After delivery

LegacyUser

My wife is due our first baby in couple of weeks time and after all the research I've done there's only one question I can't find much information on......what happens after the delivery.

Say my wife had the baby at 3am. What happens after the delivery? Does she go straight to the ward (we're public care) and I go home until the next morning or does she not go the ward for a while?

I only ask because if she goes the ward soon after the birth I'd imagine I'd have to leave so as not to disturb other new mothers.

Moonbeam

Which hospital?


From my experience they don't really mind disturbing new mothers at all,it isn't as if you get sleep anyway.

January

I've been to both the Rotunda and the Coombe so only my experience of both...

In the Rotunda I had an emergency c section and my daughter was born just before 9pm, they took my partner and baby up to the ward while I was in recovery and then wheeled me up. He left around 10.30pm (he was asked to leave). The midwives looked after the baby for the night because I had a general anesthetic and was in no fit state to look after the baby on my own... I was left to look after baby after that with just minimal help from the midwives.

In the Coombe, I had the baby at 10.30am and they left us in the delivery room for a while and gave us tea and toast and let me breast feed and stuff like that before they put me in a wheelchair and brought me back up to the ward. My partner was allowed stay untill lunch time which was 12pm and was allowed back up then at 1pm.

I think it depends on how busy the labour ward is at the time how long they'll leave you in the delivery room for. And I'm sure as long as you're quiet they'll leave you for a while with your wife to get to share the experience if it's late at night.

How Strange

I think in the coombe you could stay on the ward. In our case I was brought to the ward around 7am, the other women were still asleep so my husband went home once I was settled in.

We stayed in the delivery room for 3 hours, both of us had tea and toast and I had a shower then breastfed my baby. I was a public patient too. I'd say it depends on how busy they are too. We were so lucky that it was relatively quiet so there was no rush for the delivery room.

liliq

I haven't actually had the experience yet, but have been at a couple of ante natal classes in Holles st where they told us roughly what to expect... all of this depends on how bust etc they are at the time, so I think what can happen can vary within the hospital at different times, as well as between hospitals.

In Holles st assuming all goes "normally" they say that you get between half an hour and an hour with partner and baby before going to the post natal ward... this is for skin to skin and breast feeding etc., and they'll usually give ya a cuppa and some toast or something.
If it's busy you might get less time as someone else might need the delivery room, if it's quiet and late at night you might get more time...
Some days they're delivery 40+ babies so it'd be onto the post natal ward fairly sharpish I reckon!

Moonbeam

Also Holles st
In the semi private ward which probably has the same rules as public.
After baby was born we got a nice cup of tea and some toast,then we brought baby up to the room and himself stayed for a few hours but wanted to go home for shower and a rest.
I was on a 6 person ward and most of the fathers never went home or if they did left for a very short time.
In one case it was a lady that just had twins by c section and she needed her husband there for help.
I will add I only stayed there for 24 hours!

Cottontail

In the hospital I was in, the maternity ward was like a zoo. It was really noisy, with babies crying and mothers after giving birth being brought in any time during the night. If I heard the words 'come on Peter, get up your wee windies' once more, I would have throttled the woman across the ward from me! I was so glad to get out!!!

cbyrd

I've had babies at 11.30am 6.02am and 10.50pm.. on all of them i was given tea and toast in the delivery room baby was checked and i went out for a shower and came back to breastfeed for up to 40 mins.

When we went up to the ward my husband was allowed to stay for as long as he wanted during the day but encouraged to go on the last one as it was after 2am. I'm in drogheda and partners can come in whenever they want.. they don't have to stick to visiting times until about 10pm unless there's extenuating circumstances or a private room. . .

Ayla

I had my first at 9:30pm & the second at 6:45pm. Both times we stayed in the birthing room for hours...I was given tea/toast, had a shower, hung out. Then I was taken to the ward, sometime hours later. My husband left after I was settled in with the first b/c it was after midnight, but he hung out for a bit with the second b/c it was only about 10pm & there were still other visitors around. We were in Sligo.

Nicole22

I was in Kilkenny. My son was born at 8.15am. We all stayed in the delivery room for a few hours, I think it was for 3-4hours but that was because they didnt have a bed for me lol! I'm not complaining though, it gave us time to ourselves. We had tea and toast and I breastfed. It was good as well because we had the perfect excuse to put off visitors for a few hours! When a bed was available we all went to the postnatal ward and my partner stayed all day until around 10pm that night. i cant remember if he left of his own accord at some stage to get food, he must have, but he was never asked to leave. He didn't have to stick to visitors hours, he came in everyday whenever he wanted and usually left between 8-10pm. I think its other visitors who have to stick to the times really. A bit unfair to expect the Daddys to.

Dewdropdeb

Castlebar here, had her around 2pm and they sent us straight back to the ward and he was told to get lost until visiting hours. It was horrible compared to my previous birth in the US, where Dad was encouraged to play an active role and take part in kangaroo care etc etc. I demanded to be discharged immediately having had a natural birth and there being no problems as I had no need to listen to other women and babies all night. They were happy enough to let us go after she'd been checked out by the pediatrician and we went home later that night, thank God! Add that to the fact that I thought tea actually meant tea so I declined only to find out I missed dinner after having not eaten for three days, it was not fun! Coming from another culture it was quite different and a little disheartening for us tbh and we couldn't wait to get out.

Cat Melodeon

Also Kilkenny, public. I had my boy at 8.30pm. It was a quiet night and we were brought tea and toast afterwards in the delivery room. I was shown how to latch on and we were left to our own devices for ages, it was lovely. Around 11pm, one of the midwives came and got us all wrapped up and ready to go back to the ward. There were 3 other mothers and babies on the ward, lights were off and all were sleeping. My husband stayed with us until well after midnight by which time I was ready to sleep (the lovely nurse let me keep the baby in the bed with me). No one suggested my husband should leave, we were being extremely quiet so they either didn't mind or forgot he was there. I found them to be very relaxed about dads' visiting times. They were more strict on other visitors.