Why don’t U.S. hospitals let women sleep quietly for the night in the hospital after giving birth?

[Anonymous]

I liked rooming in and I liked having the health checks and the hospital treated us great, the nurses were wonderful, and I have no complaints except that having to keep an IV in so long was annoying and I was hungry during my induction. Both of which are designed to help save my life in an emergency so I withdraw my two complaints (but I’m sneaking granola bars next time and I will be sure to confess while still conscious).

[Anonymous]

Hospitals are awful places for healthy women giving birth to their babies. Just awful.

Women need to take charge of their own bodies and babies. Doctors work for us, as needed. We don’t work for them.

[Anonymous]

In 2012 the only way I got them to take the baby was that I was sweating so profusely post partum that they had to pack ice packs around me and lower the room temperature past what was acceptable for a newborn. Otherwise they didn’t want to take her. This was at GW. I had had a c section.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Hospitals are awful places for healthy women giving birth to their babies. Just awful.

Women need to take charge of their own bodies and babies. Doctors work for us, as needed. We don’t work for them.

You don't understand how quickly even the healthiest pregnancy and labor/delivery can turn into a tragedy. Women and babies used to die in childbirth a lot. Having a doctor and medical staff immediately available saves lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Griping on a message board changes nothing. Take action in a productive way.

Venting is fine. Debating here is a waste of everyone’s energy. And no you are not educating anyone.

Apparently we are given the number of people posting that 1) still think nurseries exist and 2) think “oh a nurse can just take the baby for a few hours”.

But hey, scroll on by if this thread isn’t for you.

what are you accomplishing here? On this site? You like to monologue. Go for it. Be specific how posting here is effective.

Oof so angry. Who hurt you?

Not remotely angry. But the prolific poster seems to be. If they are immediately postpartum it’s understandable. But this seems different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, are there hospitals that will not let you send the baby to the hospital in between feedings? Like they actually do more than encourage you to keep the baby in your room, they actually say "no"????? I didn't know this was a thing. I admit its been a while but for each of my deliveries I requested this and it was not a problem.

No, that is not happening.

Tell me you haven’t given birth recently without telling me you haven’t given birth recently.

+1 and really, it’s interesting how much it has all changed. I remember taking my 2nd baby to his newborn well check in 2019 - he was born on I think a Tuesday early morning, and we were discharged on Thursday and doing his well check on Friday so just a few days old. And a few older women who were patients at another doctors office in the same big medical building as our ped were like, “omg how old is that baby, how is he out of the hospital, how are YOU out of the hospital” and they were shocked when I explained it all to them. A lot of people are stuck on how it was in the 80s where you stayed for like 5 days even after a vaginal birth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Hospitals are awful places for healthy women giving birth to their babies. Just awful.

Women need to take charge of their own bodies and babies. Doctors work for us, as needed. We don’t work for them.

What are you even talking about? Go away troll

[Anonymous]

I don’t know if it’s changed but Sibley had/made available a nursery (at least in 2017). Delivered there twice. For first DC didn’t really use the nursery and returned home so exhausted. Second DC took full advantage of the nursery and it made such a difference! So much better able to function when I got home and better able to begin those early days of feedings every few hours. Being able to recover and get a little bit of rest at the hospital made such a difference! And this was with straightforward vaginal births. I can’t image someone with a c-section not being allowed to get some rest before going home!!!!

[Anonymous]

I delivered my first, slightly prematurely, at midnight in 2020 after a 3-day induction. After we were rolled into recovery, I was given complicated instructions for feeding the baby and pumping at, like, 15/30 minute intervals. They said if his blood sugar didn’t improve in three hours, he would go to the NICU. We deliriously did as told and he avoided the NICU. The feeding expectations didn’t get better over the next two days and part of me feels like I should have just told them to take him to the NICU from the get-go, being a premie with low blood sugar, so I could actually rest and recover overnight. Instead, I went home after a week in the hospital with limited sleep to care for a newborn with only a likewise exhausted husband for support.

