Well insurance usually pays for 2 nights after you give birth. So this is how my experience went. I'll start at the beginning because you may want that info too.
I got to the hospital thinking my water had broken and with contractions 2 minutes apart. I had to sign some papers and get checked in. Then someone from the birthing department came down and wheeled me to my room. As soon as I got in there they had me change into a gown and get on the bed. Then they strapped the pink and blue monitors to my stomach and started monitoring me. After a half hour or so I had seen 3 different nurses and finally one of them checked my cervix. If you think your water has broken they will want you to bring in your wet underwear to test it for amniotic fluid. Gross I know. After they have confirmed that you are in active labor they will probably get an iv started. I was group b strep positive so had to have multiple doses of antibiotics during labor.
That's about it as far as during labor because every labor is different I won't even try to tell you about the rest. When you are ready to push the whole delivery room gets transformed. They take the bed apart and set it up for pushing. There is a bag hanging under your rear to catch all the liquids and such that will be coming out. At some point they brought in a table with containers on it for the afterbirth and everything else that comes out as well as a tray of things like scissors, clamps, gauze, stitching thread, etc. The baby cart also comes out and I honestly don't know what all else.
As soon as you deliver they put the baby on your chest. If everything seems fine with the baby they will leave him there for a few minutes while they wipe him off and suck out his nose. Then they will take him and clean him off. They will put ointment on his eyes, weigh him, measure him, and give him a quick full examination. I tore really bad so I was being stitched up for an hour after delivery. As soon as they took the baby to the table a nurse put a really warm blanket over my upper body. I was STARVING so they brought me a tray of food and one of the nurses even made me a milkshake because I had been wanting one during part of the labor. I think my husband held our daughter for a while as well as all the stuff the nurses did with her while I was being stitched.
The doctor put a catheter in so I could empty my bladder while he worked on me, it didn't hurt at all because I was already numb and hurting too much from tearing to even feel it. I remember just being happy as a clam eating away while he worked. After I was all cleaned up they gave me my daughter again and we worked on breastfeeding. The nurse pretty much put my baby in place and put my boob in her mouth. She was really good about making it work.
This is the part I didn't like. After a few hours they had us pack up and move to the recovery room. I got to take a shower and they gave me pain meds. I really wanted to just stay where I was but oh well. I get really loopy on meds and was really emotional and in a lot of pain so my Mom had to help me with my shower. Then they put a pad on and hospital netting type underwear as well as an icepack. I was bleeding really heavily at first so whenever I had to pee blood would get everywhere. The nurse checked down there a few times to make sure everything was ok.
After they got me into bed a nurse came in and gave our daughter a quick bath. She then got her dressed and did the foot prints and foot prick for blood testing. It was the middle of the night by this time and we were having a blizzard outside so they brought in a mattress for my Mom to put on the floor (they normally don't allow this but the nurse was really nice) and made the chair bed up for my husband. I kept my daughter in bed with me propped up in the boppy pillow and just stared at her all night long.
The rest is kind of blurry. I was given food whenever I was hungry and the nurses checked in constantly. My Mom and Husband took turns walking around with my daughter so I could sleep. During the day a lot of random people came in. Like someone from the kitchen to see if we wanted to order special meals, a community resources person, and the cleaning lady. We also were seen by a pediatrician and an obgyn who was on rounds as well as my doctor who was there for another patient. For the first night they check my daughters blood sugar regularly.
At some point we filled out the birth certificate paper work as well as a lot of other papers. The hospital gave us 2 diaper bags from emfamil and similac. They each had formula samples and other small things in them. It was December 18th 2008 so the ladies club at the hospital had made stockings big enough for the babies to fit in so they gave us one. We also got to take home the pack of diapers my daughter was using and everything else they had used on her including the little crib foam pad thing.
The day we went home I took a shower and the nurse put my daughter in her going home outfit. Then she brought us a packet of info and had us sign papers and discuss going home. We had to answer questions about our home preparedness.
Then the nurse helped us get our daughter into her carseat and my husband carried all our stuff to the car. Then they wheeled me out and loaded us up and we went home.
I know that was long but that was literally everything. Hope it helps!
Baby inside and out~My pregnancy journal
