Should maternity wards limit visiting times?

[WDWJDS]

At my hospital, the maternity ward has open visiting hours from 9am-9pm. Of course our patients have many, many visitors because everyone wants to see the new baby. We do have a two-hour window of time in the afternoon called “quiet hours” where we try not to disturb them so that they can take a nap, in preparation for the all night feeding frenzies that happen with newborns. But people are still allowed to visit, so most of the patients don’t get to take advantage of this nap time.

Years ago, we limited visitors and it seemed as if our patients were able to take little cat naps during the day because of this. But with 24-hour rooming in and exclusive breastfeeding, plus the all day long open visiting policy, our patients rarely get a break anymore.

Interested to hear different experiences and opinions from around the country (and world ).

 

[hereyago]

I think it is a layered problem.
The 24 hour rooming in , I'm sorry but new mom's need time to rest.
Yes I know it's for "bonding", here is yr thing: there is plenty time to bond.

My DD had problems from her epidural and if I wasn't there, the baby was taken to the nursery .

And the patient needs to tell their visitors it's not a good time.

I do think hours should be less as well.

 

[ronandannette]

Most women with healthy babies are discharged from hospital within 24 hours of a normal delivery here in our health region. Unless there are medical issues requiring acute care or some other significant extenuating circumstance. During that short window of time there is really no restriction on visitors although "technically" only family members over the age of 12 are allowed. I've heard in most cases that is winked at if the parents want siblings present.

Moms and new babies aren't sick; few would want to be in the hospital any longer. It's much more likely to be quiet and restful at home.

 

[Rossie3]

I would say yes they should. I work in the hospital setting, I'm contracted at 2 different hospitals. I work in surgery and in the CVICU on occasion. Visiting hours at the 2 facilities is vastly different. One hospital has several 30 minute visiting windows during the day. The other one has several 1 hour and even a 2 hour visitation. I can tell you for a fact that the nurses cannot get as much work done in this setting when the family is around the bedside for hours at a time. These are critical patients, mind you, but I feel the same kinda applies to newborns and new moms as well. The hospital with the 30 minute visitations allows the nurses to care for these sick individuals better.

 

[handinpocket]

No. A grown **** woman, who isn't sick, can decide her own visiting hours.

 

[hereyago]

No. A grown **** woman, who isn't sick, can decide her own visiting hours.

True, however, she usually isn't the only one in the maternity ward.
Even with private rooms, some patient always has to have a gaggle of visitors at 8pm all loud.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I think hospitals should limit the number and types of people visiting mothers with just-borns. Father, grandparents, maybe siblings. No need for aunts, cousins, friends, co-workers, etc. to clog up the place. Those could visit once the new mom is at home and recovered at bit.

 

[kimblebee]

True, however, she usually isn't the only one in the maternity ward.
Even with private rooms, some patient always has to have a gaggle of visitors at 8pm all loud.

Plus, a new mom is so hormonal and overwhelmed she may have a hard time telling visitors ‘hey, I’m tired, can you leave so I can sleep’?

 

[brockash]

At my hospital, the maternity ward has open visiting hours from 9am-9pm. Of course our patients have many, many visitors because everyone wants to see the new baby. We do have a two-hour window of time in the afternoon called “quiet hours” where we try not to disturb them so that they can take a nap, in preparation for the all night feeding frenzies that happen with newborns. But people are still allowed to visit, so most of the patients don’t get to take advantage of this nap time.

Years ago, we limited visitors and it seemed as if our patients were able to take little cat naps during the day because of this. But with 24-hour rooming in and exclusive breastfeeding, plus the all day long open visiting policy, our patients rarely get a break anymore.

Interested to hear different experiences and opinions from around the country (and world ).

In my opinion I think it's really weird for a place I'm paying to go tell me when I can and cannot have visitors. I've had 3 kids at 3 different hospitals and none of them really had specific "visiting hours." I mean I'm not in a jail and if I can't be voiceful enough to tell ppl. that it's not a good time etc. when I'm in the hospital, what on earth am I going to do at home. What was way more of a nuisance than visitors wasthe constant in and out of the nurses pricking and prodding at all hours of the day/night.

 

[brockash]

No. A grown **** woman, who isn't sick, can decide her own visiting hours.

100 times this... it just seems so insane to me. If I'm grown enough to deliver a baby I better be grown enough to decide when I do and do not want visitors. Crazy.

 

[brockash]

I think hospitals should limit the number and types of people visiting mothers with just-borns. Father, grandparents, maybe siblings. No need for aunts, cousins, friends, co-workers, etc. to clog up the place. Those could visit once the new mom is at home and recovered at bit.

