Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

What happens after you've squeezed the baby out?

55 replies

hippieshake · 25/04/2012 15:33

As you've probably guessed, this is my first baby. I feel like I am fully prepared for the actual birth itself now... but I haven't really thought about afterwards.

I'm planning on bottle feeding, not breastfeeding. Do I need to take formula to the hospital and make it up there? How many bottles do I take? Would the hospital have any of these things etc...

Also, what happens to your body after the birth? This is a topic all the baby books seem to miss out. Will I lose a lot of weight during the birth? Will I have a big empty tummy for ages afterwards?

Any advice would be great :)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

FamiliesShareGerms · 25/04/2012 15:41

Not sure about the bottles, but yes, you will have a jelly belly for quite a while (so don't throw out your maternity clothes at the first contraction!!), sorry!

autumnchild · 25/04/2012 15:41

Can't comment on the FF I'm afraid - BF here.

But having had my first DD 8 months ago, I know i was curious at the time as to what happened to the baby bump when there's no longer a baby in there - my bump went down striaght away and was just saggy yuk. When i started with the labour pains at home i weighed myself and then weighed myself upon returning home - lost 1 stone overnight.

A lot of that was fluid though - in my overnight stay at hospital i had 3 of the longest wees i'd ever had - it was just like a tap being turned on could've watched a film each time.

I then lost another stone in the few weeks after and was left with a stone more to go which is almost gone now.

Original poster

hippieshake · 25/04/2012 15:44

It's going to be so strange having an empty tummy. Does it still look like you're pregnant, or is it just wobbly? x

OP posts:

RobinSparkles · 25/04/2012 15:46

Hi :)

First of all congratulations :)

If you are planning to bottle feed, they already have the little ready made bottles at hospital.

After you've given birth to the baby you will have a cuddle while you deliver the placenta. If you need stitches they'll do that. Then they'll weigh the baby, measure etc then you can put it in its clothes. They'll give the baby the vitamin K injection, if you want it as an injection otherwise i think there's a wait if you want them to have it orally. They'll probably tell you to have a bath or shower as you'll be quite bloody and if your baby is anything like mine it will wee on you the second it's born :o.

Your body - well sometimes it differs. It can take quite a while for it to go back to the way it was and sometimes it never does. I felt like a deflated balloon at first. That's the only way I can think of to describe it!

Your baby will need to be checked by the paediatrician and you will be checked by the MW. If all is well then they'll probably let you home.

If you've had an epidural you'll have to wait for it to wear off properly and the recovery isn't as quick. If you need a CS then you'll be in a few days.

TheProvincialLady · 25/04/2012 15:46

You'd best ring the hospital to ask about what you need to bring, if anything, for formula feeding. Different hospitals have different policies.

PotteringAlong · 25/04/2012 15:47

It's just very very wobbly I'm afraid!

I looked down just before my DS was born and it was a really weird shape as my bump shifted down as he came out! :)

RobinSparkles · 25/04/2012 15:50

And yes, it's very strange having an empty tummy! I was feeling phantom kicks for ages after I had my first. With DD1 I was at how my tummy looked straight after. It felt really soft and and wobbly. With DD2 it seemed to go down a lot quicker but the after pains were worse.

RobinSparkles · 25/04/2012 15:54

I would have though that during the birth you would lose the equivalent of the weight of the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid but I weighed myself straight after I had given birth to DD2 and was still shocked at how much I still weighed but don't worry, it comes off eventually!

exexe · 25/04/2012 15:55

And be prepared to need a few days to recover. I was deluded and thought I'd be skipping joyfully out of the hospital.
The reality is some pain, soreness, after birth contractions etc.

boringnickname · 25/04/2012 16:01

Have you thought about what formula you want to feed? If you have a preference it might make sense to check with the hospital what forumulas they have in stock just in case you want to use a different one, then you can buy some preprepared and take some in.

Just a little hint - your tummy goes back much quicker if you BF maybe you could do the first couple of BFs while you are in the hospital, these feeds contain all the anitibodies etc and you wont have to worry about formula bottles etc, then just set yourself up for bottle feeding when you get home - Im not preaching BFing, im preaching the easy option

Congratulations BTW x

KnitterNotTwitter · 25/04/2012 16:02

What the others have said...plus you'll have lochia - a period like bleed for between 2-6 weeks after the birth - you need to wear maternity pads for that - no tampons. You'll have this bleed even if you have a CS.

