A few questions for people who have "been there & done that"

[tasha41]

Firstly, when you have the baby, does your stomach really "deflate" a bit like right after the birth? I don't expect to magically transform back into my pre-pregnancy size, but how much smaller do you get after the birth?

What type of clothes should I pack for myself to wear home? Some athletic pants that are sort of elastic/loose (track pants I guess), or maternity pants, or something else?

Also, my hospital's visiting hours are from 2pm to 8pm. My mother and boyfriend's mother expect to be there waiting for the baby lol, are they allowed to wait around for baby to come if it's like 3am or do they have to go home and come back during visiting hours? I know the visiting hours rule doesn't apply to my boyfriend, as he's the father and he can stay later/come earlier than visiting hours would normally allow.

Finally.. am I allowed to have my cell phone with me? I know you're supposed to turn your cell phone off usually in hospitals, but am I allowed to have it to text people about the arrival?

 

[elm]

Haven't been there & done it yet but I know that at the hospital I'm going to you can use your cell phone in certain rooms (the day room for example), I'm sure they'll let you know where you can use it. Might be worth putting people on your boyfriends phone anyway so he can text and tell everyone, you might be too busy with your new baby to be texting / too tired!!

I'm interested in what clothes you should take. I think I read to take ones you were wearing at 6 months pregnant but I'm really not sure. I'm thinking of packing some maternity jeans and a loose top - they're only for the journey home and I just want to be as comfortable as possible.

xxx

 

[mummymadness]

I hope i can offer a little advice hun .

After my first , Believe it or not i went straight back to pre pregnancy size kind of straight away . Now straight away i still was squishy and stretched but i was back in to size 10s on the way home .
In saying that , I felt very very comfy comming home in Slack type bottoms traccys or jogger type bottoms gosh i cannot think what there called now , I got them from primark for about £4 .. I dont think i would of felt comfertable in jeans as it was a big thing for my body to take labour for them few days .

Now with my second this was a different story compleatley !!!!! , I had like a bowling ball still there hanging low down very squishy but rounded and with some firmness to it , rather like been 4 months pregnant again , so now with my 3rd iam expecting to look 7 months pregnant walking out of the hospital Lol Lol .

As for cell phones hun , It is best not to switch them on in the hospital , as it really can interfere with life saving equipment . But most hopsitals have areas wich are safe to use them in , So maybe your OH or birthing partner could keep people updated for you , Or if your feeling mobile and want to walk around you could go to the safe area to use your phone or use the near by pay phone near your ward .

Good luck hun . xx .

 

[Samantha675]

It took me a while before I didn't look pregnant. When I left the hospital I still looked 6 months pregnant, and I wore a cotton dress home. I had a c-section so pants/trousers were a big NO!

Both should be able to be with you at any time. I checked in at 1 am, and my mom and husband were with me all night long.

I had my cell phone with me the whole time. Once I was able to text I did.

 

[Nutmeg]

Well the size thing i think is totally individual. i always go kind of deflated and wobbly after lol but some people still have obvious baby bumps right after.

Defo pack something comfy, jogging bottoms or drawstring trousers so you know they will fit.

Visitors wouldn't be allowed to wait around here i don't think but this may vary in different hospitals. Birthing partners are allowed to stay and you are allowed two i think. Once baby is born and you are moved to a ward if its outside partner visiting times they have to go home.

Here partners are allowed on the ward different hours to visitors, think its from 8am to 8pm or something like that, whereas visitors are 1-3 and 5-8 or something.

The cell phones i was allowed mine last time and allowed to use it.

I don't know how different things are in canada so my post may be totally useless to you lol

 

[Serene123]

No, I still looked pregnant for the first 2 months. I wore my jamas home. I was allowed my phone with me x

 

[Cariad_bach]

My stomach went back to how it was at about 6 months gone,
The maternity stuff i was wearing when i went in to have my first would have been was to big to come home in, i just has some elasticated trousers.


As for visiting hospitals tend to be diffrent so your best to ask them, are you going on a tour of the hospital at any time?

 

[Alexas Mommy]

Firstly, when you have the baby, does your stomach really "deflate" a bit like right after the birth? I don't expect to magically transform back into my pre-pregnancy size, but how much smaller do you get after the birth?

What type of clothes should I pack for myself to wear home? Some athletic pants that are sort of elastic/loose (track pants I guess), or maternity pants, or something else?

Also, my hospital's visiting hours are from 2pm to 8pm. My mother and boyfriend's mother expect to be there waiting for the baby lol, are they allowed to wait around for baby to come if it's like 3am or do they have to go home and come back during visiting hours? I know the visiting hours rule doesn't apply to my boyfriend, as he's the father and he can stay later/come earlier than visiting hours would normally allow.

Finally.. am I allowed to have my cell phone with me? I know you're supposed to turn your cell phone off usually in hospitals, but am I allowed to have it to text people about the arrival?

