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Where I'm giving birth allows you to go home 4 hours after having your baby, all going well of course. So if I'm happy & bubs is happy I would like to go home & be in my own environment rather than stay in hospital.
I'm in a midwifery program where I get lots of home visits (I think at least 8 all up). If I go home early my midwife will come visit that same day plus the next morning, I also have her mobile number if I'm worried.
If you went home early, what was your experience?
I went home the day after DD was born (she was born just before midnight so we left the following day). I couldn't stand being in the hospital, it was so noisy and I had absolutely no privacy. I was so glad to go home and sleep in my own bed and not have continuous interuptions. I had midwives come and visit me three times in the first week I was home which was great. I highly recommend it!
Thanks Claire, I think that's what I'm worried about. The lack of privacy, noise etc in the hospital.
I just hope as this is my first I'm not being naive thinking my own home is better!!
just keep an open mind regarding the possiblity of staying, especially your first! make sure breastfeeding is established etc.. dont feel bad if you have to or need to stay, maybe stay one night and see how you feel! id hate to see you disspointed that you had to stay IYKWIM.
maybe line up a lactation consultant before bubs is born, that you can call straight away if you need to.
goodluck hun!! you must be getting very excited!!!
As AJP said keep an open mind about staying especially having your first child. However, I have done both and I prefered not staying in hospital.
In hospital you don't sleep,and you are exposed to nasty bugs etc. However I did stay in hospital with my first and I used the stay as useful resource for information and learning about breastfeeding etc. In saying that if you have a midwife coming to your home regularly then you may not need to stay in hospital at all. I certainly prefered coming home to my own bed, my own shower and a husband who doted on me for at least 24 hours.
Good luck with your birth and decision.
I went home the day after DD was born - I'm not a big fan of hospitals and was thrilled to be able to leave. DD was born at 8pm but the epidural didn't wear off my left leg until 8am the next morning and they discharged me at 12pm that day (I had the same experience with an epi with my DS so I think it is just something about me).
I really thought that I would love to go home and be in my own environment, but in the end I wish that I had stayed just that one extra night. DH had planned to clean up (I did about 36 hours of labour at home before I went to the hospital so the house looked like a bomb had hit it) but didn't have time so I went home to stuff everywhere.
I should have also been better prepared about meals but I didn't give it a lot of thought before going into hospital and found it really hard to be bothered cooking once I got home ... we got by but I got a bit more prepared when I had DS.
I also felt like everything had happened so fast that I probably needed a day of not thinking about life in the real world (IYKWIM) and could just sit and soak and absorb the fact that I had just given birth. I really didn't feel like DD belonged to me and I think it is because I went back to real life too quickly. I had lots of trouble bfing, even with the home visits from the midwife. I really needed assistance at every feed and I had only been in hospital for 3 feeds before I left and I was not comfortable at all with bfing when I left.
I stayed in hospital an extra day with DS and it was lovely to have time to sit an enjoy him while other people worried about meal times and cleaning and all I had to do was rest. The mw were very supportive with DS too so that helped.
I think it really is a personality thing. I need time to absorb change and ease into it. I found an extra day in the hospital a good buffer for that change for me. I think everyone is different but just wait and see how you feel.
Thanks for your replies ladies.
I guess all I can do is wait & see how I feel on the day. I'm definitely keeping an open mind so as not to be upset if I do need to stay for any reason.
My freezer is stocked & my DH will be home to wait on me, plus my midwife is also a lactation consultant - so I suppose I'm as prepared as I can be if I do go home early.
my DD was born at 8pm on the sunday night, i was home by 6pm the following night (would have been earlier, but SIL had trouble with the carseat in her car, and had to go have it checked before she could come get us!)
i agree with what the others said, make sure your breastfeeding is established (if you are going to bf) make sure YOU feel up to it, i literally jumped out of bed the morning after having DD1, but was stiff and sore for days with DD2..
also, i was in the birth centre with DD2.. and it was a complete different experience than being in a regular maternity ward... the midwives weren't intrusive, there was no hourly temperature checks, no one saying 'wake your baby and try to feed her'
so, i would suggest just taking it as it comes... you may end up staying 12 hours.. 24 hours, 6 hours.. who knows!
good luck with everything!