Room. There was one test they did in the middle of the night though. Of course that was the night that the nurse came in 5 different times and woke me up
I was in a birth center without a nursery, but on the first night, the nurse watched her at the nurses' station for a few hours while DH and I slept in my room. I can't imagine that either of us could have been attentive or safe to care for a baby. I gave birth after midnight after a looooong 2 days.
With the exception of about 20 minutes overnight when I couldn't calm him down and a nurse walked him up and down the hallway, he stayed in my room the entire time. All tests were done at my bedside.
The nursery at the hospital I delivered at is only for babies who need extra assistance/medical care.
In our room for the first night. On the second night, my daughter was wide awake and cranky so the nurse came in at about 4am and asked if we wanted to "let her come hang out in the nurse's station for a couple hours" so I could get some sleep. I was literally delirious with exhaustion at that point. I would close my eyes and see flutters, I was so tired. So I agreed and she went out with the nurse for about 3 hours until the shift change.
After my son was born, I had some complications and passed out for about 5 hours. DS stayed in the NICU only because I work in the NICU and my coworkers wanted to cuddle and spoil him. He would have gone to the nursery. After that he stayed in my room.
I also want to note that I was on mag so he was mag'ed out and I always had to wake him to nurse every 3 hours in the beginning.
Post by timorousbeastie on Aug 7, 2015 13:32:30 GMT -5
The first night, DD stayed in the room with us. A a result, I literally slept 5 minutes that night. I distinctly remember finally drifting off at 5:25, only to have nurses start rounding at 5:30. I was not happy.
The second night, I was very happy to have DD go to the nursery. They brought her back every few hours to eat.
in my room. It was nice the first night. My H stayed the whole time and we loved being a little family all together. Plus, she was tired from being born, I guess, because she slept/fed/slept happily. The second night, she had developed jaundice and had to be put under the special light, which they brought into our room. It was awful. My milk hadn't really come in, she was hungry (I gave her a little formula, but mostly had her on the boob and she had to be under this light with those crazy sun glasses/goggles on. She screamed the entire time and we couldn't do much to comfort her. Eventually, we took turns laying in the hospital bed while holding her under the lights. It was the only way she'd sleep and stop screaming. The hospital had a no co-sleeping in the same bed policy, so we couldn't fall asleep while holding her like that while in the bed with us. It sucked. I could have sent her to the nursery to sit in a bassinet under the light there, I suppose, but no one offered that and I didn't ask (and I probably wouldn't have wanted to because I was so worried about how miserable she was). I think that was the first time I posted on MMM and y'all cheered me on and gave me virtual hair pats through the MOTN thread.
I wish I had a choice but mine was in the NiCU the entire time I was in the hospital I would've loved to have him in my room. I stayed with him in his room after I was discharged.
Post by bananapancakes on Aug 7, 2015 14:48:44 GMT -5
In the NICU. The first night I was over 100km away in a different hospital. It was awful. For the next 8 days he was still in the NICU and H and I stayed at a Ronald McDonald House a few minutes away. Then we got transferred to another hospital for 3 nights. He was still in the NICU but I was able to stay in a room down the hall.
Post by AlpineSlide on Aug 7, 2015 16:23:41 GMT -5
the first night (a tues.) he stayed in my room. i held him all night because i couldn't get out of bed due to my c-section and cath still in. dh snored away. i don't think i slept a wink.
then the next morning they took him to check vitals and came back and said he needed to go to nicu because he spit up green bile. so the next 2 days (1 night) we stayed in his nicu room. no actually, dh and i took turns in one of the dorm room type bedrooms on his nicu floor. one of us (mostly me) was with him at all times. we went home thurs. evening, so there were only 2 overnights total.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Aug 7, 2015 16:40:24 GMT -5
DD1 spent most of her time in the nursery, but some night time hours in my room.
DD2 spent all her time in my room.
