Should maternity wards limit visiting times?

[brockash]

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'm really confused as to why you quoted me. I'm a woman who has delivered and raised 3 kids and it seems we agree that me as the mother/patient can determine and voice when we want to be left alone and that we don't need a hospital to determine that for us...perhaps you quoted the wrong post???

 

[Southernmiss]

I delivered 4 babies at 2 different hospitals with similar visiting hours.

My pregnancies and deliveries were relatively easy.

I welcomed visitors. The babies roomed in because I was nursing, but the hospital took them out for a few hours so I could sleep.

I went home within 24 to 48 hours.

Now that texting and social media are so prevalent, it would be easy to send a blast out that says 'Sally had jr. today. Mother and baby are fine, but Sally is resting while in the hospital and we will be glad to welcome guests on xxx when we return home.'

 

[Navychica]

They should 100% limit visiting hours in shared rooms. One mom’s need to rest comes before the other mom’s desire for her cousins, coworkers, etc, to see the baby. Outside of that, I’m a fan of quiet hours. Keep it down so you’re not disturbing others, or you’ll be asked to leave. It’s a hospital, not a sorority social. If you want that many people around you, have a home birth.

To be fair, I’m a private person- my husband was the only one other than medical staff in the delivery room. All of our long distance family was told we wouldn’t entertain house guests for two weeks after birth, which worked wonderfully for us.

 

[DietCoke18]

I think it is a layered problem.
And the patient needs to tell their visitors it's not a good time.

I do think hours should be less as well.

9949383% agree with this!! They can visit when the baby is home it doesn’t need to be around the clock. We got lucky as when I had kids it wasn’t all day there were 2 hour windows for visiting. Made it less stressful

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

I thought if there's anything redeeming about Facebook, it would be people being able to see the new baby from home.

My hospital has 24 hour visitation in every unit. Our L&D nurses are pretty good about stepping in if they feel the excessive visits are taking a toll and management normally backs them. It has to be pretty extreme, though, for them to do it.

Off topic: However, the floor nurses are at their wit's end on 24 hr visitation.

 

[Summer2018]

I had an emergency C-section after 36 hours of labor. It was very traumatic for both the baby and I. We were both in the hospital for a week.

I was very overwhelmed by the visitors. I would have preferred to just have my immediate family, but everyone and their brother came to visit.

To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with all of the visitors after we got home either those first few weeks.

 

[diznymom]

Yes, I really wish visiting hours were limited. Yes, I am a grown woman. I did request no visitors. I also have family that gets their panties a wad and think they are above anyone's request....they get to do what they want. And preachers and their wives think they are above any such requests also. I didn't get any rest when my second child was born.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

The hospital I gave birth in 8 weeks ago had no set visiting hours but the nurses were really good at kicking people out if they saw I was getting overwhelmed.

 

[kimblebee]

I'm really confused as to why you quoted me. I'm a woman who has delivered and raised 3 kids and it seems we agree that me as the mother/patient can determine and voice when we want to be left alone and that we don't need a hospital to determine that for us...perhaps you quoted the wrong post???

I meant to quote you, but, reading back I think I took what you said the wrong way. My apologies.

I assumed you were a guy because of the brock, but you’re the ash. Oops.

 

[Aurora79]

I felt like I had enough of my rights taken away before, during, and after birth, that any more would have made things just that much worse.

That being one of the many reasons I have just one child.

 

[ronandannette]

They should 100% limit visiting hours in shared rooms. One mom’s need to rest comes before the other mom’s desire for her cousins, coworkers, etc, to see the baby. Outside of that, I’m a fan of quiet hours. Keep it down so you’re not disturbing others, or you’ll be asked to leave. It’s a hospital, not a sorority social. If you want that many people around you, have a home birth.

To be fair, I’m a private person- my husband was the only one other than medical staff in the delivery room. All of our long distance family was told we wouldn’t entertain house guests for two weeks after birth, which worked wonderfully for us.

At the hospital where my DH was born you could reserve and pay for a special "Birthing Suite" that was more like a posh little apartment. You could have anybody you wanted in there at any time; there were two sofa beds so family could even stay over-night.

This sort of thing might be common in the States where patients can choose their facilities. Here in Canada with public health care, you go to whichever hospital your doctor practices out of and have no say about the accommodations. These rental-suites were used as fundraisers for the neo-natal department.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Neither of the hospitals my kids were born in (different states) had specified visiting hours. I spent 6 days in the hospital for my first and 4 days for my second. For my first, we couldn't get my mom to ever leave (despite us asking nicely) so DH asked the nurse for assistance. After that, she or another nurse would get her to leave with a signal from us. Sometimes they said visiting hours were over, others that I needed rest or they needed to do an exam/whatever and it would take a while. It worked out well for us.

 

[brockash]

I meant to quote you, but, reading back I think I took what you said the wrong way. My apologies.

I assumed you were a guy because of the brock, but you’re the ash. Oops.

