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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Post birth skin to skin

28 replies

houmousandcarrotsandwich · 11/12/2009 13:33

I'm 38 weeks and had the health visitor out to meet me today. She kept going on about baby being delivered on to me, and how she felt that initial skin to skin was essential for breastfeeding.

Me and DH were planning on having baby delivered, cleaned and checked over before having some time alone/skin to skin/ try breast feeding. Health visitor wasn't too impressed by this!

Will it really matter if baby is checked over and cleaned up abit before? DH is abit squeamish about blood and I just want to know that baby is ok.

Any thoughts would be taken on board!
Thanks

OP posts:

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rubyslippers · 11/12/2009 13:35

you can specify if you want baby put straight on to you or not

they will check the baby quickly and wrap them up a wee bit so he/she will be looking less "icky"

with DD they gave her a rub and wrapped her up in a towel and i had an hour of skin to skin before she was weighed and measured and finally dressed

was bliss

MarsLady · 11/12/2009 13:36

There's less blood than you think. They can check the baby whilst you hold it. Skin to skin is really good for both of you. Why not wait until you've had the baby to see how you feel? It may well be that once the baby's born you won't want anyone holding him/her other than you.

Diselfchanted3 · 11/12/2009 13:36

most babies don't need 'checking over'

All 3 of mine have been placed straight onto my tiummy then I was given a blanket to cover them whilst we cuddle, the midwife then gets on with sorting you and the placenta out.

Non of my babies had blood on them AFAICR.

LoveBeingAMummyKissingSanta · 11/12/2009 13:36

If you want the baby cleaned then hats what will be done, however I don't really think thta when it comes to it will bother either of you.

Diselfchanted3 · 11/12/2009 13:38

My first 2 were very clean babies, DD was covered in vernix and very sticky, DH was like 'ewww'

Dlamis · 11/12/2009 13:39

Regardless of what you decide to do, skin to skin is NOT essential to breastfeeding as thousands of mothers who didn't or couldn't have immediate skin to skin will testify. HV is talking rubbish

Buddleja · 11/12/2009 13:39

Some people can be icked out by all the gloop and I have one friend that feels guilty that she felt that because her DD was put on her without being cleaned ut'd have been better for her if she'd be cleaned first.

I'd of loved it but bother my DSs were in ICU for the first while and we didn't get skin to skin until day 3 (and I still breastfed!)

Diselfchanted3 · 11/12/2009 13:41

very mucky DD, only seconds old

bluefootedpenguin · 11/12/2009 13:42

My DH is really bad with blood to the point where he almost passed out during his own blood test. I had DD in a pool and we had agreed beforehand that if he needed to leave he should. He was fine and when DD was born the cord had to be cut quite quickly as it was very short. While the placenta was delivered, DD was placed on my DH's chest so her first real skin to skin was with him, very clean without any cleaning up. Completely unexpected but the pictures of him say it all. He will remember it forever.

rubyslippers · 11/12/2009 13:44

skin to skin DOES help breastfeeding

it also helps regulate breathing and body temperature of a newborn

no - it isn't "essential" but it is hugely beneficial in lots of ways

it can also reduce crying

i don't think the HV was talking rubbish

rubyslippers · 11/12/2009 13:45

this is really interesting

sunshiney · 11/12/2009 14:27

haven't read the whole thread so i might be repeating someone else here, but my opinion is that once you've gone through the process of giving birth you will just want to get your hands on your baby ick or no ick. a bit of blood will not bother you or your DH in the slightest.

good luck with the birth! :-)

joanne34 · 11/12/2009 17:03

My DS was literally slapped onto my belly straight away in blanket, I wanted him, warts and all ! I fed him straight away, while she was doing the placenta bit and cleaning up, once he was fed she then bathed him and dressed him and put him in the crib.

He was already asleep Perfect.

