New mothers paid to go home

[Miss Chicken]

This appeared in my local paper today

A HOBART hospital is offering new mums financial incentives to go home sooner and free up much needed beds.
Calvary Health Care Tasmania is offering vouchers and discount cards to mothers at its Lenah Valley maternity centre if they leave as soon as three days after giving birth.
The sooner they leave the bed the greater the value of the financial incentive, chief executive Michael Krieg told the Mercury.
Vouchers include discounts at baby goods stores around Hobart and a grocery voucher at Hill Street Grocer.
Mr Krieg said the incentive program was freeing up maternity beds.
Before the program was introduced, he said it was not uncommon for some Tasmanian mums to stay in hospital for up to a week.
But now they were out the door much sooner, allowing other expectant mothers to then take the bed.
"This is not just about us freeing up beds and pushing people out because if they have a health need they can definitely stay longer," Mr Krieg said.

rest of story here

I think it is worth mentioning that the hospital concerned is a private hospital.


I thought I might ask people here - how soon after you giving birth (or your wife/girlfriend giving birth) did you go home? Would you have gone home sooner if you had been offered vouchers to do so?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

In the US, it's typical to be kicked out of the hospital 48 hours after giving birth. They don't like to keep you unless you have a medical necessity.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

In the US the average stay for a new mother after delivering the baby was two days for a vaginal delivery without complications. They rush you out pretty damn quick. Federal law now prohibits insurance companies from forcing new mothers to leave less than 48 hours after giving birth, though.

 

[1001001]

In 1995 my wife had a C-Section at noon, and the doctor told her she could go home at 8:00 the next morning. I was really pissed. She couldn't even stand up yet. She had a catheter, etc. What was worse was the place wasn't even crowded. They had 30 maternity beds, and only 6 were being used. In fact our daughter was the only baby born that whole day!

The doctor let us stay one more day, but the nurses were total bitches the whole time. They made it clear we were not welcome. We left then next morning, 44 hours after her surgery.

Our second child was born in 2002, and by then, it was a mandatory 72 hours minimum after a C-Section, which seemed more reasonable to us. The staff at that hospital were great. A completely different experience.

So I guess it's the difference between recovering from childbirth, and recovering from surgery. Since she didn't give birth naturally either time, I don't know what would be a reasonable recovery time. I imagine some parents would want to get home ASAP. If it's safe and you can use the money, I guess it would be okay.

 

[Thena]

It used to be that some US hospitals were turning out new moths just barely 24 hours after a vaginal birth because the insurance companies were not paying for anything over 24 hours. Even better, they started the clock from the moment a woman arrived at the hospital, not when she gave birth. So if you were in labor in the hospital for 8 hours, you went home 16 hours after birth. I believe there is now legislation in place that requires a minimum of 48 hours. However, I haven't known anyone who gave birth recently, so I'm not totally up to date on the details.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Wow, a week for a vaginal delivery? Is it 1960 in Tasmania?

Since I started working in Women's Health, which was in 1985, the normal length of stay for a vaginal delivery has been two days and for a C-section three days (barring medical complications). For a lot of women, this is too long. Especially when I was working in Midwifery, a lot of women wanted same-day discharge for vaginal deliveries-- of course, a lot of them would have preferred to deliver at home.

Most of the women who wanted a longer stay did not do so for medical reasons; it was because they already had kids at home and needed the break.

 

[Hermiod]

Wow, a week for a vaginal delivery? Is it 1960 in Tasmania?

Yes, due to its proximity to the Island from Lost, it is actually 1960 in Tasmania.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Sweet! I'll take vacation down there next year and pick up the first issue of FF for 12 cents. Plus a few extra as an investment.

 

[Hermiod]

^Just don't fly there.

 

[trekkiedane]

Eight years ago my sister was home within six hours after my niece was born.

As it was her second child they didn't need to teach her about breastfeeding or any of that other stuff first timers usually need to be told by professionals though.

