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!

Another one that loved giving birth and this thread is making me very broody (can't stand pregnancy though).

Ds was born at 8pm and taken away to be checked as he had swallowed meconium. He was fine but needed checking every 2 hours throughout the night which was a pain as I was knackered. Had skin to skin practically all night the first night as he was very hungry and it was just the best feeling ever! One mum on the ward was on her phone all night which was very annoying.

I remember being discharged the next day and crying because I thought ds would be lonely in the carseat , be prepared for total hormone overload!

Don't forget OP that there is always the tiniest chance of a C-section.

I spent 36 weeks thinking that I'd go into labour and deliver with all the pushing and panting, but I was scheduled a C-section for medical reasons at 38 weeks.

IME C-sections are fine. But if this happens, you'll have a spinal/epidural and then you'll be taken to theatre and it will all happen for you. They will push down hard on your tummy (which I was not expecting). After the birth, the cord was cut there and then, baby wrapped and given to DH then me to have snuggle for a lovely long time as he was fine and pink and noisy. No skin to skin immediately though. Then he was weighed. Meanwhile the placenta was removed and I was stitched up. Within 20 mins of the birth we were then taken to recovery where I fed DS straightaway.

I ended up drinking my post-baby tea through a straw with both DCs, as I was semi-reclined from the effects of spinal block both times. Not the nicest way to drink tea, but under the circumstances it did the job!

Like EllaRees I seem to remember being quite aware of the placenta being pulled out. I was also very shocked, after reading many birth stories on MN where people say "as soon as the baby's out, the pain stops". Not in my case, and although I was relieved DD was ok I was in too much pain from a bad tear to really register her presence properly. But, I made up for it once I'd come back from theatre, I'd had an amazing sleep while being sewn up (spinal block) and wasn't in any pain, and had lovely new baby snuggles and breastfed in recovery. While drinking my tea with a straw .

Dont forget there are professional people there to look after you. They ve seen it all before a thousand times, so they can answer all your questions as they arise, dont be afraid to ask what they are doing, why, what happens next - but I think in the event, they will talk you through what is happening. With both my births, I had really nice staff, it was a lovely friendly event, and they were all as pleased as I was when the baby was born. I never felt I didnt know what was happening. Best of luck to you.

3 CS here. First was emergency, i had full anasthetic, DD1 was away in the nursery. by the time i was a bit more compos mentis she was brought to me all washed and clean and wrapped in blanket.
Conscious for DD2s section but it didn't go very well - she was weighed and checked over and wrapped up before being handed to me.
DS1 was also a C-section - I was conscious and he was handed straight over unwashed and frowny!
don't know what happened with the placenta any time!

Only scanned the thread, so not sure if anyone else had this - shortly after having all my 3 DCs (after a quick cuddle) I threw up. A lot. So much so with 2 of them that they had to give me an injection to stop the vomiting. Hadnt eaten much (epidual) but just kept retching. Really quite horrible and unexpected! Once drug kicked in - was all fine.

Dont know why and it was never explained to me!

Also I got shivers and shakes all over - and the night after the birth ( and for a few days after) I got night sweats - dripping all over and needing to change PJs.

You will be too amazed/out of it/in awe to take much notice of what happens after you meet baby :)
I was given the injection to bring on the afterbirth, I didnt even notice she was doing it. My stitches were done very swiftly and painlessly, and it took them just a few minutes to weigh and measure dd.
Id recommend a hospital tour also :)

Not a clue, was so spaced out on gas and air that I thought Harry Redknapp was in the room!

I do remember that cup of tea though. The best one you will ever have in your life!

Loving reading this thread while I'm awake at this ridiculous hour! Ds1 was EMCS. Tea (through a straw) and toast after in recovery where I stayed for about 3hrs.transferred to ward after where Dh left as it was about 2am. Received pretty rubbish care thereafter and was in for 3nights total.

