Tell me wat happens right after baby is out?

[SunnySideUp2020]

FTM. Coming up to 30 weeks.

Just wondering what actually happens after the baby comes out?
Lots of info and videos on the labour itself but not much about the hours after....
Does the baby stay on you for skin on skin?
Do they take him away for a wash?
What about the vitamin K and eye meds?
When do you dress him?
Do you take a nap?

C section or vaginal birth i am really interested if anyone would like to share their own experience ?

Thank you!!!

I think it all depends on your birth.
And part of the reason why its always a good idea to prepare a birth plan so that the midwives are aware of what you'd like to happen.

I ended up having a natural breach birth, so lno intervention was needed.
I asked for delayed cord clamping too, so as soon as she was born i had immediate skin to skin contact, and held her whilst the afterbirth was happening. They then weighed, measured her, and wrapped her up for me in the same room and gave her back to me straightaway.

I was then provided with a drink and some toast and they left me to it to let me chill out and have snuggles with my girl. It was a really relaxing experience to be honest. I guess the adrenaline was still running because I didn't even think about having a nap. I just wanted to cuddle and look at her for ages! hahaha

I would discuss all these questions with your midwife and perhaps they could help you with preparing a birth plan. If no, there are plenty of examples online to help you! xx

I could only do skin to skin for the first half hour, after which they got worried that my placenta hadn't delivered so doctor called etc, but the midwife suggested that DH do it instead. I have a fond and cherished memory of looking over at him just as the doctor was preparing to put her hand up me and seeing him clearly deciding whether to acknowledge or not that baby DS, who he was cuddling against his bare chest, had just done his meconium poo all over his stomach and trousers

Skin on skin after a rub down with a towel. Cord cut then delivery of placenta. All checked then stitches if needed. Left for a while to feed etc then after tea and toast a shower whilst husband dressed baby.

Mine was born in the birthing pool and I held him for 5-ten magical minutes before the cord was cut. Then he was handed over to his dad while I spent 45 mins delivering the placenta on the bed (despite pushing out ds in under half an hour so please be warned the placenta can sometimes take longer / be hard work!!)

On the postnatal ward he was either in our arms, on the boob or in the little glass cot thing.

I can't really remember much about the washing side of things but we didn't bathe him until he was over 3 weeks old.

As others have said, depends on the delivery. Delivered both mine in pool on a birth centre. Baby stayed on me for skin to skin for at least half hour (one of them also had first feed in this time). Cord was cut after stopped pulsating

Got out of pool to deliver placenta - baby wrapped in towel and likewise for me. I opted for injection both times. Sat and rested, they checked if stitches needed and made preparations to do them. Meantime baby back on me for skin to skin and feeds. Stitches took at least 1-2 hours both times (2nd degree so done by midwives). Baby weighed somewhere in the midst of that then I dressed them and went for shower myself.

Lots of waiting around and eating snacks until they completed relevant checks and we could go home. Baby fed and slept on and off

I had an emergency csection the first time and then second time ended up in theatre, both times babies were taken away wiped, weighed etc and then given to me. Seemed like an age. I did want skin to skin but I guess as I was in theatre they needed to check my babies over first? They wouldn't use my baby blankets either, don't think anything is allowed to be brought into theatre, if I can remember rightly so my baby was put in a rough hospital blanket which always annoys me when I look back on their first baby hospital photos.

Just want to point out that it’s the baby that gets given the vitamin k not the mum

The ambulance arrive

DD was on my chest already, they looked us over, helped me latch her (she's still attached 2 years later) and then twiddled thumbs to see the the placenta would appear. Placenta wasn't coming so DD was taken to be dressed (think they wiped some vernix off but she wasn't washed) then I was semi dressed and taken in to hospital. In hospital they yanked the placenta out, checked us both over, did the Vit K injection and then we were kinda left to it for the night. Was a few hours at least

I had a massive haemorrhage during my emcs and baby was not brought to my husband for over an hour. I did not hold her for over three hours and we did not do skin to skin.

