Staying in hospital after giving birth

[Yorkie580]

How long do women generally need to stay in hospital after they've given birth?

We're expecting our first child in April and we're just wondering how long my wife our baby will stay in the hospital after the birth.

[redcrx]

It depends on the birth and how your wife is coping. I gave birth at 4am (first child) and was home by 4pm. Minimum stay is 6 hours. To be honest i didnt want to stay as id been in for 3 days whilst they tried to induce and i was fed up.
a difficult labour, blood loss, a prem baby, c-section, type of delivery etc etc will all effect the time that she and baby will stay in hospital.

[crete]

it will depend on the hospital and the community resourses they have available in your area, ie midwifes available to visit nre mums, as stated above the type of delivery will be a major factor, good luck to you both

[Yorkie580]

Thanks for your answers.

[meltoadhall]

i had my baby at 12.15 pm and was home by 8pm having a proper dinner with my family.
the next two i had at home, much better.
but it does depend on how everything goes and how you feel.

[mackay10]

Depending on who well the birth of your child goes. Its up to your wife how long she stays in the hospital for. When i was expecting my son, i was worried about the same question. I wanted to stay in hospital until i felt comfortable. But i was out the next day! Good luck with the birth!!

[tradey]

it all depends on how it all goes,and on how well your wife and child are,she could be in for one day,or up to a week good luck x

[havinmysay]

i had my baby at 16.46 and let me go the next day at 1pm

[NiceCupOfTea]

http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/forum/index.php

They've got a blokes section in the forum too, not sure how many blokes actually use it though, and you or your wife may enjoy the site as much as I did.

[mycats]

I was in for 7 days after a C-Section

[Boo2]

I had a straightforward water birth with my first child and stayed in hospital for 5 days. It was a lovely unit where the midwives took care of us and it gave me a chance to get to grips with all the new things such as bathing my baby, changing nappies and breastfeeding - all of which i had never done before. They provided all your meals and looked after your baby for a few hours so you could get some sleep at night (mine cried a lot when he was first born!) Visiting hours for my partner were very relaxed so i saw lots of him. I would just say see what feels right for your wife at the time. She may feel happy to come home quite quickly or may appreciate the extra support on offfer at the hospital. Good luck x

[Jay17]

Hi, I believe the minimum recommended stay is 6 hours but I personally believe (I have 3 kids) that you need longer to get over the birth. I had my third child at midnight and came home at 3pm the same day because I felt good and thought I would be O.K. However, when I returned home and got back into the old routines I was exhausted and I felt it made what should have been a good time quite difficult. I would say 2-3 days at least.