Discharging early?

SmallgirlBigcity

This is my first pregnancy so I'm new to everything. I just heard that with a typical birth, you would usually stay in the hospital for three nights, but you can opt to discharge early if you're feeling up to it.


I also understood that if you choose to discharge early, you pay for a nurse to visit your home to help you out.


Has anyone opted to discharge early and would you recommend it? I like the idea of getting home and settled as soon as possible but perhaps it's better to stay in the hospital for the three nights?


Any suggestions/ feedback/ experiences welcome, thanks!

tracey01

I had my first 2 years ago in Galway. I went into labour on Friday and had him Sat morning. Discharged Sunday 4pm. Would have been earlier but he had a little jaundice. I hadn't slept much by then so was better to go home.

Never heard about paying for a nurse to help you?
The public health nurse will call to the house in the first week.

Loveinapril

I thought it was usually two nights after your first birth, different hospitals probably have differemt policies depending on the level of intervention in birth. I was in for three nights but my son had jaundice so they needed us to stay for observation. Hospital is a pain but when you are healing and trying to learn how to feed/ wind and change a newborn, having the support of the midwives 24/7 is wonderful. I never heard of anyone paying a nurse after birth, is this in Ireland? I know someone had a doula help at home for a few hours a day for a couple of weeks but she had other children too. It cost her €30 an hour!

PhoenixParker

Where are you and how far along are you?

I'm with the Rotunda and with their Domino scheme & early transfer home you leave the hospital asap and then they visit you at home daily for a week afterwards. I think most hospitals have something similar but you've usually got to enrol early as they book up, be low risk and live in the catchment areas.

I did it with my first. Had to stay for 24hours due to meconium but it was great to get home and the daily visits were very good.

SmallgirlBigcity

Thanks for the quick replies. I heard about paying a nurse to visit the home from a representative from my Vhi Plan so perhaps this is only with Vhi plan that I have. I guess it depends on how comfortable and well you feel before leaving. I'll probably wait and see how it all goes...

SmallgirlBigcity

Thanks for the info on the Domino Scheme. I'm 16 weeks and with the Rotunda. I'll definitely enquire about this, thanks!

jo2509

SmallgirlBigcity wrote: »

Thanks for the quick replies. I heard about paying a nurse to visit the home from a representative from my Vhi Plan so perhaps this is only with Vhi plan that I have. I guess it depends on how comfortable and well you feel before leaving. I'll probably wait and see how it all goes...

I'm with Laya and they have something similar. From my understanding you pay for the home nurse visits and they reimburse part of the cost. I'm also with the Rotunda and also my first pregnancy, so like you i'm keeping an open mind because i might be terrified to go home with an actual baby and beg them to keep me there till it's 18

jlm29

Are you a public patient or private?
I’ve stayed for three nights after all mine, but I’m under no illusions. I didn’t need to me there, they kept me because I was a private patient and my health insurance was picking up the tab, and they obviously didn’t need the room for someone else. I don’t think three nights is standard really for your first. They will usually insist on you staying for 24 hours after the baby is born though, if you’re not on a domino scheme I think!
I’m due again in July, and if they ask me to leave any sooner than three nights, there’s a good chance I’ll chain myself to the bed.

shesty

Haha!!!Public only is Domino,and only if you are low risk.If you heard about a nurse from VHI then yes, it's only through VHI.Domino, the midwives come to visit every day for ten days after.Your PHN will visit you too, no matter what.Standard three days...I haven't really heard that but honestly, you have no clue how it will go.If it's a C-section you will be 3-5 days depending on the hospital anyway.If you stay 24 hours, and the baby is jaundiced, you will have to go back to the outpatient clinic in the Rotunda on the third day for the baby to be checked.(they will tell you on discharge), because PHNs do not have the light monitors for checking.So decide if going home early it is worth that if it comes to it, because it is a pain.

Jml, I stayed three nights on my third- I was going to stay two, but he needed antibiotics, so it was three.I was most definitely not going home any earlier than that!!!!

Loveinapril

shesty wrote: »

If you stay 24 hours, and the baby is jaundiced, you will have to go back to the outpatient clinic in the Rotunda on the third day for the baby to be checked.(they will tell you on discharge), because PHNs do not have the light monitors for checking.So decide if going home early it is worth that if it comes to it, because it is a pain.

