Can Hospital MAKE You Stay for 24 Hours?

I am a nurse in a postpartum unit. The baby needs to stay for 24 hours to complete the infant screening (commonly referred to as PKU test). I suppose it might be possible to leave with the baby and get the test done in the doctor's office, but it has to be done. In Ohio it is actually state law that every baby be screened. It is also mandatory that a hearing screen be performed. I personally have never seen a pediatrician let a baby go home before 24 hours of age.
What do you think "they are so pushy" about? I can tell you I am not a pushy person at all, and I really enjoy my job. Sometimes, patients can be quite difficult to care for when they refuse to comply with treatment plans. Sometimes I wonder why people come to the hospital at all when there are other options available.

girl please! these hospital are so trifling they proberly will throw you out as soon as that baby comes out. i had to havae a natural birth because my son cam to fast. he came out at 4:56p.m. they took him to be circumsized brought him back and told me i was about to be discharged! i told them no i was not because i had 3rd degree lacerations and was tired and was going to stay another day and they sent like 4 social workers in different intervals so see if i was being abused at home or if i thought my son was in danger in my home! i told them NO I JUST HAD A BABY ,NATURALLY! I'M RIPPED FROMT HE ROOTER TO THE TOOTER AND I'M TIRED! So don't worry. unless you ahve a c-section they might try to throw you out TOO fast! good luck on having the baby. your in my prayers!

Well you no but the baby yes. You can alway check out AMA (against medical advice) but they are not going to let you do that with your child. That is why many women opt for birthing centers or home births.

Some hospitals have an early discharge policy. You'll have to check. I had to shop around for a hospital that would discharge me early.

With my second, I home birthed. If you ever get the chance, do it! Best thing in the world!

There was a girl in my room who left AMA after 6 hours. She was back within the next 12 because she started to bleed. Was it worth it? No. It almost cost her her life.
With my first child I was out in 24 hours because that's all the insurance would pay for. With my second I got 48 hours and I used every last second.
YMMV
LBC

First, if you are worried about the hospital being pushy. Take someone else with you. When my daughter was born (our first child) my husband was under very strict order that he was not allowed to leave the hospital at all, and that he could leave the room but only with my permission! Honest, he had to ask to go to the bathroom, because I needed to know I had someone else to fight for me if anyone gave me a hard time.

Second, changing hospitals at this point is probably a little late, but talk to your doctor about your concerns. He/ She may be able to help you.

That all said. I will tell you I was induced for 15.5 hours with my daugher. I was pereclamptic (high blood presure) my daughter was 5 days past due, and big. I was also already dialated 2.5 cm before we started, and had been that way for about a month. My doctor's plan was to do it slow, get through the first day take me off the drugs, let me have dinner (you cannot eat while on your this stuff in case they have to do surgery) then start again the next day. Well my water broke so that plan went out the window, and I was on until she came out. When the contractions got bad, my blood preasure went through the roof. I only had two before they had the epidural in me!! They were not going to let me have more like that for fear of a seizure. I was in complete agreement with them too. (All of this -- preeclampsia and seizures - runs in my family. We are really bad pregnant people.) Then my daughter's hear rate dropped ( it came right back up) but we used that as the excuse for the c-section, which I knew I would have because that is what we do in my family. We make big kids and have little pelvic openings. Sure enough, my daugher's head was stuck. She had a nice little ring around her head where she was stuffed in there. Nothing bad. I was exhausted, and excited all at the same time. It is the greatest moment in your like no matter how you get there!

With my son, I was in and out of the hospital a number of times. The nurses were mean several times, but after he was delivered (another c-section) and I got up and walked around. They all changed their tune. Once they realized I wasn't a whine baby they treated me better. With my son I had an entraped nerve, and was in a whole lot of pain. My doctor was the only one who seemed to understand this. The nurses didn't seem to get it. Compare to that the c-section and the post-op was easy. I just needed him out, but we waited until 39 weeks. His life was way more important than me being in pain.

One last story -- when my daughter was born the nurse came in and gave me a lecture about not staying in bed and getting up and walking. Standard C-section speech. She also told she had to know when I passed my bowels. All of this was delivered like I was an idiot. She turns to leave, and said, "ok, well I already had a bowel movement about 15 minutes ago." She stopped and looked at me. "I said, yes I have already been up, walked to the bathroom and gone. Anything else you want me to do?" She was stunned. That changed her tune. Understanding what they want from you and giving it to them makes a big different. In the nurses defense they are right, the long you stay in bed after a c-section the more it hurts. Getting up sooner is way better. With my daughter I was up in less than 12 hours, with my son I had to wait over 24. It hurt way worse with him.