I dont think you really care about the ick, after the birth, you just want that little sole you made in your arms

gorge2003 · 12/12/2009 13:03

when i had ds (3.5 years) he was taken straight over to the machine as he needed oxygen for 5 mins cos he was a bit blue and not breathing brillantly...i feel this compromised our bonding

dd (14 weeks) she was put straight onto me, bit icky but i didnt care, thought i would but didnt...i had nearly 2 hours skin to skin and feeding before they considered asking me if i wanted her weighed etc...me and her seem to have a much bigger bond than me and ds did at her age...i really do think it was skin to skin and putting her on breast a few mins after birth

I wouldnt let anyone else hold her til she was weighed etc at 2 hours old, haha!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 12/12/2009 13:08

When I had DS the midwife asked me if I wanted him straightaway or did I want her to clean him up first. Being off my face of pethidine I said the latter because that was the last thing she said so it was easy to repeat it.
I dont regret it, didnt stop me bonding with DS.

FabIsVeryFestive · 12/12/2009 13:10

All of mine needed checking over so they had been cleaned up before I held them. DS1 was dressed too as he was in a bad way and was also cold.

TulipsAndTinsel · 12/12/2009 13:21

with all three of mine the baby was the cleanest part of the whole process

also, there is absolutely nothing on earth like the sensation of holding a naked newborn to your chest... the strange hotness, the soft skin, the smell of their heads and just the general 'realness' of this baby you've been cooking for 9 months.

dd had to be resusitated so i only got the briefest touch before she was whisked away and then she spent a couple of hours in an incubator, having since experianced skin to skin with the boys i'll always regret those lost moments with her, even with ds2 who was admitted to scbu later in the day i got an hour of skin to skin while we waited for the placenta and it helped me cope so much better with 36 hours of not being allowed to touch him in scbu

christmasgoblin · 13/12/2009 15:20

there is less blood than you think.
vernix is a natural moisturizer so it is a good idea to let it soak into the baby's skin rather than wash it away.

checking over for dd2 was done over 2 hrs after she was born. she had bf twice by then.

Ohforfoxsake · 13/12/2009 15:26

my midwives asked me if I wanted the baby straight on me - to which I replied no thank you.

I just wanted a moment to compose myself, take a breath. I was quite shaky after giving birth. It is literally a minute, just to get comfortable, the baby gets rubbed down and wrapped up, and then you don't have to hand them back after holding them for short while.

Then when the baby was passed to DP, I could go and get a shower.

I can honestly say not holding the baby immediately upon delivery has not impacted on any of us!

bellasmama · 13/12/2009 22:11

My DS was lovely and clean after a CS and trust me there is not a more beautiful or intense moment in your life when your baby is placed on your chest and you have that skin to skin.

veryconfusedandupset · 13/12/2009 22:31

I held my two immediately they were born- wonderful! However my own birth was quite complicated and ended up with a high forceps delivery under general anaesthetic (something that was given up as being far to dangerous many years ago) My mother was told she could not see me as they had made such a mess of my head she would be upset! and so it was 18 hours before we met. She is still proud that after being breastfed for 6 months I went straight to a beaker 50+ years on - a somewhat extreme example of how instand bonding isn't necessary to BF.

Original poster

houmousandcarrotsandwich · 14/12/2009 09:49

Thank you everyone for your experiences.

I think I will see how I feel at the time, if I need a moment to get myself together then thats what I need!

I am going to write on my birth plan that I am open to any ideas and guidance during birth.

OP posts:

sprouting · 14/12/2009 10:04

My ds2 was born by emcs. I didn't even see him for about 18 hours and he wasn't bf until 5 days old. He was tube fed and had a dummy in scbu. He breastfeed very well and is still going strong 9 months later. Skin to skin is by no means essential.

My first 2 had skin to skin. Ds1 was a bit dopey and always fed badly. DD crawled up me and latched herself on and fed ok. It was nice having the skin to skin, esp with dd and it wasn't icky at all but I was already covered in gloop from just giving birth.

Poledra · 14/12/2009 10:08

I didn't hold DD1 till some time after she was born as I had a GA, so wasn't awake. We bfed for 8 months.

Had skin-to-skin immediately with DDs 2 and 3 - didn't care about any mess. DD3 weed all over me seconds after she was born - pre-children, I could not have believed that I would find someone widdling on me funny, but I did......

sprouting · 14/12/2009 10:08

I think comments like that really undermine bf generally. There does seem to be a growing school of though that unless you have a perfect drug free, intervention free birth, lots of skin to skin, co-sleep and use a sling all day long then bf is doomed. It can really knock the confidence of women who don't fall into that catagory.

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