[Experiences with the early discharge of mother and child following hospital delivery].

During the past five decades the number of hospital deliveries has increased to such an extent that today only about 1% of all births in the Federal Republic of Germany take place outside the hospital. Parallel to this development there has been an improvement in the mortality and morbidity rate. Psychological factors in obstetrics have partially disappeared. Intensive management of obstetrics with apparatus has today become the object of public discussion. As a background to this over the past few years a small percentage of women have expressed the desire to have a house delivery. The early discharging of mother and child after hospital delivery is a compromise between delivery in hospital and delivery at home. This study contains numerical material, giving an evaluation of early discharging after hospital delivery as well as the risks and advantages of this procedure. The study covers 157 women who were delivered at the Women's Hospital Neukölln from 1979 to 1981 and who were discharged early, as well as a control group of 80 women, who had a lying-in period in the hospital. The obstetrical data and also the assessments and experiences of the women are compiled in the form of a questionnaire. In our Hospital during the period reported, the so-called "out-patient delivery" was made on 2% of the patients. According to the opinions expressed in the literature, 5-10% of women are able to make use of the early discharge after hospital delivery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)