Anyway, the point to this rambling message is: You don't know what is going to happen at the hospital. Take someone along to help you and talk to your doctor about your concerns. Beside, people being pushy or not nice, isn't what is is all about -- your finally going to meet your baby face to face. Focus on that, it is a wonderful magical moment, no matter how wild the ride. :-)

maybe you should try a different hospital....

Just editing after reading the other responses. The insurance company cannot refuse to pay if you leave AMA. Billing and payments are based on code systems. There is no code for leaving AMA.

I also can't believe that grown women think the hospital can force them to stay or to leave their baby at the hospital. Grown adults cannot be held hostage by health care providers. Nor can they take custody of your baby from you without court involvement. A health care provider and hospital are hired to provide a service for you. If a hair dresser required you to stay at the salon for a certain amount of time would you do it no matter what or would you question it?

First off, you should be prepared that inductions generally take much, much longer than natural labor. So be prepared that your stay would be longer to begin with.

The easy answer is no, of course they can't make you stay. You are an adult, you can sign out Against Medical Advice ("AMA") and do the same for your baby. The real issue with this is that some providers lose their common sense and try to control that by threatening to call social services or bullying you into staying. There is no evidence that staying longer helps keep you healthier or prevent complications.

The baby's screen for metabolic diseases has to be done at at least 24 hours of age (48 is preferable) so that would be something you would have to follow up with the doctor about. As a parent you have the right to refuse any and all procedures including eye ointment, vitamin K, and the newborn screen, but be prepared to get a lot of opposition and probably sign several forms. Although these procedures are mandated to health care providers to perform they can be refused by a patient or on behalf of a patient. Good luck.

Your baby has to stay for 24 hours. The pedi ususally checks the baby out once or twice during that time and will discharge her if everything is fine. YOU can leave when you are discharged by your dr.
Babies have to have hearing tests and regular jaundice checks, along with something else i can't remember within the first 24 hours.

I just had my baby in March. I made sure when the pedi came in the next morning, that we could leave ASAP. She said as soon as I was checked out and everything was set with the baby, we could go.

I agree that they can be very pushy. I had an emergency transport from a birthing center to the hospital for my last baby (5 years ago), and it seemed like they were wanting to do all sorts of things that I didn't want them to, and even played the guilt card on a couple things. That said, it really was kind of nice having someone bring me whatever I needed (drink, food, etc.) and not having to do it for myself.

I'm not sure if they REQUIRE it, however it will most certainly be tough to get them to let you leave early. I would just plan to be strong willed, and determined. Make sure that others in your 'support' network (e.g. spouse, friend, parent, doctor, etc), all know what you do and do not want. Also, make sure YOU know what you do and do not want for you and the baby, e.g. no pacifiers? immunizations? breast? bottle? nursery or bed-side? circumcision? and be strong, and try to ENJOY your hospital/new baby time! :)

My insurance covered me for 3 days and I stayed 3 days - was in on midnight on a tuesday and left around lunchtime on Friday. Believe me, you'll be GLAD to be there. What do you mean by "pushy"? For me, I was so freaking tired from being up for 24 hours, staying and having someone there to take care of me and make sure nothing was wrong was fine. They pretty much left me alone other than checking my vitals. If this is the same hospital you had your other babies at, maybe you can address the previous issues before you go in. If it's a different hospital, it may not even be an issue.

And make sure your dr is on the same page and understands that you would like to leave as soon as possible. They are usually the ones to release you. You don't have to do anything. If there are routine exams, etc they want to have done, you can always do them at the pediatricians office. If your baby is healthy and you are fine, you should be free to go. It's not normal procedure, so expect some resistance, but you can do it. Congrats!