I think the difference was that the hospital DD1 was born in was not following the new 'baby friendly' policies (they gave out formula like candy and had no problems taking the baby to the nursery so I could sleep). The hospital DD2 was born in was completely the opposite. Plus, I was already used to having an infant, so it was less of a big deal to have her in the room.
My labor was 21 hours long. We were up at 4am to get to the hospital for my induction and I didn't have her until after 2am the next day. Visitors started pouring in promptly at 9am. I was absolutely exhausted by that night and gladly let the nurse take her to the nurses station so I could sleep a bit. Technically, my hospital does not have a well baby nursery but they will take them on a space available basis for 3 hours at a time overnight in the nurse's station.
Post by picksthemusic on Aug 7, 2015 17:16:09 GMT -5
My room, but the nurses took pity and walked DS around in the halls so DH and I could sleep (I hadn't had any real sleep in over a week due to prodromal labor).
In our room, with the exception of one night when DH was sleeping at home. I couldn't get out of bed without assistance due to a bladder issue, so they didn't want him sleeping in my room overnight without another adult there.
My H and I were both exhausted, naturally, and one of the night nurses came in and offered to take her to the nursery for a few hours and bring her back when she was hungry. We looked a her with a "you can do that?" sort of look and I think I started crying.
Post by sparkythelawyer on Aug 7, 2015 18:15:49 GMT -5
In the night nursery both nights. They would take the babies from like, 9p - 7a and bring her in when she was hungry. It was fabulous. If you're going to do all this "baby friendly" bullcrap as a hospital, at least throw Mom that much.
Post by biscoffcookies on Aug 7, 2015 18:16:30 GMT -5
With DD, she was in our room the whole time. The hospital had a well-baby nursery, but the postpartum nurse who greeted us when we got to our room gave us this spiel that came across as, "Well, we'll take the baby to the nursery if you really need us to but we really think you should be rooming in." It was clear that she was not interested in taking the baby and would do so only begrudgingly, and as a FTM it made me feel like I'd be judged/a failure if I sent her, so we kept her. I didn't sleep more than 3 hours or so in a 72-hour hospital stay, and I'm pretty sure it helped contribute to the emotional mess I was for weeks afterward. We were bitter at that nurse for the next 3 1/2 years, especially after friends of ours who gave birth at that hospital after us all told us that of course they sent the baby to the nursery, the nurses were happy to take their kids, etc.
We delivered DS at the same hospital last week and went in ready to cut anyone who gave us a hard time about sending the baby to the nursery. But our postpartum night nurse this time around could not have been more opposite to the nurse we had for DD -- she was so kind and offered every time she came to the room to take DS. I sent him without hesitation both nights. They brought him back to eat. It was AMAZING to get rest, and my mental state this time around is much better. Coincidence?
Post by formerlyllizzyb on Aug 7, 2015 19:02:43 GMT -5
DS: in our room. On me. He wouldn't sleep anywhere else. The nurses kept reprimanding me and asking me to move him the the rolling bassinet cart thingy, but I'd always just pick him back up after they left. DD: swaddled in the bassinet cart thingy. She was and is easy.
In her little plastic thing next to me. No nursery available.
I so wish that someone had offered to take her. I went into labor a few hours after working a 12 hour overnight shift, and did not sleep for any of the 20 hours I was in labor. I was deliriously tired by the time she was born. I'm sure they would have taken her if I had asked, but the thought never crossed my mind.
Post by polarbearfans on Aug 8, 2015 3:39:38 GMT -5
I sent her to the nursery at night as soon as they opened. They brought her back to me to breastfeed when she was showing hunger signs or every 2 hours. Otherwise she slept on me or in the little plastic bassinet thing.
It was a hard decision to send her away, but I couldn't sleep with her in the room and I was exhausted. They actually kept me another half day and took the baby during off-hours to the nursery because the nurse said I needed sleep.
No nursery option for us at a "baby friendly" hospital. I was exhausted both times and could have used some sleep. The truth is they were in my room every 2 hours and I couldn't have slept anyway. They actually emptied the trash at 2 am!! WTF.