What happens to my baby once labour is over?

[DuelingFanjo]

I have tried to search this on Google but not had much luck. What I wonder is once the baby is out what procedures do they go through and when?

I want skin to skin immediately but wondered - they suck gunge from nostrils, weigh, clamp etc(assuming baby is not in any distress) When does all this happen? What should I expect?

thanks stark

I have 6 weeks and am trying to get hold of the hypno-birthing CDs - I have the book.

I know that all this preparation might go right out the window but I am really hoping that being informed about it all will help me. My mum always says she came across so many people in her job as a social worker who would have operations and just not prepare at all or know anything about what they were having done!

I am remarkably (maybe stupidly) unafraid of the labour at the moment, I figure that the baby must come out one way or another and I will just have to get through it the best way I can. Seeing the MLU last week really made me feel a lot better about what can go wrong and having more faith in the midwives to help me through it. :)

Good thing not to be afraid of labour - you'll be fine and the baby will come out one way or another as you say. Have ideas about how you would like it to go, but keep an open mind until you are actually there and doing it for real, as to what you want.

If it's painful, you can take drugs - no prizes for suffering!

When my DD came out, I gave a last push to get her body out, she slipped out into mw's towel which she had in her hands, mw gave her body a little rub while passing her to me and she was skin to skin on my chest for a while with the towel over the top of her. She went pink very quickly and cried very quickly, and within a few mins was getting her chompers on my boobs!

I actually don't remember the cord being clamped or cut; think it happened very quickly - I was so busy looking at DD's little hands and little pink lips, and at DH sobbing, (bless!).

I guess they must have sewed me up downstairs (had episiotomy) while I was holding DD in one arm and munching toast, chatting to the Registrar sitting between doing the stitching (had epidural so cdn't feel a thing). Don't remember anything about the third stage either though did get a look at my placenta. I think once baby's in your arms (and you have TOAST!!) the rest of it just passes by in a whirl without you noticing.

After a while DH held DD and then the mw took her off for weighing (same room) and a clean up, and DH put her first nappy on and first sleepsuit (it was so sweet - he was so so gentle and nervous with her, it took him about 20 mins to put one bodysuit and hat on!)

Duelling

The other thing about b'feeding is that a huge amount depends on the baby - some babies just go for it and get it straight away, others are less interested in feeding.

My DD just took to it like a duck to water without me really doing anything - we were very lucky indeed.

What I am trying to say is that bfeeding may not necessarily be a nightmare.

Best advice was given to me by the 2nd time mum in the bed next to me on the post natal ward. I was wondering whether to leave DD in her plastic cot - this mum said - just close your curtains, pick her up, and sleep with her on your chest, skin to skin. Worked a treat.

Basically in those first early days just keep your baby's cheek in contact with your chest, skin to skin as much as you possibly can. You can sleep with them on your chest, you don't have to put them in the plastic cot!

Good idea to be thinking about this dueling as we got in a right muddle when dc3 was born in June. I gave birth kneeling and leaning on the sofa and so dc3 couldn't be plopped wet onto my chest as the other 2 had been. So the mw passed her round to me, I was feeling wobbly after a 5 min 2nd stage, the cord wasn't really long enough and she was ever so slippery. In the end I gave her to DH as soon as the cord was cut. Now if I had wanted the cord not to be cut at that stage I'd have had to turn round quick before I was handed the baby.Don't get too worried if baby doesn't latch on straight away, dc1 was in scubu and not bf til day 5 and still was a happy little bfer.

I had natural 3rd stage and immediate skin to skin. DD wasn't weighed or dressed until about 2 hours after birth

A little tip for establishing breastfeeding is a cute little phrase I heard when I was pregnant "the baby's natural habitat is its mother's body".

My ds was delivered by forceps, plonked on my chest briefly (I was numb from the chest down though!), whisked off to the corner of the room to be checked over by a paed, then wrapped up and put back on my chest while they pulled the placenta out and stitched me up.

I was completely fucked after the birth though, hadn't slept for days and felt sick and shakey. I refused to breastfeed him and went to sleep. The midwife expressed colostrum from me and DP did skin to skin and syringe fed the baby.

I don't think ds latched on to me until he was about 12 hours old, and we struggled with it for the first day. But after that it was fine and I havne't had any problems. A rocky start doesn't mean disaster.

ohhh this thread is making me so broody and my son is only a few weeks old!