I know you've said that you're intending to FF but you might want to consider one or two BF's - the collostrum that your body produces before your milk comes in is full of antibodies and other good stuff that is really beneficial for your baby - and every feed that you can give your baby will help strengthen their immune system etc.

EdithWeston · 25/04/2012 16:11

Apologies for lowering the tone, but the worst post-natal bit is the first post-delivery poo (yours). The early ones are something you just have to live through, though, so I mention it only as something to be aware of.

Your tummy will be very large still for the first couple of weeks, and may look saggy. How quickly and how completely it returns to something with a passing resemblance to your previous shape is down to luck, genes and age (the younger you are, the better the chances). As your undercarriage or scar site will probably be sore for the first few days, and you size/shape cannot be predicted, do not try to wear trousers with firm fabric and raised seams for some time after delivery, go for loose or stretchy.

FluffyJawsOfDoom · 25/04/2012 16:16

People keep saying that edith but why is it so bad?

KnitterNotTwitter · 25/04/2012 16:20

the first poo is horrible as you will have the sensation that your womb is also going to come out - I found that putting my hand over my vagina while pooing for the first few helped reassure me that nothing untoward was going to happen.

nickelhasababy · 25/04/2012 16:24

i totally disagree Edith!

my first poo came after about 3 days, and it was really soft - it was much bigger than i thought because i barely felt it (and i'd had lots of stitches)

make sure you drink loads of water, and I mean loads - it helps with the weeing.

my belly went really quite flat straight away (my maternity clothes still fit, but i couldn't wear them as bfing they didn't open at top...)
but oh my! was it wobbly!

and i walked round doubled over for days because i didn't dare stand.

exexe · 25/04/2012 16:27

Oh God, I'd forgotten about the pooing [14 weeks and scared now]

belindarose · 25/04/2012 16:33

It was fear of pooing for me. The actual poo (aided by lactulose) was fine!

monkeymoma · 25/04/2012 16:36

I had a CS was bigger post birth than before so needed a size up after the birth (had packed a size down!) also needed a size up in shoes and slippers. Think that most of the other ladies who were post CS were also very swollen and bigger, so worth packing for that just incase.

What noone prepared me for was the clots, I didn't know (and still don't know TBH) what is normal and what isn't in terms of post natal clot passing. mine were like huge lumps of liver falling out and it was a bit shocking, noone had mentioned anything about clots!

WhenDoISleep · 25/04/2012 16:38

There was quite a good thread on what happens after they baby is delivered a while ago:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1399735-What-happens-right-after-you-give-birth

KnitterNotTwitter · 25/04/2012 16:41

monkey oooh - yes the clots. Remember a particularly liver-y one freaking me out and dh when it landed on the bedroom floor as I was getting ready for bed one evening ! As long as it doesn't smell funny I think it's all ok...

monkeymoma · 25/04/2012 16:45

with the clots the midwife just said that clots are normal and didn't ask me about them, I think looking back that mine might have been too big/much but was clueless and shocked, if I have another DC I will be asking at ante-natal what EXACTLY is normal in terms of clots and what is not.

later on the clots re-started after they had tailed off and stopped and apparently THAT is a problem and the MWs considered re-admitting me. It would be helpful if ante-natal classes covered useful things like that!

DueinSeptember · 25/04/2012 17:02

Oh yes, I remember the clots - I had a C-section and was in bed til the next morning. When I got up I had clots the size of my fist. What a weird sensation, like jelly coming out.

My belly was just wobbly, like a deflated balloon with water in it. Didn't take long to come down though.

PickleSarnie · 25/04/2012 17:04

Id forgotten about the first poo too. I was terrified id push my insides out/burst my stitches. Lactolose was invaluable.

EdithWeston · 25/04/2012 17:56

nickelhasababy

But you won't burst your stitches, and you insides won't drop out, not really.

If you pass large clots, you are meant to keep them (ugh) for MW to inspect, to check it is just blood, and there is no possibility that there are any bits of membrane left.

Original poster

hippieshake · 25/04/2012 18:03

Gosh, I hadn't thought about clots. I knew I'd bleed for a few weeks, but clots sound quite scary!

I have thought about just breastfeeding for the first few days so the baby gets the colostrum (sp?) but I'm still undecided. I think I'll be prepared for both, and then see how I feel when the baby is born. I might want to BF or she might not want to. We shall see x

OP posts:

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread