What happens right after you give birth?

[vix1980]

This is my 1st currently half way through and i suddenly started wondering last night what happens during the birth?

I know obviously you push the baby out and all that bit but then what?? do they take the baby away to weigh it and check it? how long for? how does the placenta come out, is it on its own or do you push it out? is it right after the baby is born or later on, and does it hurt? then how long do they leave you alone for? me and my oh are totally clueless about all this so it would be nice to have some kind of idea, even stitches and all, i can take it!

Thanks for all these experiences, i'm sat here crying but with happiness that i cant wait to get to that stage now, Im glad someone mentioned getting cleaned up and putting the pads on as i wouldn't have a clue when to ask to do that, 1 last question will dp be able to stay a bit on the ward or is that only for mums and babies, i totally understand why cos i dont think id like other peoples husbands chatting away on the phone all night, im just thinking more of a baby is born at say 7pm, spend a few hours in delivery room, then im transferred to ward and he gets turfed out..maybe im thinking too much into it, all ill probably want to do is sleep anyway right, not chat to him all night long??

With ds i stayed in delivery room all night so he could have stayed. With dd I was in here for a couple of hours after birth and private shower etc them went to a ward, when he left

I wantedto sleep straight after with both, first night with ds was first decent sleep in 48h. Then I was on a postnatal high the next day :)

He can stay with you in the delivery suite for as long as you are there. If it is still visiting hours when you go up he can stay until it ends. If. Insisting is over he will have to leave after a few minutes and yes, you will just want to rest tbh.

That should say if visiting is over, not insisting. Stupid phone.

DPs have to adhere to visiting times, although for some places this just means getting out by 9pm. If the baby is born out of visiting times they will usually give you a while in the delivery room, but he would have to go when you went to the ward. If you have a room then he can stay with you for a bit, but will have to go at some point.

There will be people to help you wash and stuff. After my CS when I still had a catheter and stuff a nursing assistant came and gave me a sponge bath, changed pads etc, which was a bit embarassing, but very welcome as I was feeling a bit skanky.

dd was born @ 07.55am and by noon I was in the ward.

DH stayed with me all the time while in delivery suite (mum did too) but when I was moved into the ward, mum stayed for a few minutes then left. DH was allowed to stay with me until 9pm that night.

Depends on the hospital really, but you should try to find out so that everyone knows what to expect.

Incidentally, it was DH and visiting times that made me decide on a home birth. At home the MWs tidy up, change your sheets, tuck you up in your own bed, and when you are ok and baby is feeding, let themselves out and leave your little family at home all quiet and comfy

Congratulations op and good luck with the delivery. My experience was a bit different and I wish I'd been a bit more prepared for things not to be as I'd read on mn - cuddles with babe, photos, time as a new family immediately after birth, as I feel it would have helped me feel more in control. So in the hope it helps you feel prepared: I had planned a water birth, immediate skin to skin, bf, no vit k injection for baby and physiological third stage for me. In the end I was induced, had an epidural, forceps delivery because baby was badly positioned. After delivery baby was immediately checked in theatre by a consultant from scbu in case of any problems associated with her tricky arrival. She was weighed at this point and given the vit k injection (with my consent). I then asked for skin to skin but they refused to pass her to me (later told me it was because I was bleeding heavily but they didn't want to scare me at the time). However she was given to my dh who was beside me so I could see her. Once my bleeding was under control and placenta delivered (v quickly, with injection and without me noticing because of the epidural) she was given to me. Once they'd finished stitching me we were wheeled to an observation ward where I tried to feed her (unsuccessfully). We were both so exhausted we slept most of the rest of the day (I wasn't really with it). We only called family and took photos about 12 hours after delivery once I had recovered a bit. We were then transferred to a private room where we stayed for three nights as we had problems establishing bf and baby's blood sugars were fluctuating. On day 4 we came home. I was so desperate to bf I expressed 8 times a day to fed her as she wouldn't latch on, topped up with formula as necessary and spent 2-3 days a week for the first few weeks at various feeding clinics (opinions, even my own, differ as to whether I was 'dedicated and determined' or just plain mad to do this )

So as you can see it was all a bit different to how I planned it, but absolutely worth every bit of it for my lovely dd and I don't think it in any way hindered our bonding. Feeding was slow to establish but at 5months I'm still bf (with a little bit of expressed milk&/or formula top up as necessary) so rest assured that whatever happens things work out on the end!
Good luck!