After I had Alexa, it took about a month or two until I "deflated" I only looked about 16-17 weeks pregnant-just had a little pouch lol. I packed maternity jeans to wear home, ones that fit me until 34 weeks, but unfortunately my hips had gotten bigger and they didn't fit, so I wore my maternity sweats instead.
As for waiting hours for the baby to be born, if the hospital is anything like the hospital I gave birth in, the visiting hours are not applied to the birth unit.
I took my cell phone lol I was talking and texting all the way through labour They didn't care!! I suppose all hospitals are different... My sister gave birth in North Bay hospital in Ontario, and they didn't allow her a cell....

 

[3rdat35]

Hi, i found after both my boys were born that my stomach did deflate hugely....however it was like a big squishy marshmallow! I'd advise on taking some nice adjustable maternity jeans in to wear home, or a normal pair perhaps a size larger than you usually wear so that you can look half way decent, just in case you bump into your neighbours or get some visitors. After feeling like a beachball for months its nice to feel like you look thin, and you will feel like a size 10 even if you don't look it! HTH x

 

[Hevz]

Remember I'm in Manchester, England so procedures etc will possibly be different


mobiles are allowed on wards and delivery suites in my hospital, you're just expected to be discreet and not have it ringing full blast. If not you can always take it outside to make calls.


you won't be allowed anyone in for visiting out of hours at all....however you can leave ward to see someone but aren't allowed to take baby off the ward (midwives will watch baby while you're gone)


I always wear clothes in the day as partners are allowed in most of the day and I don't feel comfy walking round in my nightie in front of a load of weird blokes. I feel better once up, showered and dressed anyway...it's not like you're ill and confined to bed is it??? (well, in some circumstances you are obviously)


Yep....as soon as your waters break and it all comes out your belly feels deflated, even more so once baby and placenta is out too and you feel like you'd be able to get back in pre-pregnancy clothes. Erm the reality is usually a little different. I just wore my maternity clothes for the first month or two after birth and tightened up the pants inside as they were adjustable.
Some women are lucky and snap back into shape without dieting etc but I'm afraid I lose the 1st stone or two immediately but usually end up 3 stones overweight for the next 6 months

 

[sparkswillfly]

Does your belly feel empty after giving birth? Im used to her being there now I cant imagine what its like to not be pregnant.

 

[Hevz]

Does your belly feel empty after giving birth? Im used to her being there now I cant imagine what its like to not be pregnant.

Definitely....you really miss those kicks and sometimes think you feel them too

 

[Bellylicious]

My tummy kinda went back down to near normal although it felt like jelly for a while. Also I developed deep stretch marks so it never went back to how it looked pre-pregnancy, boo.

Althletic pants sound fine. I wore tracky dacks and they fitted fine with a loose shirt.

Cant help with the other questions, all hosps have different policies.

 

[ribboninthesky]

When I had my son, I was back in my pre pregnancy jeans within a week, go me!! Mind you, I was only 20 then and hardly showed at all carrying him. Can't even remember what I wore home from the hospital?

When I had my daughter, I had a tracksuit (normal size) to go home in.

I've been quite lucky really as I have very strong tummy muscles so I go into hospital looking like a heffa and come out looking like a visitor!

 

[Amanda]

When I had Kayleigh, I left hospital in my size 10 jeans!!!! When I had Charlie, completely different though. I wore maternity trousers for weeks after. I did the same as Hevs in the hospital, I got showered and dressed every morning after I was allowed out of bed (C Section).

With visiting hours, at our hospital they were soooo strict! Partners and babies siblings could come in from 11am till 8.30pm, but it was 2pm-8pm for others. Kayleigh had gone to school as it was her first day back after the summer holidays, but she finished at lunch and SIL brought her in to see us at 1.15pm, but they wouldn't let SIL in - only Kayleigh! SIL had to go and sit in the cafe for 45 mins!!!!

We were also allowed mobile phones, as long as we were discreet with them. Only thing was, we weren't allowed to use their plugs to charge the phones in case we blew the hospital up!!! Luckily, DH had the same phone as me at the time, so he would charge his battery fully before he came in, then swap with me.

 

[Beltane]

Not sure about your hospitals specific rules on visitors and cell phones but with my first, my OH was allowed to stay with me in my room 24/7. As for the belly, I was back in my skinny jeans maybe a week later. I also breastfeed which caused me to drop massive amounts of weight right away. Hope that helps!

 

[mummymadness]

Does your belly feel empty after giving birth? Im used to her being there now I cant imagine what its like to not be pregnant.

Its a very strange feeling , Empty bellied but full arms lol .
I missed the kicks and feelings i had grown use to soo much , It soon passed thow hun . Well untill the baby got to 6 months then i pined to be pregnant again lol .

 

[Sweetie]

I dellivered in Edmonton AB and we were allowed phones in the delivery suite, our rooms (I had a private) and we actually were allowed it up in the NICU too (was surprised about that one)

Because I had a private room I basically had anyone I wanted whenever I wanted as long as we didn't disturb others in the hallway. For Alberta if you are in the ward or semi private visitng hours are visiting hours!

I think I just wore a pair of softwaisted maternity capris home (I had a c-section) and they pulled up and over the incision which helped.