Baby taken away to nursery

Baby G

New member
Hi Everyone, I'm new to this and to motherhood too so I'm trying to get as much info as possible.

I have heard that in some hospitals, your baby is taken away from you after birth and put in a baby nursery for 5 days. Only you are permitted to visit the nursery for feeding. ie, the father isn't permitted to see the baby. Is this true? Has anyone experienced this?
 
This is true in Union Hospital, unless you are staying in a private room. However, once a day, fathers are allowed to visit their babies inside the nursery room.
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Hi baby G, yes this is true of private hospitals that cater to a mainly local/mainland client base AS they have found that most mothers wish to rest after birth so provide a service where they care for, bathe, feed the newborn. It is not true of hospitals catering to the expat clients as their research indicates their client base prefers rooming in with mum doing everything. No right or wrong, just choose the hospital which would cater best to your needs. Canossa, I'm not too sure about as I've only ever had one friend give birth there but I think from memory it's more hybrid from 2 extremes. Hope this helps.
 
i think st. theresa's is like that, too.

if you are thinking about matilda or canossa, you don't have to worry about that at all.
 
No problem at Canossa, but you have to tell them to bring your baby back to your room. I naturally thought they would bring my baby to my room after birth, but after an hour, my husband asked where he was and they said he was at the nursery. We had to tell them that I wanted room in, and insist as they wanted me to get some rest... I find it easier to get some rest with the baby room in than at the nursery, as they would come every 2 hours to feed the baby, then for the temperature, then for the blood pressure, then for the food, then to tell you to get some rest.... !!
 
Baby G -- At Matilda you aren't required to have the baby in the nursery at all, if you don't want to. The nurses are great and will encourage you to send the baby in on the first night, as you will need your sleep. They will then bring him/her to you through the night for breastfeeding, take the baby back to the nursery and change the diaper etc.

With my first, I was reluctant to let him go to the nursery at all, but it was a lifesaver on that first night. I then had the baby with me for the rest of my time in the hospital. With my second, I was a little more relaxed and actually asked them to take the baby to the nursery on the second night too! I knew that this was my chance to get real rest so that I could be energized for both of my kids!
 
just to clarify....At Matilda, we are talking about the night only. Both of my kids were born in the morning, so they were with me for the whole day until 19/0pm-ish. I wasn't separated from them after delivery except for 15 minutes or so (more than an hour later) when they go to be weighed and measured. Even then, the husband goes with the baby and the nurse.
 
Can I just add that I worked for a very lovely couple who had their baby at the Sanatorium and the nurses were quite keen to keep the baby in the nursery for the first few hours. I got a little protective of the mum because I was there to help her get the breastfeeding started on the right track and enjoy those precious moments, I encouraged the father to demand that they bring the baby back unless there was a specific medical reason why the baby should not be with her parents and, in which case, could they inform the parents of the babys condition! This done, the baby was brought back very quickly and the family was reunited for many hours of much needed cuddles! Why I say this is because if you have the support from your husband/family then they can be there to back you up when you might be feeling a little tired and tell the staff that you want your baby with you. After all, he/she is YOUR baby not the hospitals!

Best of luck at such a lovely, joyful time
 
Just to add, at Matilda, it doesn't matter which class ward you're in. You are entitled to keep your baby with you throughout your entire stay 24/7. I don't think other private hospitals allow you to do that in a shared ward.
 
I gave birth recently at the Prince of Wales. There policy is to room in - day and night where possible though the first night my baby stayed in the nursery and was brought in for feeding. These are all shared wards of course.
 
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