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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm trying to get an idea of what to expect from my postpartum hospital stay. After your baby was born, how much help did you get from the nurses for things like diaper changes, swaddling, and getting baby properly latched on for breastfeeding, and did you have a vaginal birth or C-section? Did you have good stretches of uninterrupted time with your baby and partner, or were there always people in and out of your room? Did you feel well enough to be up and walking around, or did you mostly feel like resting in bed? I'm sure a lot of this depends on how your individual birth went and the quality of postpartum care at your hospital, but I want to get an idea of the range of what this might look like for me.[/quote]

Postpartum nurse here. I'm surprised at some of these responses. We will definitely show you (and support person) how to change the baby's diaper. If we are assessing the baby or in the room and it needs to be done, of course we will do it automatically. If you aren't a brand new patient though and you call for a diaper change and we are literally in the bathroom with another mom or an emergency with another mom, we can't just drop what we are doing and come right away. You can always call the tech for help or reeducation if we can't come right away. Before you are discharged though, you have to get some hands-on practice so TRY to change some before you leave.

Where I work, postpartum RN's can definitely help you with breastfeeding. The LC's are the pros though and you will obviously get a a consult (or more). We never just say "let me call an LC" unless we truly can't fix the problem.

Day shifts are busier, expect that. You will be seen by the pediatrician, your MD, hearing screening, additional blood work (if needed), baby 24 hour bloodwork and tests (that time just depends on when baby is born, could be middle of the night), birth certificate office, and people coming to drop off and pick up your tray. Your nurses need to assess you and baby, medicate you (which could be every almost every 2 hours depending on how YOU want your pain management regimen and what is ordered). If you are only getting Ibuprofen, then that's every 6 hours. Sometimes baby is on blood sugar checks (if you have GDM or are diabetic) and so their blood sugar has to be checked around every 3 hours for a certain period of time. Plenty of babies have to go to NICU for low blood sugar, so these checks are for baby's safety. So that can contribute to the "in and out" of the room.

If you are on extra BP checks, we are checking it every 4 hours. This is for YOUR safety. I try to time this for when meds are due so that there aren't extra interruptions.

Night time we really try to cluster our care but honestly that is when baby most often wants to eat. So when day time is busy with the necessary visits, night time is spent working on breastfeeding. You try to nap in between. COMMUNICATE with your nurse when you want to sleep so that no one checks on you. Keep in mind that moms have fallen asleep with babies and they have fallen on the floor. It's devastating. If it's been awhile without checking on you, we will peak in to make sure you both are safe. It is for YOUR safety, not to bother you. Newborn falls happen (even from dad) so please understand we are just looking out for your safety.

If you have any other questions, let me know. There are always a few "bad apples" or nurses who are having a very difficult, busy day and might not be at their 100%. But most postpartum nurses LOVE their job and love helping you. I hope you have a good experience and ignore the bad apples, if there are any.[/quote]

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