Most hospitals will discharge you and your baby within 48 hours  if you had a vaginal delivery and 3 to 5 days if you had a c-section. If you had your baby in a birthing center, you may be able to go home within  24 hours. You may stay longer if you or your baby are unwell. The fact that the baby is healthy and you feel well doesn’t mean that you have to be discharged within 48 hours of delivery.
 

 
The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that the well being of the baby and mother is more important than anything else . However, the discharge of mother and baby should be done on a case to case basis.

Prior to making this decision, the doctor weighs the advantages and disadvantages carefully. Some women may just dislike  staying at hospital. They feel more comfortable at home and may want to leave the hospital as soon as they and their babies are considered healthy and ready to leave the hospital. Short stays at the hospital also saves them and their insurance companies money.

However, many new moms do not get much rest at home especially if they have older children. They also can’t get the valuable support that health care professionals like nurses and lactation consultants have to offer at the hospital during the first days of breastfeeding and baby care.  Discuss your options with your doctor or midwife.

Postnatal checkup after delivery

 
If you had a vaginal delivery, your health care professional will check the following before you leave the hospital

• you can  be able to urinate
• uterus have started  contracting to the right size and position
•  your perineal tears are starting to  healing
•  check your vitals such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure

If you had a cesarean, you health care professional will look out for the following before you are discharged

• you can urinate without a catheter
• you can walk to the bathroom
• eat and drink without being sick
• your incision is ok

If a newborn leaves the hospital early, he should be seen by a doctor within 24 or 48 hours of discharge. He should receive all the appropriate newborn tests such as hearing screen. You should  also contact  your baby’s doctor if he

• has  a fever
• has difficulty eating
• is vomiting
• has jaundice

 
You should also make sure that before you leave the hospital, your home and car are well equipped  for your newborn. Your car seat should

• be federally approved
• appropraite  for the child’s size
• correctly installed rear facing in the back seat of the car

 
You can have the car seat  installation checked by a certified child passenger safety technician to ensure that you have done it right.

At home you have to make sure you have clothes and blankets to keep to the baby warm, a safe place for baby to sleep and  enough diaper and formula supply.
 
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