Going Home

Leaving the Hospital

Your physician/midwife will discuss with you when you will be going home. Following a vaginal birth, patients usually will go home in 48 hours. Following a Cesarean birth, patients customarily go home in 96 hours. Written discharge instructions are provided to you to help you care for yourself and your newborn. If you have questions or concerns, please call 781-624-3450 to speak with a maternity nurse or 781-624-8602 to speak with a lactation consultant. If you and your infant are medically stable and you and your care provider decide that early discharge is appropriate, an early maternity discharge home visit will be offered to you. For information about home care options, please call South Shore Visiting Nurse Association at 781-849-1710.

Infant Car Seats

Massachusetts law requires that all babies be transported in an approved safety seat. Infant car seats are to be secured in the back seat of your vehicle, facing the rear. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for newborn installation and adjustments. Plan ahead as your child safety seat should be properly installed before you go home from the hospital. Please have this done before your day of discharge. Familiarize yourself with the car seat.

Websites for car seat information and locations where certified car seat technicians are available are:

American Academy of Pediatrics, www.aap.org, keyword “car seat;”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, www.nhtsa.gov.

Satisfaction Surveys

After returning home from the hospital, you will receive a questionnaire asking about your care and our services. Please take a moment to complete and return it so we may continue to serve you better. If you feel comfortable doing so, please identify your health care provider and nurses on the survey.

Quality Service

At South Shore Hospital, our family-centered care is the primary reason why we’ve become the region’s choice for maternal care. Our maternity team welcomes questions and comments from patients, their families, and visitors. Comments are used as opportunities to enhance our services. If your needs are not being met to your satisfaction at any time while you are here, please let your nurse know immediately so that we can work to better meet your expectations.