Birth partners - how long are they allowed afterwards?

[lucy_lu10]

My hospital has cots for the birth partners so my husband never left. He was there for the entire labour/delivery (helped to hold me legs too! ), and also for the 48 hours that I remained in the hospital. I actually forced him to leave and have a shower/get me some yummy snacks from town at one point. lol

 

[RaspberryK]

Wow.. they make your husbands leave??? Like someone else said, I think my husband would probably be in jail if someone tried to make him leave the room Why in gods name would they do that??

Because unless you go privately or you are lucky enough to have a private room (if there even are any) you and the baby are moved to stay on a ward after the delivery. If it's night time/outside visiting hours then they make your partner go home so as not to disturb every body.
I can see why they do it, but it sucks.
x

 

[tweedy]

in my hospital, the partners are allowed to stay while you are still in labour ward or recovery room, they are not allowed to come back to the ward, they make an effort to keep the side wards free for night births so that they can stay a bit longer, but to be honest my hubbie left after 30 mins, he was knackered after being there over 36 hours and had the dog to walk and feed at 1.20am, i was taken back, settled on the ward, and midwives did all the work, changing, feeding, dressing, baby settled and we both slept till about 6ish, then the nurses are on hand, not to mention the other mums on the ward, it was great fun, can't imagine what he would have done if he'd wanted to stay, he was back in at 8am that morning.

 

[Blah11]

Until you leave or are transfered to post natal and its outwith visiting hours

 

[sueh81]

Thanks girls these are excellent responses!! It's quite bizarre how different regions have different rules!! xx

 

[mummy2anangel]

i had my son at 10.55pm and my birth partners were turfed out literally staright away as soon as i was stitched up, i think this may have been because i was exhausted though as id been in labour 32 hours they then werent allowed back in until 4pm the next day x

 

[Tryin4Number3]

i had my son at 10.55pm and my birth partners were turfed out literally staright away as soon as i was stitched up, i think this may have been because i was exhausted though as id been in labour 32 hours they then werent allowed back in until 4pm the next day x

Wow! 4pm is a bit harsh! That must've been awful xx

 

[Blah11]

my hosp was 9am-8pm visiting times for daddys, then more reasonable times for other visitors.

 

[Parkep]

We had our own room where i delivered and recovered in. The lounge chair turned into a type of bed where OH can sleep, it was awesome. He was so much help not just with me but also with LO. I understand why they do it the way they do in the UK because of the other ladies, but it would be helpful for all you ladies if your OH's could stay.

 

[berniegroves]

This really worries me too, i hate hospitals and am so freaked out about having to stay!! And having our newborn baby with me and DH having to go home is really freaking me out more

 

[sueh81]

This really worries me too, i hate hospitals and am so freaked out about having to stay!! And having our newborn baby with me and DH having to go home is really freaking me out more

same here hun!! the actual birth doesn't bother me at all, i just know i'll end up in tears if i'm shoved on a ward afterwards and left alone without DH!!
xx

 

[Blah11]

This really worries me too, i hate hospitals and am so freaked out about having to stay!! And having our newborn baby with me and DH having to go home is really freaking me out more

but what are you gonna do when your DH is back at work? Honestly I think being thrown in the deep end isnt a bad thing. You'll do fine, your maternal instincts will kick in and a lot is just common sense. You might not even need to stay, the only reason I did was because I had high blood pressure during labour.

 

[berniegroves]

This really worries me too, i hate hospitals and am so freaked out about having to stay!! And having our newborn baby with me and DH having to go home is really freaking me out more

but what are you gonna do when your DH is back at work? Honestly I think being thrown in the deep end isnt a bad thing. You'll do fine, your maternal instincts will kick in and a lot is just common sense. You might not even need to stay, the only reason I did was because I had high blood pressure during labour.

I don't think you can compare being alone in a hospital with a newborn after just giving birth, to being at home alone with a 2 week old baby. Totally different situations.
My issue is i hate hospitals in general so with the added pressure of caring for our newborn baby and no DH to help worries me.
I am not worried about DH going back to work two weeks later, as i feel totally comfortable about being home etc

 

[sueh81]

i'm quite lucky as DH is having a month off after the birth as we do not have any family or friends local to us - we moved over 100 miles away from everyone because of his job so I won't even have experienced help at hand when we get home which is why he's booked a month off work!!

 

[SatansSprite]

I can attest that it is much different being in a hospital than it is being at home. I had so many anxiety/panic attacks during the 4 weeks my son was in the hospital (due to low birth weight, and I was allowed to stay in a side room beside the nursery, so was there the whole time as well) just because it was so stressful for me and just the environment but as soon as I got home everything levelled out and I was great, and since OH was already back to work by this point I was on my own during the days by that point.

Some people, like myself, do get worked up over being in places that aren't comfortable like their own homes, so being in a hospital CAN be extremely nerve-racking for some. Just because the nurses or other people may think that the experience "will be closer to what it's like at home" doesn't mean everyone can see it that way.

 

[Parkep]

In canada you can pay extra for a private room (when in the normal part of the hospital) is this possible for you ladies as well? Might be worth checking in to?

 

[yourstruly10]

In canada you can pay extra for a private room (when in the normal part of the hospital) is this possible for you ladies as well? Might be worth checking in to?

Im in canada and I didnt have to play for my private room. At the hospital I delivered at all the rooms are private.

 

[scots_mum]

I think we have to remember that although it would be great if partners could stay with us at all times, its a hospital not a hotel and its not practical or necessary. You dont have to worry about coping alone because midwifes will be on hand just ring your buzzer if you need anything and they will help, you are in there to recover and rest as a patient its not really a long time and you will be home

 

[Pixie2320]

I think we have to remember that although it would be great if partners could stay with us at all times, its a hospital not a hotel and its not practical or necessary. You dont have to worry about coping alone because midwifes will be on hand just ring your buzzer if you need anything and they will help, you are in there to recover and rest as a patient its not really a long time and you will be home

I don't expect them to provide a bed and food for my husband, but it's also not acceptable for them to try and make my husband leave. He will be more than happy to sleep in one of the chairs in the room. I don't want to be surrounded by/helped by nurses, I want my husband there with me and it's his right to be with his child just as much as it is mine

To the woman comparing it with being home alone with baby, I don't think we're comparing apples to apples here at all.

 

[Parkep]

In canada you can pay extra for a private room (when in the normal part of the hospital) is this possible for you ladies as well? Might be worth checking in to?

Im in canada and I didnt have to play for my private room. At the hospital I delivered at all the rooms are private.

Same here for the maternity unit, i was referencing the other parts of the hospital.