Nope. they can't. I delivered at 6 AM and went home at 8 PM the same day.
You should talk to your provider about it beforehand and it may make a difference if you are induced or choose to have anesthesia (epidural), because of the side effects the drugs may have on you and the baby (I went all natural so this was not an issue).
The baby needs to be cleared for release by a pediatrician, so the staff needs to know to call one for the newborn exam.
I would have gone home earlier that day (my midwife cleared me for release at noon, before she went home), but our pediatrician didn't make it in until after his office hours. All the tests were done at our pedi's office when we took my duaghter in a few days later.
Ideally you would know that you don't want to stay overnight long in advance and choose your hospital and provider accordingly (I did). For me it was a non-issue and I did not have to sign any AMA forms, nobody gave me any grief either. I thought it was great, spending her first night AT HOME with her and we did not have ANY complications.
Good luck.

I don't know if they can force you to stay, but they can refuse to discharge the baby.

Anyone who says the baby has to be there 24 hours is wrong. I had my second son at 7.30 in the morning and had left the hospital by 6pm that day. We were monitored all day and the doctor was happy for me to go home with my baby. I did deliver in a natural birth unit, but it was within a major hospital (just down the hallway from their regular labor and delivery). We returned to the unit the following day as outpatients for a routine test and I preferred it that way, spending our first night with our baby at home.
Just make sure you are both monitored adequately so that you know it is safe for you to go home.
I'm really not sxure how it works when you're induced because of the drugs they have to give you. Do your homework before you go in.
Good luck :)

No, they can't make you stay. Most often it depends on your doctor not the hospital. It is normally the doctors deciding when a patient is discharged not the nurses or hospital administration. Talk to your doctor and your pediatrician and tell him/her what you want if medically possible. When I had my son, I went in around 8 pm at night and left the next day around 6:30 pm. So, no I didn't stay 24 hours but almost. I probably would have been able to go home even earlier but I was asleep one time the doctor came by so she came back again a few hours later. The pediatrician had been in twice to see the baby and had done the circumcision and said he was doing grea. She said I could go home if I wanted or I could stay in the hospital a few days if I wanted. She would make the necessary 'notations' for insurance reasons to pay for some extra days if that's what I felt I wanted and needed. I told her I wanted to go home, I felt I would be more comfortable and I was ~ my own bed, my own surroundings and nurses not coming in constantly.

Hospitals aren't jails... you can leave AMA (against medical advice) even if you've just been shot, set on fire, and are carrying your right arm in a backpack... as long as you can physically get yourself out. Another PERSON however, can't take a patient without specific legal documents. At that point the police can get involved.

I've worked in healthcare for years before having our son, and if you leave a hospital at any time before you are offically discharged it is call leaving "AMA"..(against medical advice). If you do that your insurance company will not pay your hospital bill. What's the big deal in staying 2 days? It's for the safety of you and your baby. Just relax and enjoy this time don't try to fight things you'll have plenty of time at home with your baby.

I am amazed that there are some moms here that think that the baby "has" to stay 24hrs and think that they "have" to consent to that! No you don't!

I've gone home in less than 24hrs more than once, never had a problem with it.
Sure, it's a good idea to check in with your pediatrician sooner after birth just so baby can get a once over.
With one of my babies I was grp B + and delivered her in less than 3hrs (induction), so they just barely got one bag of antibiotics in me during labor and that made the hospital staff paranoid. They told me that they would refuse to release the baby in less than 48hrs (for "observation", though she roomed in with me the whole time-go figure). Having not had grp B before and having had a friend who had recently lost her baby due to a grp B infection, the paranoia scared me enough to stay there for 2 full days. Otherwise, I would have called them on it and left earlier.

Unfortunately there are a lot of hospital staff that think they call all the shots, and some of them will hassle you about it. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and what you want, since you are the one hiring them for their services. Do be nice about getting things the way you want though.....I've found that sweet talking makes a heck of a difference when you dealing with obnoxious staff!

in many states,there is a law babies cannot leave until they have had certain examinations, for diseases such as phenylketonuria, and shots - for example Vitamin K. You could leave if you wanted to leave your baby - there is no guarantee they will get to your baby in a timely fashion if they had a great many babies born that day. I would call the hospital where you plan to deliver and ask about their procedures for newborns. I agree with other posters that your insurance may not pay if the dr doesn't agree to release you.

If you do not want to go to the hospital, maybe you can still get a midwife. I would not risk it, but I know people who have had great experiences. I had a last minute c-sect after being induced. I was glad to be at the hospital. My son stayed with us the whole time (minus testing and circumcision).Since I was nursing I also liked that the lactation consultant was there for me and helped me greatly. Maybe check on a different hospital.

