[Ambulatory labor--experience from the first 2 years].

A trial arrangement for mandatory early discharge for all normal multiparae in 1990 and 1991 was evaluated. 63.4 percent of 1661 multiparous women were discharged within 24 hours of giving birth. During the period the mean time to discharge rose from 6 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours. Only 2.6 per cent of the children were readmitted to hospital, as were 1.2 percent of the mothers. The purpose of the trial was to save money, but in the trial period no money was saved from the early discharged women, the savings came from deductions in the perinatal service to the non-early discharged women.