I wouldn't have gone to a hospital that was going to tell me who could and couldn't visit me. Who are they to determine who I have a close relationship to or feel comfortable with...I don't understand why anyone would think it's completely normal to take away the right of the patient to make those decisions.

 

[erin1715]

Plus, a new mom is so hormonal and overwhelmed she may have a hard time telling visitors ‘hey, I’m tired, can you leave so I can sleep’?

This was totally me. I had my baby in December and had an unexpected c-section after laboring. I was in the hospital for 4 nights and had visitors all the time. It felt like every time my husband and I would try to rest someone else would be walking in. One night after a slew of aunts uncles and siblings came and all wanted to hold my brand new baby who we waited 8 years for, I just cried after they left because I was so overwhelmed. So while I am a grown woman, my hormones were crashing and I would have appreciated some limited visiting hours .

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

All of the hospitals that I have delivered at had open visitation 24/7. There was only 1 time that I was bothered with it. A young mother in the next room was very loud with her boyfriend(yes I could hear everything and know it was not her husband) and her mother until midnight when the nurses finally kicked them out because the nurses were hanging out in my room and even they got tired of it.
I am 100% opposed to rooming in and the doing away with nurseries. The last 2 hospitals I was in only had NICU nurseries so the nurses took my infant to the nurses station so I could get a few hours of sleep after being up for 28 & 36 hours straight respectively.

 

[mjkacmom]

I was lucky to have a private room all 4 times, but many hospitals here are doubles, so there has to be visitation hours. There are limited passes, around 3 at a time. Younger siblings are allowed, my kids were 6, 4 and 1 when my twins were born and they all came. I’m not a fan of rooming in, and DH never stayed overnight. The nurses have to come in so often, there is not a lot of resting.

 

[bcla]

It was kind of odd where my wife gave birth. The maternity rooms were all qualified for both delivery and recuperation. But for some reason they moved us out twice. As the father I was allowed to stay in the room 24/7 and could come and go as I pleased. I went to pick up some stuff once and got food my parents another time. Also - delivery was around 7:30 PM but by the time they ordered a meal the cafeteria was closed. I had to go out for something to eat, although by the time I got back my wife had a meal from the hospital commissary. My parents also arrived and my wife said she wasn't going to allow them in the delivery room. They just waited outside the room.

There might have been regular visiting hours, but of course there were exceptions around the time of delivery.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I'm not in favor of forcing restrictions on everyone but do think there should be a way for mom to restrict access to her and the baby.

At the hospitals here, there is a double check-in system and you're only allowed access if the mom is accepting visitors. If you need a 4 hour break, you just make it known that no visitors can be allowed. Anyone who shows up is told that "XX is not accepting visitors right now" Easy, peasy. I'm surprised other hospitals don't have the same system in place?

I haven't seen shared rooms in maternity wards in awhile but definitely would think more favorably with set visitation hours if I was having to share space with someone else.

 

[kimblebee]

I wouldn't have gone to a hospital that was going to tell me who could and couldn't visit me. Who are they to determine who I have a close relationship to or feel comfortable with...I don't understand why anyone would think it's completely normal to take away the right of the patient to make those decisions.

I’m going to assume you’re a guy. If I’m wrong, I apologize.

Being a guy, you have NO idea what it feels like to have your body 100% out of your control due to hormones. We go through it approximately every 28 days and then, if we choose, that gets multiplied by 1000 when we deliver a baby.

If we say we need sleep and to leave us alone, we know what we’re talking about.

 

[LSUmiss]

No. A grown **** woman, who isn't sick, can decide her own visiting hours.

This exactly. I don’t need the hospital to protect me. Per my request, DH shut down visiting on the day after DS was born. He was born at night & ppl were there til like 2am that night so the next day we needed a break.

 

[LSUmiss]

I’m going to assume you’re a guy. If I’m wrong, I apologize.

Being a guy, you have NO idea what it feels like to have your body 100% out of your control due to hormones. We go through it approximately every 28 days and then, if we choose, that gets multiplied by 1000 when we deliver a baby.

If we say we need sleep and to leave us alone, we know what we’re talking about.

I agree except I don’t need the hospital to do it for me. I did it myself & told ppl they were not welcomed b/c I needed a break.

 

[kimblebee]

I agree except I don’t need the hospital to do it for me. I did it myself & told ppl they were not welcomed b/c I needed a break.

I did, too. Some people have really pushy families though and they don’t want to hurt great aunt Martha’s feelings.