No worries and actually my name is a combination of my first 2 kiddos names.

 

[tvguy]

Kind of a double edged sword.
Limiting visiting hours sounds great.........IF mom and baby are up to visitors during those hours. The 12 hour visiting hours gives some flexibility so that mom and baby can seen at a time that works for them. My first grandchild turns one month old tomorrow. My DIL through our son let everyone know when a good time was to visit........baby was born Friday, they were up to visitors Saturday, but Sunday was a rough day for both so they asked that nobody come by.

 

[tvguy]

Most women with healthy babies are discharged from hospital within 24 hours of a normal delivery here in our health region. .

My mom was an RN and she was horrified when they started kicking new moms out after only 24 hours. Went against everything she learned in nursing school. Fortunately, my DIL got to stay until Monday, after giving birth on Friday. Her insurance, and the hospital consider that the normal time frame with a normal birth.

 

[ronandannette]

My mom was an RN and she was horrified when they started kicking new moms out after only 24 hours. Went against everything she learned in nursing school. Fortunately, my DIL got to stay until Monday, after giving birth on Friday. Her insurance, and the hospital consider that the normal time frame with a normal birth.

Payment/insurance isn't the issue here; it's just the accepted standard of care. It also may vary from province to province; maybe @kimblebee or @CdnCarrie could mention Manitoba; @marcyleecorgan could mention BC and @mombrontrent could tell us about Ontario. My knowledge strictly applies to Alberta.

 

[disykat]

I don't understand the whole visitor thing beyond immediate family. Hospital stays are so short and are about recovery. My oldest had a traumatic birth and all the loud celebrations were really hard to take. There were 15 people celebrating in the room next door (the nurses counted because they were annoyed) when I was laboring. They hushed them numerous times but were not allowed to kick them out. It's not all about the individual, but about the rights of ALL the moms. I don't care how many or when, but visitors should not be disrupting their neighbors. Loud jubilant cheers of a crowd in one room after bad news in another is not a good thing.

 

[kimblebee]

Payment/insurance isn't the issue here; it's just the accepted standard of care. It also may vary from province to province; maybe @kimblebee or @CdnCarrie could mention Manitoba; @marcyleecorgan could mention BC and @mombrontrent could tell us about Ontario. My knowledge strictly applies to Alberta.

24 hours is pretty standard here. 18 years ago, I stayed in the hospital for 5 days. My daughter was a little jaundiced and I had a c section. I had a catheter too and didn’t get up for 4 days. The first time I got up after it was removed, I proceeded to pass out into the nurses arms. I was in a room with 3 other people. Because I was bed bound, my daughter wasn’t allowed to be with me alone.

 

[Katie Dawn]

Those of you saying hospitals shouldn't tell you when you can and can't have visitors... I think that rule is there in large part to protect your neighbors, not you. You may be 100% fine with having 30 people visiting at midnight who are loud and boisterous. But the families on either side of you do not, and they want to rest, but they can't because of you. Maybe you have enough common sense to not be rude, but we all know that plenty of people don't. If you're the new parents who can't sleep because of your "midnight party" neighbors, who do you suggest addresses it? Dad should walk over there? That will go well and definitely wouldn't ever end with a fight. The nurse should do it? They don't have time for that... And it's going to get tense. Better to make a rule for reasonable hours.

I also agree that many, many women are in vulnerable places after birth and may not be able to advocate for themselves like they normally might.

For me, unless we are Very close (like a sister or best friend) I'm not coming to see you at the hospital. Really.... Who wants to have people come see you while you're in a hospital gown, incredibly sore and possibly post surgical, may have been awake for 24-48 hours straight, getting poked and prodded by nurses every 4 hours, desperately wanting to rest but being unable to. Maybe you would prefer people (some of whom you don't even know that well) see you at this time, but many would not.

I go later, when they're home, on a day and time that work for them (maybe several days after the baby is born), with a hot meal in hand.

OP, I do agree it would be great if there was a couple of hours with no visitors for naps but I'm not sure how well it could be implemented.

 

[mombrontrent]

Payment/insurance isn't the issue here; it's just the accepted standard of care. It also may vary from province to province; maybe @kimblebee or @CdnCarrie could mention Manitoba; @marcyleecorgan could mention BC and @mombrontrent could tell us about Ontario. My knowledge strictly applies to Alberta.

I think it depends on what time of day the baby is born as well, if you give birth at 3am I doubt they are going to discharge you 24 hours later at 3am.

I gave birth to three babies in Ontario same hospital. All vaginal birth, no c-section.
Baby #1 1999, gave birth 7:32pm Tuesday night, discharged Thur morning
Baby #2 2002, gave birth 6:00 pm, discharged 24 hours later after me pushing and pushing for it, I could have stayed another day but I just wanted to go home
Baby #3 2006, gave birth 11:44pm would have loved to go home the very next day but being I had to stay 24 hours and it wasn’t practical to be discharged at midnight I waited the extra day.