What happens after having your baby?

[Anonymous006]

So I’ve never had a full term pregnancy before. But this little trooper is looking like he’s gonna make it and be my first little baby I get to have and snuggle. Im still going through the motions of being scared and nervous but I know I can’t wait to hold him and hear his little baby noises. He’s been kicking a bunch and I’m getting more excited every day even though I’m still just around 6 months pregnant. I can’t wait to hold him but I really don’t know what all happens right after giving birth, can anyone tell me how long it takes for the doctors to hand me my baby? What all happens immediately after he gets here? I really don’t know much so any help I’d really appreciate. Thank you

I had a water birth, and so, was handed my baby straight away.

I lay in the water holding her until it was time to deliver the placenta. At that point, the midwife wrapped her up and gave her to my husband to hold.

After I'd delivered the placenta I got out of the pool, onto a bed, and had a few stitches out in where I'd torn.

I was holding dd when I was being stitched.

My hospital advocates skin to skin straight away if possible and delayed cord cutting.
baby was placed straight on my body. Then after a few mins they took him to check him over then dad and nanny got a hold.
only time he was out of my sight was when i had a shower after getting stitches.

They’re big in skin to skin with mum ASAP. So your baby will be put on your chest immediately for a cuddle.

Slightly different if you have a csection - a lot of women find it very claustrophobic to have the baby handed to them, because of the screen. The baby ends up being more on your neck/throat than anything. But you can still ask for baby to be placed on you if that’s what you want.

I didn’t have any doctors there, and it wasn’t really a people handing me my baby situation. I gave birth to them and lifted them to me, it was one basically continuous movement. After a little while of just looking at the baby and that stuff I found a place to sit down and had the baby on my chest for a little while, it would have been a chance for feeing but my babies were all born sleepy and not interested.I held them until after the placenta which was anywhere from 5 minutes to a little over an hour for different babies. Then we did the cord clamping and cutting. for my first baby that was it, everything was over and done and within half an hour of the birth i was on my own with just the baby. For furtheR babies I had a bit more help so had someone to hold the baby and I had a shower and got dressed. Then we got the baby into some clothes and went downstairs and had visitors, food, drinks etc.

congratulations OP

Just wondering how you had the energy to shower after birth and get dressed and go downstairs for food and drink maybe theres something wrong with me but stress alone knocks me for six and leave my legs all weak and head spinning let alone a birth which I would imagine would kill me but is it not as bad as it sounds if you can do that or are you unlike most people

I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand the question. I’m sure I am like most people and I’m sure giving birth wouldn’t kill you. Getting washed and changed and having something to eat is a pretty standard post birth experience I’d have thought. Is that your question?

I had emergency c section and they had to take my baby away for a few minutes as her breathing was a bit fast - they reassured me she was fine and in a few minutes we got her

I didn’t mind the few mins as I wanted them to be sure she was ok and to do what they needed to do!!

I had DD2 a couple of weeks ago. They put her on my chest pretty much immediately (I think they gave her a bit of a rub with a towel to make her cry, plus I moved positions from where I'd given birth up on my knees, to on my back) and delivered the placenta. Then they examined me and stitched me while DD had a feed.
There was then a bit of a wait to be taken to the postnatal ward. DH dressed DD and I had a bit of a wash with the help of a midwife (I was feeling quite weak and shaky). Had some food, then got taken to the ward.

Baby straight away.
They took him to weigh and Dress about 45mins later, only in Same room.
I had a few stitches
I ate goulash whilst dh held ds
Then showered and changed and into clothes and to the private room

I had an emergency C-section after a long labour. DD was held above the curtain for me to see, then taken to the other side of the room for checks and cord cutting. Then placed on my chest for skin to skin.

Then my hospital bed was wheeled into a recovery room next door to the theatre for an hour or so, where I was brought tea and toast and had my vitals kept an eye on, but largely DP and I were left alone. He held her for a bit and she pooed on him, v satisfying; he did the first nappy and I tried to breastfeed. There’s a hilarious video of me off my gourd on morphine marvelling that “it’s a baby!”

