[beckinben]

Originally Posted by vlatte7

as far as i know, one of the reasons that vaginal deliveries and their infants stay in the hospital for 2 days has to do with risk of increased bilirubin. that is the reason that our watchful eyes assess newborns as often as we do. also at my institution they check the infant's bilirubin and do an metabolic screen before discharge. we allow some moms to do an early discharge, but they are experienced moms that know what signs/symptoms to look for and some of them go to their pediatrician the next day for the bilirubin check. all moms are not that proactive, so staying at the hospital for an additional night is for their newborn's safety. also before doing a metabolic screen the infant needs at least 24 hours of good feedings for the test to be useful.

With both of my babies (here in the States, no less!) I had early discharge (12 to 24 hours after birth) with home follow up visits by an APN - either a NP or a CNM - provided by my insurance company. They did weight checks for the baby, checked my blood pressure, they could also draw bilirubins to send to the lab if needed. They were great with breastfeeding help with my first one. I had the metabolic screening done at the clinic, but really you could do that at home too. Imagine how much less that cost them than an extra night in the hospital, and I was soooooo much happier sleeping in my own bed and eating my own food.

[kat7ap]

I have no idea about your other question, sorry!

At my hospital vag deliveries stay 24 hours (give or take) and c-sections stay at least 48 hours. This is the standard in my area. We are "supposed to" have a medical indication if the stay greatly extends those time frames.

[elliebellie]

We are very particular about what is considered AMA. If a patient wants to leave early & there is no medical reason for her or the baby to stay then she is just discharged & is not leaving AMA. If there is a medical reason for her to stay & she chooses to leave, she signs out AMA. If the baby has a legitimate reason to stay (medically or otherwise), then social services gets involved.

Vaginal deliveries stay up to 48 hours, cesarean's 3-5 days.

[kimsue0906]

we rare;y have a problem with mothers wanting to leave before a doctor will discharge them. I think in my 5 years I have seen 2-3 discharges before 24 hours. It was usually because Pt and Dr. were not agreeing. Our common length of stay is vaginal: 24-48 hours and c-sections: 48-72 hours. (also depending on GBS)