Ds2 was planned csection. The whole experience was so different. I watched him being born (i spoke to surgeon before the op and requested this) they pulled the 'curtain' down that screens u. It was amazing to see him being delivered! He was back to back so as he came out (with his eyes open!)we got to see his lovely squashed little face! His cord was cut,he was checked over and handed straight to me. While I was stitched up we had cuddles and the went to recovery where I had tea (again with a straw!) And toast and then transferred to the ward.Dh stayed with me as it was daytime and a little later my mum brought ds1 in and I had lots of cuddles with my new little family. Care this time round was fab!

Things I knew 2nd time round that I didn't know 1st time-

-those disposable maternity knickers are awful.too small (1 swelled up after each csection) and to lowcut(sit right on the wound) I bought a few packs of cheap 'granny knickers' that come right up over your belly button!perfect!

-you can request to have the curtain removed to watch your baby being born during a csection. (u can't see the incision as the bump is in the way!)

-you can still be the one to hold the baby 1st (as opposed to Dh holding baby first)

-your milk takes longer to come in after a csection so bfeeding is tricky at the beginning.

I liked my 2nd stay in hospital and if we do have a third I would stay as long as possible!

All a bit of a blur but I remember being handed my DS (had a c-section) and querying why he had such a funny shaped head - proper cone head due to trying to get out the natural way! Had a cuddle, taken to recovery, drank loads of ribena and puked up. Given a bed bath. DS was wrapped in a towel in a cot next to the bed. Did lots of gazing at him. DH went home for a sleep. I texted lots of people. Then a bossy nurse came and helped me give him his first feed. There must have been other things happening but was a bit spaced out with it all.

Hi,

its really good to hear from people who've had to have a c section aswell, im hoping for the birthing pool but im not so naive as to think it will all go to plan so its good to be prepared. Is it the drugs from the epidural then that make people sick? not many people having natural seem to have mentioned puking so much.

Im not really wanting to have an epidural though, but then again im also living in hope they can invent a pill in the next 4 months to make it all happen whilst im asleep.

DS1- I was induced at 40+13. Had a pessary at 8pm, started getting 'period-type pains' walked about a lot with DH, given pethidine as I was in a lot of pain- they said it would help me sleep but just made me feel drugged up.

Checked me and I was 3cm, had a bath and 20 mins later was 8cm.
Straight into delivery suite, they tried to get an epidural in but it didn't take- gas and air didn't work for me- just made me thirsty.

1st stage was 2hrs 3mins but the pushing stage was 40mins.

DS1 came out with his hand by his face so had a 2nd degree tear. Delivered straight onto my tummy, had cuddles and the injection for placenta, DH had skin to skin whilst I had 36 stitches- they did a LA.

I was not prepared for puking everywhere about 10mins after my tea and toast r throughout the 6-10cm of dilation. We were left for 3 hours on the bed with all the labour 'mess' and too scared to climb off as there was a shift change.

Also was not prepared to feel so shaky and scared of walking to the wheelchair. I was so whacked off my face from the pethidine, I was wheeled to the bathroom whilst DH followed wth DS1 in a wheelie cot.

Was wheeled through the recpetion to maternity and I must have looked like a zombie! had a bath, went onto the ward and missd breakfast as I got there at 8am, DH went home for a nap, came back 4 hours later and I begged them to let me go home as I coulnd't sleep. Went home at 4pm and got McD's on the way back!

DS2- was a day early but he was back to back and didn't progress quickly. at 5cm was given an epidural and popped on the bed. had a catheter. got to 10cm dilated and had to wait an hour 'for the head to descend' -which I was unaware of, they let the epi wear off so I could feel the contractions for pushing. DS2 was delivered in 8 mins!

Lovely MW gave me the injection and delivered placenta. I had skin to skin, DH whipped his top off and had skin to skin whilst I had 6 stiches put in.

Then Mw ran a bath- in an adjoining room this time and I had a lovely bath, followed by tea and toast and only one episode of vomiting!

Into a side room- cost us £80 for the night!! It was 1am by this point so DH tucked us in and went home. I expected DS2 to sleep non-stop as DS1 had- then realised it was probably due to the pethedine. DS2 woke every couple of hours and fed well. that night was very precious, it was just me and DS2 before we joined the rest of the world.

It meant I got some sleep as did DH too. Discharged the next morning after breakfast.

