The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that the health and well-being of new moms and their babies should take precedence over financial considerations.
The AAP policy has established the minimum criteria for early discharge of a mother and her baby. These guidelines include term delivery, appropriate growth, and normal physical examination, and state that it is unlikely that all of these criteria can be met in less than 48 hours.
Prior to making the decision about when to go home, you and your doctor need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully.
Dr. Kristi Watterberg discusses the considerations surrounding being discharged from the hospital after you've given birth, as well as what you need to know about your newborn's health and well-being before either of you leave the hospital.
Selected Podcast
Mom & Baby: Leaving the Hospital Too Soon?
Featuring:
Dr. Kristi Watterberg is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico. She served as Chief of the Division of Neonatology from 2006–2011, and is now the Director of the UNM Signature Program in Child Health Research. Dr. Watterberg has received federal funding for more than 20 years for her observational and interventional studies exploring the relationships between prenatal and postnatal inflammation, adrenal function, and the development of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (chronic lung disease in premature infants). Dr. Watterberg is the Principal Investigator at New Mexico for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network (5U10 HD053089), which has multiple ongoing observational and interventional studies, and she was recently awarded a grant from NIH to study adrenal function at age six in children born extremely preterm (NHLBI R01 HL117764-01A1). Author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Watterberg serves on NIH peer review panels, is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society, and is chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn (2013–2017).
Kristi Watterberg, MD
Dr. Kristi Watterberg is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico. She served as Chief of the Division of Neonatology from 2006–2011, and is now the Director of the UNM Signature Program in Child Health Research. Dr. Watterberg has received federal funding for more than 20 years for her observational and interventional studies exploring the relationships between prenatal and postnatal inflammation, adrenal function, and the development of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (chronic lung disease in premature infants). Dr. Watterberg is the Principal Investigator at New Mexico for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network (5U10 HD053089), which has multiple ongoing observational and interventional studies, and she was recently awarded a grant from NIH to study adrenal function at age six in children born extremely preterm (NHLBI R01 HL117764-01A1). Author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Watterberg serves on NIH peer review panels, is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society, and is chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn (2013–2017).