[The course of postpartum period after mandatory ambulatory labor]

Mandatory early discharge for all normal multiparae was introduced as a trial arrangement in the County of Ringkøbing from 1.1.1990. A total of 113 early discharged women and 90 patients who remained in hospital participated in a questionnaire investigation comprising 41 questions about problems and need for support during the first postpartum period and about satisfaction with the postpartum period. A total of 64% of all the multiparae were early discharged and were discharged 4.2 hours after the delivery. On the whole, the women were satisfied with the postpartum period and only few problems in infants or mothers occurred. The early discharged group, however, as compared with the control group, stated that they had received less satisfactory support concerning breast-feeding (p less than 0.005) and that, in general, they had received less support from friends (p less than 0.01) and hospital staff (p = 0.04). The group of early discharged felt that they had received less satisfactory information (p less than 0.005) and, on the whole, they were less satisfied with the postpartum period (p less than 0.005). In addition, the group who were early discharged had 67% more telephone conversations with and 127% more visits from the midwife, health nurse or practitioner.