When we got home, both times, DH took a week off work adn the first 3 days, he basically stayed up most of the night with the DS sleeping on his chest, waking me and DS every 3 hours to feed. Really helped me catch up on my sleep and thankfully he can cope on 4 hours a night!

Sorry that's so long! There was a lot I was not expecting.

it all depends so much on how your birth goes (hopefully very well and no complications for you!)
I had very much unexpected emcs so daughter yanked out by surgeons rather unceremoniously :( but trust me, even if that happens to you, by then you won't give a shit - you'll be happy to see them alive and well.
They took her to other side of theatre, felt like an age before I heard her cry (cs babies don't cry as quickly as vaginal born ones as they don't have the stimulus of pressure from an actual forceful birth) - then did her apgar scores which took a few minutes barely.
DH brought her over to me washed and wrapped up (to keep her warm - often case after cs) and I cuddled her as they stitched me up.
Then over to high dependency unit as DH wheeled her in her plastic cot alongside me.
The bit I hated was the constant, invasive nursing staff not giving us a single minute alone because we were in hdu - I just wanted some peace to cuddle DD and sleep - forget it!
Ended up discharging myself early to get the hell out of there and go home sooner.
But then I am a physio so kind of knew what to do re being mobile, dealing with abdo surgery etc, which helped.
Good luck!!! Let us know how you get on :) and STAND YOUR GROUND :)

For me, my memory of straight after birth is a bit of a mess.

I remember the room being full of people, DD being in the corner at the resuscitaire being rubbed down, me being given syntometrine in my right thigh (hadn't wanted or asked for it) and then the consultant asking someone if I'd had it and me trying to say yes, I had been given the syntometrine but struggling to speak AND being ignored by him. DD was fine.

Apparently DD had been delivered straight on to me but I don't remember that.

Then an anaesthetist brandishing a clipboard in my face telling me I needed to 'sign this consent form' - I asked what it was for and the MW appeared over the anaesthetists shoulder, she glared at the anaesthetist and said 'we've not mentioned it to her yet' and then gently told me that I was probably going to have to go to theatre as I'd had a 3rd degree tear (this was one of my biggest fears before going in to hospital :()

There was then some faffing and they told me the placenta hadn't delivered so they were going to have to remove that manually in theatre whilst I was there (MROP).

Wheeled round to theatre, given a spinal anaesthetic (highly amusing moment when I sat up on the bed and realised the umbilical cord was swinging about under me like a sorry looking bungee rope) and then spent however long it was feeling like a cow in All Creatures Great and Small when I actually realised just what they meant by manual placenta removal :( I threw up at that point but I can safely say it wasn't the epidural that made me feel sick.

Got sewn up, given a voltarol suppository (why not, any shred of dignity I'd had was gone following the MROP)

DH and DD were in theatre with me the whole time, I thought they were in the far corner of the room but apparently they were sitting near my head and very nearly got thrown up on Have a vague memory of DH in scrubs.

Then was taken round to recovery where a lovely MW helped me wash myself (mainly passing my toiletries to me out of my bag rather than actually washing me, which was lovely as I don't think I could have managed with anyone else touching me at that point) and then we got DD latched on for a feed and I was taken round to the PN ward about 3 hours after DD was born. On the way round we bumped into the Saturday morning tour, am sure they loved seeing me (grey faced, turns out I'd lost 750ml blood) with my catheter in and not having slept for 26 hours.

DH then had to leave us as the ward wasn't yet open for visitors (although it was OK for people we didn't know to be touring and gawping) and I cuddled DD, next thing I know a lovely HCA is at the end of my bed suggesting I put DD down in her cot before I dropped her as I was falling asleep. She said she'd put me a sandwich and a drink in the ward fridge so that I could get some sleep. Hadn't eaten for nearly 24 hours at this point, and hadn't been given the obligatory tea and toast as I'd been taken to theatre.

