Discover the absolute best way to get critical answers about the rules of the maternity ward.
“I have to leave, like right now?”
Just recently, my buddy was soaking up the experience of having his first child, when he was asked to leave the maternity ward.
The nurse was kind enough to let him stay an extra fifteen minutes, but he had to return home and wasn’t allowed back to see his wife and baby until the next morning.
I experienced both sides of this coin when my kids were born, as I was allowed to stay overnight when my daughter was born, but I was booted out of my wife’s room by 10 PM the day my son was born.
With my daughter, it was a normal birth and my wife had a private room in the maternity ward with a bed for visitors.
Well, bed would be too kind a word!
The “bed” in her room designated for unlucky dads like me, was basically a slightly padded bench straight out of Alcatraz. I would have had a better night’s sleep if I threw my pillow on the floor and dozed off, but waking up and looking like Quasimodo was all part of the experience!
My son was born by c-section, and unfortunately, they didn’t have any private rooms in the recovery ward.
I was initially upset I couldn’t just sleep in a chair overnight and be with my wife and newborn son.
However, when the woman my wife shared a room with kept complaining that her vagina now looked like “bloody roast beef”, I no longer minded going home to get a good night’s rest!
Despite my good fortunate to get away from the Roast Beef Queen, both my buddy and I were definitely caught off guard when we were asked to take off.
The best way to find out about the overnight rules for dads
Having a baby is overwhelming, especially for a first-time dad.
There is a dizzying array of things to do before your kid pops out into the world, so it’s easy to miss out on some of the small, but important details.
Unfortunately, many expectant parents are unaware that most hospitals provide free tours of their maternity wards.
Therefore, I would encourage you to setup a visit for you and your partner to get familiar with how the birthing process works at your chosen hospital.
Visiting the maternity ward where my kids were born, made things a lot less stressful when the big day rolled around.
It helped give me a sense of familiarity with the layout of the hospital, what the rooms looked like, and the special rules I had to be aware of.
I even got introduced to several nurses, so I was able to recognize a few friendly faces when we came in for the real show!
When you are visiting, don’t be afraid to ask questions and get clarification on any issues that you are concerned about.
During the tour be sure to ask the following questions:
- What are the rules for dads staying overnight?
- Are there after hour entrances?
- How will my partner be put through the triage evaluation?
- How does my partner pre-register before birth?
- How many visitors are allowed in the birthing room?
Ultimately, if you will be allowed to stay overnight will depend on each hospital and your chances are usually better if your partner has a private room.Be sure to check with your health insurance company ahead of time and see what kind of maternity rooms they will cover for your partner. Many plans will only cover semi-private rooms, and the deluxe/private rooms can be an out-of-pocket expense.