No, they can't force you to stay. They recommend it just to make sure that there is nothing wrong with the baby and to make sure that you aren't bleeding too much after delivery, but if you really want to go home, you can sign a form; it's a release against medical advice.

You do not have to stay. When I get to hospital, I get induced and delivered a few hours later with my first and in 45 minutes with my other two. I am with you, I want to get out of there right away. I did tell the hospital that I wanted to go early and indeed I could but they would not release the baby for 24 hours. I wasn't willing to leave my babies there, in fact I won't even let my babies stay in the nursery and go with them for all testing. Needless to say, I have never actually checked out early for this reason.

It is painful to stick around but I ended up being happy I did with my third, as I had some complications that could have been life threatening had I not already been at the hospital.

I say just stick it out, it is such a tiny bit of time in the grand scheme of things. If you really don't like that option, then consider a home birth then you bypass it all together.

Good luck and congrats!

I was in the hospital for more than 24 hours due to being in labor so long but after the baby was born him and I left before he was 24 hours old. They can't force you or the baby to stay. {It would be unlawful imprisonment or being held hostage.}

I didn't stay the full 24 hours with my second. I had to sign a release from that stated I was leaving against medical advice that was all.

I believe the reason you stay for at least 24 hours after having a baby is that you are checked and the baby is checked every hour for the first 24 hours. I know of a lady who hemorrhaged after having a baby and nearly died...so I think being looked after for the first 24 hours is probably a good thing.

That being said, I went in with my children both times early Friday (12:30am-1am) morning and was released Saturday morning (around 8-10am).

I think ultimately if you pushed it you could leave before 24 hours but it might be possible they won't let your baby leave, for the welfare of the baby. But not sure about that.

My son was born in a hospital. We left before he was 24 hours old. We had to really be pushy and demand it though and keep on them because they dragged their feet to stretch things out as long as they could to keep us there. They would not let us leave without certain blood tests so we pushed and "reminded" until someone showed up to take the blood. We had to have an apt in place with the pediatrition the following day before they would let us leave. There were a couple other things. In the end we signed the AMA, proved that we had a "support system in place" (my husband, my parents and inlaws, a post partum doula and several friends so we had no shortage of competant adults to "help" etc) and went home. He was 7 hours old I believe, not much more that that. By comparison, my second 2 children were born in a freestanding birth center. They only require you to stay 6 hours for observation and so long as everything is going well you are free to go home. They have a midwife come to your home and you are required to have a pedatrition see them in the next 24-48 hours. In all cases my insurance paid the bills. With my first I hadn't slept in more than 48 hours, not a wink, and had barely ate a thing because they won't let you eat once you get there and I hadn't had anything since breakfast and the hospital food was practically non-existant (my son was born at 11 at night so nothing's open and no ones there basically). It was better for me all around that I was not there anymore. They can't force you.

You can ALWAYS leave against medical advice, but there are risks. You may have to sign a waver, and then if something bad does happen, the hospital doesn't have to readmit you and sometimes insurance doesn't have to cover it! I am not sure whether you can take the baby with you, though. A better plan (in my opinion) might be to ask your doctor to discharge you early if everything looks good, but s/he may or may not agree. Call your insurance company and read the waver carefully before you sign it. Make sure you know what you're getting into before you decide getting home is the most important thing.

I don't know if they can force you, but 24 hours is the minimum stay for a safe and healthy delivery. Typically they would prefer that you stay 48 hours, but I alway elected to stay just 24. I would have loved to leave sooner, but I had two boys and each one was circumcised, so they have to make sure they have a wet diaper first and that they are nursing just fine before they can leave. They also need to monitor the mother's recovery to make sure she is okay as well, check any stitches, make sure you are not passing huge clots, etc. Those things can be hard to check when you are at home. It is tiring and annoying being in the hospital, but definitely bring someone with you who can have pushy people back off. You're not terribly specific about what "pushy" is, but hopefully it is simply a matter of mannerisms and you can have someone else deal with that for you.

You need to take control at the hospital. Don't let them be pushy. Call them on it - if someone starts being pushy ask them why they are being that way. Really, whats the harm in asking why you are being treated that way - once you point it out they most likely will change their tune. I know when a stranger (checkout person, customer service) is rude to me I always ask one of two questions - "Are you having a bad day? or "Is there something I have done to offend you?" Almost always they change their attitude.