I'm sorry to be all doom and gloom :( I just wish someone had prepared me for the fact that it could be like that. I expected to be snuggled up pretty quickly with my baby, cleaned up and then sent home after 6 hours.

bellatmum I had something similar to you!
But then I had a tonne of G&A which is notorious for makjng you feel sick - and apparently so does the epidural- so in theatre (I had emcs) I vomited and had to be given an anti-hemetic to stop the retching. Also had diarrhoea as I way being opened - nice...one thing is true, in childbirth (whether cs or natural) you leave all your dignity and prettiness at the door :)

:( Flisspaps...

Don't know if epidural causes more puking - probably. Sounds horrible but not really, is just such a small part of it all. I agree with last post - the invasion of nurses is really quite distressing, ditto too many visitors when you get home. I wish now I had spent less time worrying about my birth plan (or at least thought more about plan B) and more time thinking about the support I would like when I got back home. I think I would be more assertive next time in terms of asking for specific help and putting visitors off for a bit. They all want a cuddle which is natural but I didn't want anyone to take the baby off me - I wanted someone to make me a cup of tea and pass me the remote!

Mine went like this:
Baby went straight to boob
I had a natural 3rd stage, about 35 minutes before the placenta was delivered, just gave one push and out it flopped
They gave me a local anaesthetic (I had had no pain relief and an injection into the fanjo was very painful - the worst bit of labour) and put a stitch in
After a bit of general chilling out and a cup of coffee (they forgot my toast) they took DD, weighed her and DH got her dressed while I went and wallowed in the most wonderful bath I have ever had. DH brought DD in while I was in there. Then I got out of the bath, put on my makeup and did my hair. Waited in the delivery room until the MW had transferred my handheld notes onto the computer and then went home. We were in hospital for about 5 hours in total

Oh and I forgot that they wouldn't discharge me until I had done, I think, 300ml of wee. That was really uncomfortable with a very freshly abused fanjo

We didn't have to wait for a paediatric check - they phoned our GP and make an appointment with them the next day

If you have a very straightforward birth at Eastbourne DGH you can be home very quickly. We arrived at the hospital at 6.30am and were on our way home by 11.30

A tip - take something you really, really enjoy eating as a treat food in your hospital bag. It will taste incredible after giving birth ! I love Lindt plain chocolate with sea salt flakes and I had taken some with me in my bag; I had some quite soon after delivering her and it tasted absolutely delectable beyond ever before !

mamanetta It's OK, I've not booked one of those births this time, I'm having one of what OhdearNigel ordered, but without even leaving the house.

This one is being sneezed out on the sofa after a full night's sleep, whilst watching something nice on TV, followed by an intact placenta and very little bleeding, then DH is going to make us all bacon sandwiches and we're going to drink £4 Tesco Cava .

bella - I had forgotten about the shakes immediately after delivery

For me it was like this though some bits are a bit hazy:

Baby delivered onto my stomach and the cord cut. As I wanted to breastfeed, the baby was moved up to my breast after a minute or two, after a quick check of the inside of the mouth and fingers/toes counted by the midwife, and latched onto my breast.

I'd been given the injection to speed up the placenta but I don't really remember it coming out at all. I didn't push, I just felt the midwife's hands on me then something come out.

I was stitched up and had a maternity pad put inbetween my hands (still holding DD). Once this was done, DD was weighed (but I was asked first) and had the ID bracelets put on by one midwife and another came to take my temperature. I vomited as soon as soon as she put the thermometer into my mouth The midwife cleaned up the vomit, then finally managed to take my temperature and I think she did some other checks but I cannot remember (I just remember feeling like I'm going to throw up again).

DD was then dressed and DP, my mum and I had breakfast. My mum then left and I had a bath (I wasn't allowed a shower as I was looking too faint). I was given loads of instructions about what to do if I felt like I was going to faint whilst in the water. The midwife put a cardboard thing on the toilet for me to wee in.

I was then moved up to the ward a few hours later. I sat in a wheelchair, DD placed in my arms and DP was left to lumber afterwards carrying the bags. On the ward, DD was in her own little cot by my bed apart from in the evening when she wouldn't settle and was taken to the nurse's station (they did ask first). The next day she was bathed, I had some final checks, had a long LONG lecture about birth control and then was discharged.