Hi, Can you opt to leave hospital once you've given birth?
I have the worst anxiety over th thought of sharing a room in hospital so if i have to share, I want to go home.
I don't know if to ask the staff about it or tell them how i feel or if they'll think toughen up and just dismiss me.
Anxiety
Anxiety
Posted in:
Mental Health, Pregnancy
11 Replies
Please speak to the hospital staff, speak to your midwife.
A lot will depend on the health of baby. If baby is well and you are well you will be able to leave the same day.
But please speak to them, they can’t help you if they don’t know you have anxiety about this.
Talk to your doctor or midwife. In my experience you have to stay for 4 hours after birth and then you are allowed to leave. This of course is dependant on how your birth goes and how baby is
It will be up to your doctor. Can I just say, if any health professional advises you to stay please listen, there's a lot that can go wrong in the first few days so if you're at risk they will want you to stay. If not then you will probably get to go home.
They will most likely think you need to toughen up. Sharing a room isn’t that bad and your being very melodramatic. IF everything is okay with you and bubs then legally you have to stay between 4-6 hours depending on the hospital. But they really don’t like letting you go for 24 hours
I was allowed to leave after 12 hours but had to sign a form saying that if anything went wrong with myself or the baby then they weren’t responsible and I couldn’t sue them
Telling an anxious person they're being melodramatic is extremely unhelpful, just FYI...
Definitely speak to your prenatal team. It's not uncommon at all to be anxious about sharing a hospital room with someone, in no other context would people tell you to just suck it up and share a room with a stranger so your feelings are valid.
Unfortunately, sometimes sharing a room is unavoidable. You may be lucky and be given a suite of all goes text book though.
As for opting to go home immediately, that will entirely depend on hospital policies, how bubs and yourself are recovering etc. For your first, they'll really want you to stay for observation at least 12 to 24 hours.
With my first 2 deliveries I had my own room, for the third I had to share for around a week. I am a very private, introverted person so I found it difficult. What I found helpful though was having my partner stay as long as possible, I had my curtain drawn always and I just did my best to ignore the other person in the room (which probably sounds awful but it was the beat coping technique I had).
Get out of there as soon as you can. If babies fine and your fine insist on it. Just keep telling them for your going home. As others have stated you can discharge after 4 hours if it’s a normal delivery and baby is fine. My 2nd and 3rd were c sections and I only stayed 2 nights.
Depends on how you give birth, my 4 were all natural, so with my last 2 births I went home 4 hours.
My sister in law had a very easy straightforward birth and left 4 hrs after. She almost died two days later due to complications, baby got very sick too.
Not trying to scare you but if the professionals recommend you stay please listen to them for the sake of yours and your babys health X
Relax - there is nothing to be anxious about. It might even be comforting if you have to share a room. Please just appreciate good health and a healthy baby. Don’t stress about the small stuff. I have friends who met sharing a room when they had their babies and 25 years later still the best of friends. Think positive.