depends on a lot of different things. I was in the hospital for 1 night when I had LO. I felt like that was a decent amount of time since I did not have any complications or interventions. I did have a wicked second degree tear which took a long time to heal. It did not completely heal until 9 weeks post-part so I did not feel like I recovered until about 10 weeks.

abell77 · November 2012

Well, with my first it was an unusual circumstance because he had to be transferred to the NICU at another hospital so I was in the hospital less than 12 hours. Otherwise the stay would have been 24 hrs. With my second I was GBS positive but labor was quick and there was no time for antibiotics so we agreed to the recommended 48 hour stay to monitor for any sign of infection. Again, otherwise the stay would have been 24 hrs. In terms of recovery, honestly my mind is a little fuzzy in recalling the details of when I felt back to "normal" which is such a relative term when so much changes after a new baby arrives. I will say though that recovery was easier second time around, but my whole entire labor experience was easier as well. Let me tell you, there is a huge difference in your recovery when you push for nearly three hours vs. pushing 5 or 6 times total

Amanda&EricB · November 2012

We were discharged approximately 36 hours after Wyatt was born. How long did it take until I felt "recovered"... um, that's really hard! Physically I was fine in a month.

Celyn · November 2012

I stayed two days, because the postpartum L&D staff where I delivered were great and my parents were home with DS1, so I felt fine staying and being pampered

I could have gone home after 12 hours.

nosoup4u · November 2012

I was in the hospital just under 48 hours (took forever to check out), and I felt "back to normal" around three weeks (had a second degree tear).

StefandTodd · November 2012

I don't recall how long until I felt completely recovered, but the hospital made us stay 48 hours because I didn't get antibiotics for GBS.

vlevitt · November 2012

Thanks for your answers everyone. I am one of those people who likes to have an idea of what's to come, and it sounds like my stay at hospital could be anywhere from 12 hours to 48 post delivery depending on circumstances. That's super helpful for me. Recovery is a pretty hard thing to define, I know, but your answers on that also help me with getting mentally prepared for how long it will yake me to feel 'myself' again afterwards, which is also really important to me.

PansyPants · November 2012

I stayed the full 48 hours after birth because DS was jaundice and I had some issues with excessive bleeding.

I remember my recover in terms of pants. For the first 4-5 days I swore I would never be able to wear pants again. Around day 5-7 I started to wear my maternity yoga pants. At 2 weeks postpartum I actually put on maternity jeans and after that I slowly started to feel more recovered for the next month.

I didn't feel completely recovered for at least a month and even though we started having sex at 6 weeks postpartum, it was a few months before it stopped being uncomfortable.

luvmyducks · November 2012

DD was born Tues evening at 5:30pm but we didn't get to go home until Friday afternoon because she had a possible infection and had to spend some time in NICU and get antibiotic treatments. Otherwise we probably would have gone home Thursday morning (when I was discharged). I felt recovered for the most part probably within 1.5-2w.

KelliLynee · November 2012

I was there about 32 hours. DD2 was born at almost 3am and I left the following day around lunch time. I was so desperate to go home. I wanted both my girls together but a hospital is no place for a big sister/brother to hang out all day.

As for recovery, I tore again and had some soreness from the stitches for just a few days, but still soreness when I went 2 for weeks. At my 4 week post partum checkup one stitch still wasn't dissolved, and I wasn't completely healed. DH and I DTD last week for the second time 10 weeks post partum and it was uncomfortable.

makclair · November 2012

DS and DD both 48 hours approx post-delivery. With my son I was GBS positive so they wanted me to stay that long, they offered to d/c home at 24 hours with my DD, but i was not interested!