 

[kimc]

It's not just C-sections that are being rushed out the door. This past year a cousin had a mastectomy and was discharged the very next day while she was still incoherent from the drugs.

 

[bluedana]

Most of the women who wanted a longer stay did not do so for medical reasons; it was because they already had kids at home and needed the break.

This. Especially if you ask that they bring you the baby only for feedings. It's the last good sleep you're going to get for a while.

 

[Mary Ann]

It's common in the UK to be chucked out after 48 hours after your first normal vaginal delivery and sooner for subsequent births. I was in hospital for a week with my first child because I developed gastroenteritis (sp?) 36 hours after giving birth and the staff refused to let me go home until they were sure I had regained enough strength. I was also given a private room, which greatly helped my recovery.

With my second and third births I was home within 18 hours. I would have been tempted to stay longer had I not been in rooms with 3 other mothers and their babies, making rest impossible. It's bad enough when your own baby wakes you at night, but when 3 other babies do the same...

 

[milo bloom]

After my wife's unscheduled c-section, they encouraged her to stay as long as she wanted (we went in Tuesday evening, she delivered late Wed and we went home on Sunday), but we're pretty sure that was because we had really good insurance and they were milking that as much as they could.

If we have another, first of all, my wife wants to deliver at home, and barring that, I'm sure she would want out of the hospital as soon as humanly possible because she was just not comfortable there.

 

[T'Bonz]

Nowadays, hospitals try to kick you out as soon as they can. They assume that even if you're not up to snuff yet, you have help at home. God help you if you don't.

When I had my kids, in the 1980s, you got three days. By that last day, I was ready to go home, except in the case of the last one. She had to stay an extra few days in the hospital and it was not fun for me to drive myself back and forth several times a day to nurse her.

I was so glad when she came home.

As someone who had 3 uncomplicated natural births, I think 2 full days is perfect. 1 day isn't enough.

I can't say how long one should stay after a caesarean, one had better have help at home. I've had a cut there for surgery not related to pregnancy and I can't imagine having the cut AND a new baby to lift/hold and having no help at home.

 

[Miss Chicken]

My first delivery, in 1977, was vaginal but it was prolonged. I stayed in hospital for 7 days after the birth. That was pretty standard in those days.

My second delivery, in 1980, was an emergency caesarean. Because I had a cold when put under anesthesia I developed pneumonia. Because I was sick I was placed into a private room for about a week and then into a ward for the next three days before I went home.

I nearly died during my third delivery (another caesaran in 1982) and lost a lot of blood. I was very weak and again was placed in a private room for about five days and then into the ward. I had been in hospital for 13 days before the birth. My mother had been looking after my children but after three weeks, wanted to send them home. I knew my husband wouldn't look after them well so I felt obliged to go home. The doctors said I wasn't ready so I had to sign myself out against medical advice.

 

[OrionSlaveGirl]

I had a c-section at 1:00am on a Wednesday and was released at 8:00pm on Friday so I guess that's almost 72 hours. However, in my case I was begging to go home... just wanted to be in my own bed, in a quiet house with my baby and husband and not have nurses constantly coming in and out. I actually would have been able to go home earlier if my baby didn't have a touch of jaundice and my blood pressure wasn't slightly elevated.

I got out of bed only a few hours after my c-section and was able to walk to the bathroom on my own within 10 hours... I wanted to prove I could do it so they would take the catheter out! I also wanted the IV removed ASAP. I would have gone home the same day if I had any choice in the matter!

I should add that we had a midwife and had planned an all natural home birth originally, but the baby was being stubborn and after 24 hours of labour I was told it wasn't happening and a c-section was best. If things had gone according to planned I would have delivered at home or at least vaginally at the hospital. Given the second case, and barring any complications with either myself or the baby, I would have been able to go home after 3 hours!!! I was looking forward to this, but I guess things don't always work out the way you plan.