Also, regarding the nightly checks that keep you from sleeping - I had a nurse tell me to tell them not to come in after 10:00 and don't come in until 6:30 - she said I had the right to make that request. They didn't bother me all night and I had a good night's sleep.

Regarding leaving, call your insurance and ask them about their policy.

they just want to monitor your baby for that time period just for your baby's safety- and make sure your uterus is contracting and all that good stuff. If they make you stay just try to enjoy- have the nurses change the diapers and just enjoy watching some tv and snuggling your new baby.

Another thing to think about ...if you are using health insurance to cover the costs, they might decline to pay if you leave AMA. You might want to check into that. A friend's mother ran into that problem (it wasn't a maternity stay) but she did want to leave AMA.

I had my last baby at a birthing center. She was born at 9:49pm and I was out the door by lunch time the next day. If you want to leave earlier then I think that is the way to go with your next baby (if you have uncomplicated labor/deliveries.) I had my other babies in the hospital and I always ended up staying one night. I like the idea about asking the nurses to leave you alone during the middle of the night. That would have made the stay in the hospital so much nicer.

Of course you and your baby can leave when you want. I left the same day with my second child and we were fine. With the first I spent the night and was not comfortable I so preferred to go home with the second after the pediatrician checked her out. I would let the doctor and hospital know ahead of time what your wishes are. Don't argue, just state what you want. It would be helpful to have an advocate there also.

My daughter was born at 12:21am on a Friday, and I didn't get discharged until 1pm on Sunday. Because it was a Friday delivery, I was there for 3 whole days. I was ready to go home Sunday morning but had to wait on the rounding OB who was home with her son.

It used to be that women stayed 5 days to a week since pregnancy, labor and delivery are some of the most traumatic experiences. Insurance companies slowly began to stop reimbursing for that time and discharging early was a combination of improved medical care and reimbursement.

Check with the hospital, your insurance company and your state Department of Health to see if it's a state law. Personally, having had a major health crisis (cancer) after the birth of my 2nd child, I'd want to spend as much time being tended to by the medical staff as possible.

A friend was discharged and then readmitted 2 days later for extreme hypotension (low blood pressure). She had checked-out just fine, but her body couldn't get over the trauma quickly enough.

I asked one time why hospitals want to keep you at least 24 hours and one of the biggies, the nurse explained to me, was that with a newborn they can have problems that are very subtle and parents might miss. I was in different hospitals with both of my kids and they were just as nice as and as accommodating as they could be.

My insurance requires I stay 48 hrs, 72 for csections. There are several tests they do to make sure your baby is healthy. Some things might not show up right away. It's for your and your babies safety.

Yes they can make you stay. It is a precaution. Problems don't always arise right away but can take time to develop. Plus there are tests that have to be run that frankly take time. It is in your best interest to listen to the doctors and wait out the time they are telling you.

I agree that it's probably best that you stay the night- but make sure your treated the way you want to be. Most hospitals will let you go in ahead of time and meet with a member of the staff to get down on paper what your plan is, as well as contigency plans (i've delivered at 4 different hospitals, from small town to big city, this has never been an issue)
My last one took two days just to do the paperwork because the father and I weren't married yet and we wanted his name on the birth certificate.

Also, I was wondering what doctor would schedual an induction at midnight? Most of them have a specific day of the week that they schedual all of them so they can plan on being there the whole day......

I was in at 2:00 am, had baby #3 at 10:00 am and was out the door by 6:00 the same day. This is in Michigan and I had no one to watch my other children (they were in the room all the time with me.) I had to have a visiting nurse come out the next day to look over the baby.

Depends on the state; they cannot make you stay (or leave your baby) against your will unless they have a court order; the requirements for that will vary from state to state, but generally involve mental incapacity on your part. You are your baby's guardian, therefore you can make all decisions for your baby, unless you are incapacitated. Most hospitals will not bother to get a court order unless there is some grave concern - but it sounds like you wouldn't be trying to leave early in that case, either. I've left as little as 6 hours after my baby was born (love birth centers) and I'm the one who has caught that there was a concern with a couple of my newborns - not the medical attendants. Many people - nurses, especially - freak out and invent important sounding reasons off the cuff that you can't, if you want to break usual procedure, but you can, actually, leave. You are not a prisoner, you are there by your own choice.