Right after DS came out (pool birth), I got to hold him to me in the pool for skin to skin for a few mins and DH cut the cord. Then I had to get out the pool in order for the placenta to be delivered - DH took baby for skin to skin and got out the pool. I had managed placenta delivery, so the midwife injected my thigh as I got out the pool to speed it all up. I waddled to a bed to lie down and the midwife gently pushed on my stomach and helped deliver the placenta - I recall having the option to have gas and air for this bit (I'd used gas and air in the pool during contractions) but cant remember if I did. Whatever, the placetna delivery didn't hurt one bit anyway.

After that, the midwife weighed baby, vit K injection etc. Then came back to me and checked if I'd torn (not the nicest experience at this point, but gas offered again!).

Once that's all done I took baby from DH and had a long rest. Got some toast and tea (best everrrrr!). About an hour later midwife got me up for a shower and a wee. I had to collect the first wee in a cardboard dish thingy.

Both of mine (different hospitals) were plopped straight onto my chest as they came out covered in fluid for skin to skin, the midwife rubbed down their back and head with a towel. Some HCPs will clamp and cut the cord early (DC1) , but others give you the choice to delay for a while (my DC2).
They stitch you up if you need it while you are distracted.
If you want to BF, you should try to see if the baby will try in the early minutes, no one stressed that to me with my first and I wished they had because I had real trouble with his feeding.
I think it was after I was stitched up that the babies were given vit K, there was no big rush anyway. Both of them had oral vit k, which I had to ask for in advance with DC1 but with DC2 they had both the needle and the oral and asked at the time which I would prefer.
The baby isn't taken for a bath any more. In fact you get told to hold off giving one for a few days.
With both I had to wait around quite a while for them to have the newborn examination, the first time with a paediatrician and the second time was with a specially trained midwife.
Just after the baby comes out, they will offer you a jab to help to deliver the placenta. It makes it just sort of slither out (sorry, that sounds gross!) while you're having skin to skin. Both times I have known to expect it but it has always taken me by surprise because so much else is going on!

Hospital birth.
Baby delivered stayed in my chest we declined cord clamping, placenta delivered. Once the cord was limp it was cut I think probably around 30-40 mins. I he of her the entire time.
I had a 3rd degree tear so needed to go for surgery soon afterwards (always one of my big birth fears turned out to not be that much of a big deal) baby stayed with my DH he declined the bottles offered by midwives and they did the Vit K while I was gone.
Once she was dressed and cleaned up they brought her to the theatre door and held her up just to reassure me but I was totally fine.
In recovery my DH stayed for another 2 hours with painful I was take to the
Ward.
Over all a nice birth despite the tear with the added bonus my DH for to have some bonding time with DD.

You eat toast and it's glorious. Oh the cheap white toast with butter... ahhhhhh... it's what dreams are made off.

I held her the entire time*

Really good that you asked. It never occurred to me to wonder - I think, like many, that I assumed that I would be looked after! I would have been much better prepared if I hadn't assumed that.

Like many here, got some skin to skin time, birthed the placenta, vit K injection, a shower, and a cup of tea/toast. Baby napped whilst we waited in the delivery suite for our notes to be printed out to take up to the ward. This took a long time (second time it took longer for the notes to print than it had taken me to give birth! Fast labour, slow printer!) so we took some photos and hung around a bit.

Then the hard work started. I had laboured through two nights, so after 48 hours with no sleep I was knackered, but no, no naps. I battled to breastfeed as baby couldn't latch, and tried to snooze, but was on a very noisy ward. I battled to do anything and to stay clean as I was bleeding a lot, so standing to change baby, or walking to get food was difficult.

I had to stay in for five days as my blood pressure crashed, and found the stay in hospital a lot more difficult than the birth itself as I felt so badly prepared. I also struggled to work out how to visit the loo or shower, since we weren't allowed to leave baby alone, but the babybeds wouldn't fit into the loo. I took my sling in second time.

First time I was eventually encouraged to take baby into bed with me by a nice nurse, for snuggles. Second time, I was home the next day, I was well and baby was much happier than his older brother and the hospital had banned babies from in-bed snuggles by then.

So, yes, be prepared to push through with little sleep - if you do sleep well, then that is a bonus. Be prepared to do everything for yourself and your baby. Then if someone helps, again - bonus! The only thing that the midwives on the ward did for me was take my blood pressure and check on the state of my bowels! And of course, they tended to arrive to do the bloodpressure whenever I fell asleep!!