I went onto the ward at 2am, DH was allowed to come up with me to say goodbye and see where I was going but did have to leave pretty smartish, As you say as a courtesy to the other women on the ward. I was given quite a lot of attention the first night though and had visits from the midwives - I wasn't left completely alone. However if you arrive on the ward during visiting hrs DP would be able to stay. Our visiting hours were 9am-1pm (partners and baby's siblings only) and 3pm-9pm (anyone). I did relish the 1-3 quiet time each afternoon when the ward was the most silent!

Thank you for starting this thread OP, DC1 is due in July and I had no idea about some of this stuff!

Just wanted to say what an excellent idea for a thread - I had no idea what to expect between the moments of giving birth and getting dd home !

• You're right the books don't cover it much do they ?

Which is a crazy situation to be in for such an important time in your life !

Not much to add to what others have said, except ...

Some simple advice on breast-feeding from an NCT counselor did get us off to a good start with that - and dd was a natural which was great !

DD was born at 12:59, delivered straight onto my chest. I forget exact times, but while I was holding her and meeting her, DH cut the cord and the placenta was delivered after I had the injection. That came 7 minutes after DD (so it says on my notes). They showed me the placenta, which was kind of cool. At some point the took DD to get weighed and stuff, then they gave her to DH so he could have skin to skin (my insistance that he take his shirt off while I was pushing, and he's really glad he got that) and I was helped up off the floor (I'd given birth on mats and bean bags on the floor) and helped to the bed. Then DD was given back to me. Tea and toast arrived and the mws all sort of disappeared so we could be alone. At one point a nurse arrived to help me establish feeding, but DD wasn't interested and I was feeling awful so she left. I struggled to the loo, nearly fainted and couldn't wee, so ended up with a canula and a catheter. We arrived upstairs on the post natal ward around 5pm. DH stayed until about 9 when the partners were kicked out.

This time around I hope to go home instead of the ward! The first night I got home (went to hospital Thursday evening, DD born Friday, back on Monday) my own bed was the lovliest place on earth and I know I shall miss DD.

I had a bit of a different experience: emergency cs after 24hrs labour.

After DS was delivered he was given to the paediatrician to be checked (he was crying loud and strong so no one was worried) and they weighed and cleaned him immediately.

He was wrapped in a towel and given to DH who brought him to me. I was a bit strapped down with monitors so couldn't hold him but gave him a kiss etc.

DH held him until I was stitched up and on a proper bed. I cuddled him on hdu for an hour, tried to get him to feed (not interested), then we went to the general ward.

I was in a side room. DH went home as it was 3am, and I spent most of the night cuddling DS and offering him feeds.

When DH came back the next day I got a shower. We went home the following evening once DS had managed to feed.

Great thread, I didn't know what would happen either. There's so much emphasis on the actual labour but very little on what happens immediately afterwards.

Here's how mine went-

DD1- Delivered straight onto my chest, practically landed moth-first on my boob. Fed her while trying for a physiological first stage but after nearly an hour of pushing I was knackered so I asked for the jab. The cord was cut (after it had finished pulsing, you might want to do some reading about this) and the MW kind of yanked the placenta out. Then DH phoned around as I waited for a registrar to come and do my stitches. DD1 was weighed a couple of hours after birth and was not bathed so the vernix could soak into her skin. Had to have a catheter as I could pee. I couldn't manage my toast, everything tasted like cardboard.

We were discharged about 8 or 9 hours after she was born, at my request, but they were fine with it too.

DD2- Born at home in the pool so I caught her as she came out. Fed her straight away. Placenta came out in one push and DH cut the cord (again waiting for it to finish pulsing and concentrating so he didn't cut my nipple off at the same time). They must have weighed her at some point, it was either when I was delivering the placenta or when I was being stitched up. She was having skin-to-skin with DH while the MWs were seeing to me and getting me in the shower. I had steak and beer

Mine went as follows:

Taken to surgery as baby had turned and needed forcep delivery. There was the possibility that i'd have to have EMCS but thankfully forceps worked. I had to have an epidural in theatre incase they needed to get straight in the 'sunroof' so I was numb from the boobs down for a while.

After DD had been born, DH cut the cord, I was given an injection to deliver the placenta, DD given a rub over to warm her, hat on, wrapped in blankets and handed to DH (I was too shaky to hold her). He sat with her beside me while I was stitched. MW then took DH and DD into the recovery room while I was cleaned up, then I was wheeled to join them. We sat in the recovery room for 2 hours or so, while the feeling came back into my legs, and I had a go at breastfeeding. MWs brought us tea and toast for both me and DH. we all had a little snooze.

MW came into recovery room to weigh DD and show DH how to dress her (I was bed-bound so unable to).

Once the feeling had come back, I was wheeled, with DH and DD into a private room with bathroom in order to have a shower and get pjs put on. Once that was done, I was taken to the Postnatal ward.

