Most of the medical insurance companies here seem to have agreements with the private hospitals for an approved length of stay for specified conditions. If the patient leaves early, the hospital benefits, if the patient stays longer, the hospital loses. Of course if there are complicating factors, approval may be given for longer stays. I keep trying to tell the charge nurse that we doctors should be able to bank days, so that if our patients leave early we can have credit for others who need to stay longer, but no one has taken me up on it LOL.

I think most mothers check out within a day here. For mine, 30 years ago (+-), it was less than 12 hours in hospital for each. I was super healthy and anxious to go home and take full charge of my baby, but being pampered might have been nice, too.