Bringing baby home without a capsule
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Forum Name: Pregnancy
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42177
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Topic: Bringing baby home without a capsule
Posted By: Caro07
Subject: Bringing baby home without a capsule
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 6:29pm
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Has anyone done this and what are the logistics?
We plan to have a rear-facing Radian carseat so not really a seat you can take in and out of the car. When I had DS2 I know we had to bring the capsule up to the ward and strap him in and were then escorted out and supervised putting the capsule into the car. When I had DS2 he wasn't allowed out of the hospital room unless he was in the bassinett. You weren't allowed to carry them around the ward. What have other people done? The only other option I can think of is to ask DH to bring in the pram and push him out in that. I'll probably give ChCh Womens a ring and ask but I thought I'd see if anyone had any experience here first. Thanks in advance  ------------- Caroline, SAHM to 2 boys, S (4 years old) and J (2 years old) 
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Replies:
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 7:16pm
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We didn't have a capsule with #1, we had to take the whole carseat into the delivery unit. It seemed a bit ridiculous to me, and my midwife agreed it would have been just as good for her to escort us to the car to check we had a legal carseat but she was bound by hospital policy. This is 9 years ago now tho, hopefully things have changed!
-------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: shellgirl
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 7:56pm
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Wow, I'm glad I didn't have my babies in Christchurch. No such rules in Wellington. My midwife just asked if we had a carseat but we didn't get escorted to the car. And I think if anyone told me I couldn't carry my own baby out of my room I would have told them otherwise. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: J&Ls mum
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 9:37pm
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No one checked when we took DD home from CHCH womens. ------------- J - born 26th April 2008 and L - born 3rd Sept 2010 http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 09 June 2012 at 10:22pm
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I'd say it's my baby and I'll carry it out if I want to!!!! I can understand perhaps them wanting to make sure you have a carseat, but not putting rules on how you transport your baby TO the car!!! -------------   
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Posted By: Bky
Date Posted: 10 June 2012 at 9:35am
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We had ours at ChCh womens in 2010 and there was no issue with carrying her down and putting her in the carseat installed in the car. They told us to bring the carseat up to get it warm during labour (but stuff ended up happening and I had to stay for a few days), but DH just blasted the heat in the car when he brought it around. No one checked at all. It was no issue. ------------- 7/2010, 10/2012 and 1/2015 |
Posted By: Caro07
Date Posted: 10 June 2012 at 10:34am
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That is good news then. I didn't really question the rules TBH, just accepted them for what they were. I think the not carrying your baby outside of the room was a security measure to ensure people couldn't just walk off the ward carrying a baby.
Thanks for your help. ------------- Caroline, SAHM to 2 boys, S (4 years old) and J (2 years old)
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Posted By: catisla
Date Posted: 10 June 2012 at 6:18pm
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That seems a bit of a daft rule to me. Assumes everyone owns a car for a start! ------------- |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 10 June 2012 at 10:26pm
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Is it because you have to transfer a newborn baby to a follow up birth place?
With #2 I never got asked, but also got down to the car to discover DH hadn't installed it! Good one Daddy! ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 1:04pm
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I was told you cant walk out of your room holiding baby cos there are trolleys, busy burses etc always rushing about and baby could get knocked from your arms. You could take a wrap/sling/carrier to walk baby from the hospital to car. Ask your midwife now what the rules are for the hoslpiatl you are birthing at so u dont come acrross probl;ems at the time, sounds like the rules vary a lot.
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Posted By: Vic123
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 2:51pm
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As a non-car owner I can see getting our newborn home is going to be a problem.
Has anyone else encountered this? |
Posted By: efaith
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 3:56pm
| Not at North Shore, I'm sure they asked us how we were getting home and if we had a car seat but we must've carried him because the carseat was fixed in the car. But that was nearly 5 years ago! This time we'll probably leave the capsules in the car and carry the babies too because we have 2 to lug about. |
Posted By: snapdragon_77
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 6:16pm
| I don't have a capsule, mainly because I felt they were too tempting to just leave the baby instead of putting them to bed properly in a cot and getting them used to sleeping there etc. Anyway, the midwife on duty (I was at Auckland City Hospital) looked surprised when I said I didn't have one but didn't try to stop me - I just carried him out. It seems a bit ridiculous for staff to try and stop you in case the baby gets knocked out of your arms - honestly, how often does that happen?! Why aren't pregnant women taken everywhere in wheelchairs in case they get knocked down/fall? It's the same principle if you ask me! I suggest that, if anyone questions you, you tell them there is no legal requirement for you to have a capsule (only an infant restraint actually IN THE CAR) and you will take responsibility for any incident that may happen. You will probably find some midwives better than others - some hospital midwives are very bossy and work to their own rules, and you need to stand up for yourself!! |
Posted By: kelzie_rose
Date Posted: 11 June 2012 at 11:03pm
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We didn't have a capsule, we had a carseat. We were told we'd be escorted down to car but we weren't.
ETA: We carried bubs. -------------  Started TTC Apr 2008 With PCOS and a bicornuate uterus Our angel babies Jan 2010 <3 Oct 2010 <3 Apr 2011 <3 |
Posted By: LuckyRed
Date Posted: 12 June 2012 at 11:50am
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ChCh Womens does seem quite strict on this, it was mentioned in our AN class that we had to bring the capsule/car seat in with us and it's also in the letter I had from the hospital. Not sure how strict it is in reality though. -------------  
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Posted By: MrsH
Date Posted: 13 June 2012 at 9:21pm
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What the heck? Seems so ridiculous that you'd have to bring a carseat in with you!! So what happens? Bring the car seat in, put bubs in, walk out, take bubs out, put car seat in car, put bubs back in car seat? Sounds like they're creating room for error there. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: fallen
Date Posted: 15 June 2012 at 12:59pm
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DD1 - the midwife escorted us out to the car to check that we had a carseat and were using it appropriately.
DS - no mention of a carseat. DD2 - the midwife wanted DH to go and get our carseat out of the car to show them. I refused as it had been installed by a plunket car seat person and we had DS 'visiting' other rooms up the corridor so it was best we just left asap. In the end the ward manager made me sign something saying we had a carseat and the hospital was not liable if we didn't use it. ------------- |
Posted By: BessieBear
Date Posted: 16 June 2012 at 12:05pm
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Wow! We had a capsule for DS and DD but weren't escorted from the building. With DS3 we had a radian and so I carried hi out tot he car but till weren't asked about seats etc. However poor DS hates the radian screams hs little heart out so we are borrowing a capsule til hes a bit bigger and doesn't seem so swamped in the radian.
------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel 07/08/2014
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Posted By: LG
Date Posted: 23 June 2012 at 1:32pm
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We had to take the capsule in with both girls and they checked that they were in properly both times too. Not being able to carry them wasnt mentioned though -------------  Angel Baby Aug '12, Feb '13 |
Posted By: MrsJMcD
Date Posted: 23 June 2012 at 10:35pm
| we had a crseat rather than a capsule and when we transferred from Wellington hospital to the Kapiti unit I asked if someone needed to check our carseat and they didn't seem care...we just carried DS out (I made DH do it as I was worried I was too tired and would drop him - it's a fair walk to the ends of the carpark). This wqas 18 months ago and they were very busy so maybe at a quieter time it would be different? |
Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 24 June 2012 at 7:09pm
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I was told a year ago i wasnt allowed to carry my baby around outside of the room or to the car because if there was a incident on hospital grounds they could be held at fault. -------------  
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Posted By: Mrs Mac
Date Posted: 25 June 2012 at 7:52pm
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At Middlemore Hospital the nurse in charge of my room said we had to show her our carseat before I could be checked out. I said Plunket had fixed it into the car as it was a fixed carseat not a capsule. She looked really surprised, but let us go to transfer to Botany Maternity. When I checked out of Botany the midwife made sure our carseat was safely installed before we could go. -------------   Jan '13
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