Mine was different so I thought I'd share -

They knew my DS was in distress and he was delivered and passed immediately to the resuscitation team in the corner, but they kept him in my sight lines at all times whilst he was there. They gave him back to me (clean and wrapped) for a cuddle for a minute or so before they took him to the SCBU and my DH took lots of pictures of that on his phone to leave with me.

DS and DH then went to SCBU (we'd agreed before he was born that if something happened he'd stay with the baby) and the midwife stayed with me and I ate eight slices of toast.

DH then came back to tell me DS was fine and we were all reunited about 3 hours after he was born and at that point had skin on skin / attempt to feed etc.

I don't remember all of it!

Things to think about though... your baby won't look like a baby on the television (apart from OBEM!). My boy was delivered in theatre and had an Apgar of 6 so was quite blue and limp which was a horrendous shock for me, not what I was expecting. He was fine 5 minutes later, though!

If the baby is a bit shocked but not a candidate for SCBU like mine, they may be away from you for a few minutes while they do whatever they do. I think I had ds back within about 5 minutes though not 100% sure. As I had to get out of theatre, there was no time for skin to skin and I was throwing up and shaking uncontrollably. During this time I suppose the placenta must have been dealt with, I have no idea how. I also had a lot of stitching as had a high forceps delivery so they did this too.

Let's just say it wasn't in soft focus and I wish I had known... et yit was very straightforward really, he was back to me very fast, we started breastfeeding etc.. nothing to worry about. Just be prepared that it might be a bit choppy and chaotic even with a birth where baby is okay etc and like everything with birth, don't expect too much but hope for the best. Good luck!

I guess you can decide what happens.

I chose to have my baby cleaned and checked first while placenta came out.
After that skin to skin and breast.

My ward when DS was born was very noisy, he slept pretty much constantly but the other mums and babies kept me awake, I didn't get a good night's sleep until I went home.

It's also worth mentioning adrenaline, I was exhausted but so excited about being a mum I probably wouldn't have slept much even if there was perfect silence!

I stayed in hospital a bit longer than usual as I was a single mum with no family support. I asked to be shown how to bath DS because I had no experience of babies and wanted to make sure I did it right. We did this the second night because they don't like to bath newborns too soon.

Also (don't know if anyone else has mentioned this) the staff want to know that you are weeing and having bowel movements OK before they let you go home, or at least they did in my case.

DS stayed with me all the time in a wheelie cot next to the bed. I could push him around eg to go to the lounge or bathroom. I was pretty much left to my own devices DS was a great feeder straight away but I imagine this is something else they want to check, that if you are breastfeeding it's established OK.

A detailed birth plan is a really good idea, obviously you cannot predict all eventualities but it helps the midwives if you can tell them what you want to happen. My MW was great and in delivery did everything she could according to my BP and the things she couldn't do, she explained the whys and wherefores of.

Like many people I have no memory of how/when I delivered the placenta for either of my natural births because I was gazing besottedly at the new arrival. Johnny Depp could have done a striptease in the delivery suite and I wouldn't have noticed.

You won't be abandoned, OP, the midwives and auxilliary nurses will help you get sorted out and settled after the birth.

My third DC was a very fast delivery; I put down my book at 3.30am, had her at 4.00am, then was back home early afternoon. But being a third baby I didn't need the help/support I needed with the first.

I've had two births and have never ever been offered tea or toast.

The bastards.

Here, changebags - sorry it's a bit late

My experience was a bit different to my birthing plan!

Dd born with episiotomy and ventouse. About twelve drs and midwives in the room. Dh didn't get to cut the cord as planned as dd was born with shoulder dystocia (got stuck on her way out). Dd taken straight by drs to corner of room (presumably fir checking / recussitation) then passed to me fir skin to skin. Delivered placenta with the injection.

I went to theatre for surgery (stitches) threw up (!) and missed all the weighing etc but dh was there (we'd also agreed he would stay with the baby).

After watching too much desperate housewives was paranoid about baby swap, dd was electronically tagged so no risk there (or of kidnap).

Midwife waited for me to co e out of theatre then helped me feed dd (placed dd on me, showed me how, etc) which was v helpful!

Got taken to the ward which was v hot and q empty (space fir about 8 women in our room) but no-one else in overnight. Gutted that dh couldn't stay with me as I'd had a lot of drugs and bad tear so couldn't move (to lift dd from her cot, or walk- had a catheter) and no private rooms available. So after 48 hours of no sleep and a tough labour I had to manage dd alone - the scariest moment of my life. Felt very alone and overwhelmed that night, midwives were helpful (ish) changed dd and passed her to me.