This baby friendly thing is not necessarily new, though. When my mother delivered her third baby in 1992 (with two little kids back at home), she told the nurses to take my new sibling to the nursery so she could sleep through the night. The nurses were horrified that she didn’t want her baby in the recovery room and let her know it, but as a third time mom who knew the drill, she dngaf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had my last baby at Inova Fairfax 15 years ago by c-section. I was able to send the baby to the nursery so that I could get some rest and recover. I wasn’t in any condition to pick up and care for the baby alone and DH couldn’t stay with me because he was at home with our older kids. I can’t imagine a hospital refusing to care for newborns in the nursery.

Have things changed so much? Patients need to loudly complain to the hospital staff, patient advocate, their doctors, and insurance company. File a formal complaint, if necessary.

Lack of care for mothers and newborns shouldn’t be tolerated.

Please do some research. Baby friendly/no nursery has been the norm for 10+ years. The quality of care for new mothers is terrible.

I had babies in 2017 and 2020. Both went to nurses in the night. It’s not everywhere, but I support calling it out where it happens. It’s a brutal way to treat new mothers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I delivered my first, slightly prematurely, at midnight in 2020 after a 3-day induction. After we were rolled into recovery, I was given complicated instructions for feeding the baby and pumping at, like, 15/30 minute intervals. They said if his blood sugar didn’t improve in three hours, he would go to the NICU. We deliriously did as told and he avoided the NICU. The feeding expectations didn’t get better over the next two days and part of me feels like I should have just told them to take him to the NICU from the get-go, being a premie with low blood sugar, so I could actually rest and recover overnight. Instead, I went home after a week in the hospital with limited sleep to care for a newborn with only a likewise exhausted husband for support.

This baby friendly thing is not necessarily new, though. When my mother delivered her third baby in 1992 (with two little kids back at home), she told the nurses to take my new sibling to the nursery so she could sleep through the night. The nurses were horrified that she didn’t want her baby in the recovery room and let her know it, but as a third time mom who knew the drill, she dngaf.

Or just bottle feed. Bottle feeding as a supplement isn't going to hurt the baby.

[Anonymous]

Having a baby is hard work. Whoever told you it was a vacation? Years ago women stayed in hospital two weeks after giving birth but that was before greedy insurance companies took over the medical profession. Sadly, the populace lemmings followed these avaricious companies over the cliff.

We have so many reasons to have a 2nd revolution in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s changed but Sibley had/made available a nursery (at least in 2017). Delivered there twice. For first DC didn’t really use the nursery and returned home so exhausted. Second DC took full advantage of the nursery and it made such a difference! So much better able to function when I got home and better able to begin those early days of feedings every few hours. Being able to recover and get a little bit of rest at the hospital made such a difference! And this was with straightforward vaginal births. I can’t image someone with a c-section not being allowed to get some rest before going home!!!!

Does anyone who has given birth there more recently know if the Sibley nursery is still open?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s changed but Sibley had/made available a nursery (at least in 2017). Delivered there twice. For first DC didn’t really use the nursery and returned home so exhausted. Second DC took full advantage of the nursery and it made such a difference! So much better able to function when I got home and better able to begin those early days of feedings every few hours. Being able to recover and get a little bit of rest at the hospital made such a difference! And this was with straightforward vaginal births. I can’t image someone with a c-section not being allowed to get some rest before going home!!!!

Does anyone who has given birth there more recently know if the Sibley nursery is still open?

Not according to their website. Although they have branded their NICU as a “nursery” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gynecology_obstetrics/specialty_areas/birthing-services/sibley-memorial-hospital/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a baby is hard work. Whoever told you it was a vacation? Years ago women stayed in hospital two weeks after giving birth but that was before greedy insurance companies took over the medical profession. Sadly, the populace lemmings followed these avaricious companies over the cliff.

We have so many reasons to have a 2nd revolution in the U.S.

It is ONLY during the 20th century that hospitals started taking over the delivery of babies. The medical profession told women it was the safest place to be, by god! The US is at the bottom of the barrel in developed countries for safe childbirth. I think we should look at why many of us (you) think babies should be born in hospitals and not in your home or with a midwife.

Read about the medicalization of childbirth. And then ask yourself why you are in a hospital to give birth.