[MattLaroche]

I hear it.

For our first child, for the first 24 hours or so postpartum, my wife and child both needed something checked every couple hours.

Our overnight nurse said something like "I'll be doing your wife's checks at midnight and 2am, and your baby's at 1am and 3am". When I asked if my wife and child could be checked in the same entries, it turned out they could. I was surprised the hospital didn't do it by default that way for less time sensitive checks.

[cknoxrun]

Did you have your child in the US? If so I am curious, do the nurses come and visit your home the next day and a week after? I live in Canada and was very surprised when they came to check on the baby and my wife the next day, looking for jaundice, bleeding, etc. I'm genuinely curious if that is covered by insurance in the US?

[DFHippie]

I've been in the hospital without insurance. They bill you for gratuitous stuff regardless of whether you have insurance. They don't mention that there will be a bill when they ask if you want your newborn's hearing checked or if you want to try the experimental sap-based wound sealer they happen to have (both things that actually happened). They seem kind and polite. Then they bill you. One doctor looks over another's shoulder for five minutes. They each bill you.

This is in the US, mind you. In fact, both stays were in Nashville, TN, in the early 2000s.

[tuckermi]

I would guess it depends on the specific circumstance as well as the insurer. With that said, I'm not the GP (but am based in the US), but in our case the hospital arranged for a visiting nurse to do a check in the next day and it was covered by our insurance.

[MattLaroche]

Sorry for missing this, I don't check HN every day!

Both medical systems that we had children with (in SF) do not do in-home followups, at least not for us. We had to go back the day after discharge for both of our children (for bilirubin draws). Would be nice so soon postpartum to have in-home visits.