Just to clarify. The baby isn't being wiped clean, they're being dried. They come out wet, from the liquor. As you can imagine, if someone as small as a baby is left wet, then they get cold, which isn't good for them. So one of the first things for all babies is to be quickly dried off with a towel.

All going well you should have an hour of uninterrupted skin to skin with assistance to feed your baby in that first hour. They'll deliver the placenta and do any stitches required whilst your baby is lying on you.
I think they did vitamin k while baby was lying on me too. I'm not sure what eye meds you mean?
You probably won't want a nap.
My dh dressed the baby while I had my tea and biscuits after we'd had plenty of skin to skin and first feed achieved.
A few hours later once my pulse and blood pressure were steady I went for a shower then upto the ward.

C section

Baby taken out, whisked away to a short stay in ICU, didn't see for at least an hour

And yes they just get a rub with a towel to dry them, they don't need cleaned as they're not dirty and they smell amazing.

First time I had skin to skin for around an hour, then I had to give baby to DH to deliver the placenta as it didn't fancy coming out easily even though it was a very quick/easy birth.

Then they stitched me up, which was pretty unpleasant, baby was weighed and then I got to have a shower. It was about 4 hours before I got to have a nap (this was 5am) and I was I up after about half an hour

Second time was basically the same except I kept hold of baby while delivering the placenta and being stitched. She was having a marathon feed, it was hours before DH got to have a cuddle!

I had two. Both times they put the baby up on me, then when they took them to clean up I vomited and vomited and vomited. Had to have an injection to stop it but once that worked everything was great.

My first born, a son, was born after a 48 hour labour, I was induced after so much time, and was a bit out of it for a while. Baby was checked and weighed,and wrapped up. I was stitched up,then taken to my room, and baby followed, and then placed in the bedside cot. I came round a bit, then attempted to breast feed, and then quite forgot all the trauma, and all went well afterwards.

My daughter born three years later, was born on the back seat of our car,in a hotel car park, and delivered by my late Husband, on a freezing cold February morning at 7 am. No fancy stuff for her, as she was then wrapped in a pristine white tablecloth from the hotel, until an ambulance arrived. The nurse who came with the ambulance,dealt with the placenta, and then I had to get out of our car ,and walk to the ambulance.. All the checks were made on my daughter at the hospital,but she was put under a heat lamp thing at first to warm her up, while I was have stitches yet again. But all was ok afterwards.

I second the positive birth book.

It all depends on your birth.
DD1 - born by emcs, she wasn’t breathing and was taking to resuscitation table in the theatre we were in, they sucked the gunk out, a quick check on her breathing and she was draped around my neck. She was then dressed by midwife who helped me get her to latch when we were in the recovery room.

DD2 - VBAC, passed straight to me and on the boob straight in the boob, I had to go to theatre for emergency op an hour later and I think midwife dressed her and DH held her for the next two hours.

Baby was put on me skin to skin briefly then taken to back of room for a little care. Then handed back to me for skin to skin. Kept warm with towel and blankets over her.

I had a bleed and stitches so I was being treated. Dad had a hold. I was still feeling out of it from pethidine as I had a very quick delivery.

Vitamin k was given. Midwife helped me feed baby. Dad left - Covid so was only allowed in for actual birth and a few hrs after.

Baby couldn't feed (tongue-tie) so midwife showed me how to express colostrum. Midwife dressed baby for me. I was still not feeling well and I had a catheter so I couldn't get out of bed.

9 hrs after baby born we moved to antenatal ward. Had to ring bell to get help to get stuff out of my bags. But all care of baby given by myself. Can ring bell for a little help and advice. Esp re feeding. They come round every few hours and help each mother in turn to get baby fed. I had a visit from feeding team in morning as we had problems.

2 natural births, both of mine were immediate skin to skin for a few minutes, then once the cord was cut they took baby for a quick wipe down, weighing and vit K while I delivered the placenta and got checked out. Baby given to dad for a cuddle while I was stitched up and then straight back on me for a feed.

They make you tea and toast which I had whilst feeding the baby and once baby had finished feeding I was encouraged to get straight up and into the shower. Dad sorted nappy and clothes for babies whilst I got myself cleaned up and into fresh clothes. Then back for more baby cuddles/feeding. I didnt sleep for approximately 15 hours after both of mine. I found i had too much adrenaline to nap despite being exhausted.