This is so true. I was in for three nights on my son (firstborn). He was born first thing Thursday morning and I got out Sunday at 6pm. I was dying to get home but we had an outpatient appointment at 10am Monday then were back in on Thursday for another checkup before we were discharged because his jaundice sorted itself out. It was a ridiculous hassle for me to manage while recovering from his birth.

shesty

Definitely and you don't realise on your first how much effort it is to get back in to the hospital.It happened on my second (first was a whole other issue, we ended up staying five days, with another five days the next week), and there were Luas works around the Rotunda, with awful traffic when we had to bring her back in - we were literally stuck because I couldn't exactly get out, lift the car seat and buggy out and run round to the Rotunda while my husband sat in traffic and then parked the car.I just physically could not do it three days after giving birth.

So I guess just be very open minded about it all.

Digs

I stayed one night in Holles Street on my first, about 6 hours on my second. People are under the impression you “have” to stay but of course you don’t. On my second baby feeding was going well and I really wanted to go so I think they were happy to get my bed back. This was without being on the domino and early release by the way!! Just normal public.

However.... best laid plans and all that. My third baby I planned the exact same. I absolutely hate being in hospital and nothing would make me “want” to be there. She was born at 2:07am and I requested discharge as soon as a paed came on shift to do the check. He did at 9am, all checks were done and ready to go.... except baba hadn’t done her first poo so we couldn’t go. She didn’t do it for 26hrs (the monkey!) and in the meantime developed jaundice which required phototherapy. The management of that is a story for another day that makes me mad but it meant we ended up in for 4 nights. Actually nearly drove me batty, the midwives were thrilled for me when we could go, a few told me there’s some they can’t shift from the beds and there’s me driven to distraction trying to get home!!

So in my experience if all is well with you and baby you can go whenever you like. Otherwise be prepared for a stay if there’s any medical issues.

NashD

I had an emergency section on my first and had to stay the 5 nights.
Hated every second - I'll be climbing out a window if I have to stay longer than three nights this time around (it'll be another section)!! I just wanted my own bed and own surroundings.
I don't think it's standard to stay three days on your first unless there are any complications (antibiotics needed etc) and I've only heard of the nurses calling to you under the domino scheme.
Everyone reacts differently - a friend of mine was private and stayed four nights and still cried when they made her leave

eviltwin

When my last baby was born i was discharged after ten hours. I had a normal delivery and was desperate to get home so i was okay with that. If you feel ready to go and all is fine with you and the baby i don't see why you need to stay.

Milly33

God id be saying stay in and relax at least for two days... Up to you though, from what i the discharge form that you have to sign is at the back of your file.. I was going to do it they day we were told we could come home as they took so long to discharge us, I said I would sign the form and leave unless someone called for the final check (which took two seconds) the only thing is doing this you wavier any issues that might arise

lazygal

First pregnancy was a planned section with no complications. I had a textbook recovery and stayed five nights. I was climbing the walls by the last night though and couldn't wait to get home. Thankfully I had a private room so at least I didn't have to put up with a busy ward.
Second pregnancy I had an emergency section, I'd already spent a night on a busy prenatal ward with no sleep and I was exhausted. Had a bed on a semi private ward the night of my surgery and got virtually no sleep. Finally got my own room and more rest but I was so wrecked I asked to be discharged after four nights and once my bloods were ok this was fine.
Third pregnancy was a planned section with no complications. I was well rested having the surgery, got a private room and knew to co-sleep with baby so I got plenty of rest and sleep. It was so nice to be in a bubble I stayed five nights because I knew this would be the last time it'd just be baby and me together by ourselves.

It's too early to make any definitive plans IMO.

Gatica

Probably depends on hospital, Galway Hospital has an early discharge scheme for Galway city, if you're discharged within 24 hours of birth, a PHN visits you every day for 5 days. It's great support if you'd only just overstay by few hours, cos then you only get the one standard visit after 5 days.
I really wanted to avail of the scheme on my first baby but she was jaundiced and not feeding well. We actually got signed off to go home but they came back to check her before we were due to go and she wasn't doing well, so we ended up staying 4 days in the hospital. I actually was glad to be there, as I didn't have to worry about food, could ask someone for help with breastfeeding, and just generally felt I had support there if I needed it.