Another issue that you should give some thought to is who you wish to visit during your hospital stay. Depending on the state you live in, what type of delivery you have, and the policies of the hospital you deliver at, you (and your baby) could be in the hospital anywhere to twenty four hours to three or more days. So, you will have some time for visitors.

Even though I was planning an open adoption, I felt this need to have many friends and family members come to the hospital. I almost felt like it was their only chance to see him. Probably just my hormones raging but needless to say I had a very steady stream of visitors over the three day course of my hospital stay. I also let S. and A.’s friends and family come into my hospital room to meet the baby. So there were tons of people in and out of the room and I didn’t have a whole lot of resting time or one on one time with Charlie.

Some hospitals have strict policies on the times visitors can come to see you and the number of visitors you can have in the room at one time. Unfortunately, the hospital I delivered at did not enforce these rules at all.

Allowing this steady stream of visitors is one of my regrets. I wish that I had used my hospital stay as a time to spend as much time as possible with Charlie. He was almost always in the room with me but at any given time, there might have been anywhere from two to six additional people in the room as well. But what can I do about it now? Absolutely nothing, but share my regret with others so that they may give a little more thought to this issue.

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Other Posts in this Series:
Hospital Series Introduction
Labor Support Person
Creating a Birth Plan