If you go in at midnight instead of 11:59 you are charged for 1 day instead of 2. I've heard of this often. It's not for the DR. It's for the patient. As long as you leave by 11:59 they can't charge you for the next day. Most hospitals have a time they want you out by but they have to keep treating you until you leave. The hospital I delivered at called it "check-out time."
ok after reading many post let me just ask: What's the big deal, what's 1 more day after 9 (10) months?

You don't HAVE to, but if you leave against medical advise (or AMA) your insurance does not have to and likely will not cover the bill.

Don't leave AMA...insurance wont cover any of the costs. I would recommend staying atleast 24 hours. I work in the field and with my 3 kids I always stayed at least the 24 hours or close. They just want to make sure you and the baby are well, and the states tests (PKU) need to be done atleast 24 hours after delivery to be accurate, and jaundice sometimes comes back high in newbors without turning the baby yellow. I have also seen moms start bleeding very heavily the next day....or even have to be readmitted because of it. Talk to both your doctors about your options.

the baby has to be there for twenty four hours. YOU may be able to leave but you would have to leave your baby :( I would just stay one day.

Nope, they can't. As long as there are no complications, you should be able to have your doctor release you.

I was "outta there" early with my second child, but I later learned to regret that decision. It would have been nice to have been doted on by the nurses for another day or two... this was a nice hosptital, so they had the staff to do that.

Check in with your hospital and talk to your doctor about your wishes. Make sure they are noted on your chart so that everyone understands what you want before you go into labor. I also like the post that suggested a midwife for you. If it's not too late, you may want to look into that.

Hope your delivery goes smoothly! Congratulations on your new little one!

U have to stay in the hospital for 24 hours so they could monitor you and the baby it dosent matter if you or your baby are doind ok.Its the law

You may not want to stay but its better if you do. I also agree with insurance. They may not cover it if you leave early. Most hospitals shouldnt be pushy. I love the hospital i had my babies at and they do need to stay for all the screenings, etc. You dont know how your delivery will be or if there will be compications. It is better to stay and really make sure everything is good to go than leave early and get home and start bleeding or have something happen to your baby and end up back in the hospital for longer. Dont push it. Its only a day or 2. Better safe than sorry.

With my 2nd we were out within 24 hours, but not sure I could have gotten out any sooner- they really busted their butts to get everything in order for us and it was appreciated. We had a 16 month at home with family and we just didn't see the need to stay.
However my labor and delivery were perfect and the baby had zero issues, so they had no reason to keep us longer. But I think getting out under 24 hours can be hard just paperwork wise :)
Although I think the main reason is they need to make sure you have stopped bleeding from the birth and that the baby is ok. Getting you out too early without knowing all things are on track just isn't safe.

With my 1st there is no way we could have left early. She had some issues and if anything they almost kept us a third day.
So although you suspect an easy delivery and perfect baby you might want to prepare yourself for the what if's- even if they are minor.... Better to be safe and stay then sorry by leaving too early.
I would say it is reasonable to ask for 24 hours, but any sooner seems like a bit much. Hang in there and realize it is only one day and you will be home before you know it. Good luck

hospitals cannot make you do anything, if they did have some sort of policy like that you can still leave, they will just make you sign AMA (against medical advice) form. I signed one when i was pregnant

It does seem strange that you would go in at midnight to get induced.

The goal of any hospital is have a healthy mother and child. I think each situation is different but if you clearly communicate that you would like a minimal amount of time in the hospital, as long as you both are well, I can't see the hospital having a problem with that. I had a c section Friday late morning and early Sunday afternoon I was home. It was my 3rd c section so I knew how to be careful and I was not in any pain. My OBGYN convinced me that I was in doing really great. The other two operations I stayed five days each.

With that said, my baby had jaundice and on Tuesday she was readmitted to be under the lights. To be honest with you, even though they allowed me to stay with her over night, I would have been happier to have never been released originally. The back and forth, the stress of her condition, etc... maybe her jaundice would not have been so bad if we had stayed....

So just make sure that your newborn is really healthy before you depart. One or two uncomfortable night with over caring nurses, even if it costs you out of pocket, is worth your child's well being.

I also would not focus on the amount of time you are spending in the hospital. You are assuming a smooth delivery (and I hope you have one) but if you get your mind set stuck in one scenerio, you may be disappointed.