Then wheeled down to the ward still in the same bed, still with DD on my chest. In my cubicle a little wheeled cart for her was waiting. Then a few days recovery and having cannulas out, catheter out and measuring my ability to wee, all the while trying to learn to breastfeed.

It’s a learning curve for everyone: how hospital works, how your baby works, what the rules are. And so, so hot!

I’m sure I am like most people and I’m sure giving birth wouldn’t kill you. Getting washed and changed and having something to eat is a pretty standard post birth experience I’d have thought. Is that your question?

Surely that depends on how birth goes. I haemorrhaged after both of mine, needed intervention to remove my placenta and was catheterised both times and lost a lot of blood. Getting dressed and showering was about last on my list.

I didn’t say every birth goes like that? I said it’s a pretty standard post birth experience (as others have said above, showering changing and eating are a feature of most of the posts?)

I was asked to share what I did, I’m not sure why other posters are picking mine out as strange.

I had an epidural with interventions at delivery but was still handed baby straight away. Had a cuddle. Placenta was out very quick (I had the injection to help delivery of it). Then baby was taken for a very quick check. I think there is a standard timing for this so they like to know the stats at 10 mins old or something? And then they'd check again at 30 mins old or something like that.
There is a thing called the golden hour where it's seen to be that the first hour with newborn is the most important and they should be on mum's chest for this but it's just a theory and everyone has their own preferences.
After the first hour I was up and encouraged to shower - some help would have been nice but I was left to do it myself and managed just about.

Baby straight onto your chest after delivery, if possible and thats what you want. If they have any issues like breathing trouble etc then they will sort that out first obviously.

My baby just stayed on my chest for about 2 hours. She started feeding and we were both comfortable, I think my husband held her while I had stitches and then while I went for a shower.

I think there is a standard timing for this so they like to know the stats at 10 mins old or something? And then they'd check again at 30 mins old or something like that
Are you thinking of the APGAR test. They don't usually take baby off you to do this, its just a visual check, at 1 and 5 minutes after birth.
The other stats like weight etc don't have to be done at a set time.

Can I recommend you go to an antenatal class? I did before hand and I asked a million questions like what happens if x y or z happens? What happens after baby is born etc.
Loads of brilliant midwives take them and can answer ur questions

So I’m a midwife of many years, and baby should be handed to you immediately, dried with a towel and assessed by the midwife. Should only be taken off you if baby requires resuscitation. Baby should be skin to skin for at least 60mins without interruption. Sometimes they is slight interruptions like of in theatre, or if mum is unwell.
you can usually have suturing, observations, have food etc with baby skin to skin.
baby check will be done after a decent hour, you have something to eat and try and get up for a shower and a wee (unless you have a catheter). Then transfer to ward usually.
Complications do occur such as haemorrhage, big tears requiring theatre, as examples but babe should be able to stay with you at all times unless you are compromised.

I had two babies, first by CS and didn’t hold baby until about 8hrs as went to NNU due to meningitis. But second time had a normal birth, lost 2.5L and a 3rd degree tear. Baby was still given to me straight away, remained on me going to theatre, fed throughout and only came off me whilst I was moving from bed to table and back again.

I've had two csecs and both DD's were given to me straight away for skin to skin and taken to be cleaned and weighed then given straight back.

my ds got stuck, they lost his heartbeat and the operating theatres were full so we had some excitement getting him out. I'd been in labour a long time by then, plus some drugs, knocked me out and I slept for 8 hours so didn't meet him until later.
All fine in the end but I didn't even know I had a boy until then. 😊

I imagine most people see their babies within a few seconds.

Well my experience was different to most of those above. I had an emergency c-section at 36 weeks. They delivered the baby and DH told me he was a boy and doctors briefly showed me DS, held him above my head and I can remember he looked wrinkly and shocked. He eyes were really dark almost looked black.

They then whipped him away to the corner. He wasn’t breathing right so they then took him straight down to SCBU. DH went with him and then came back to me. I was stitched up and taken to recover on delivery ward. SCBU Dr came to see us and tell us what what happening. I remember them being there but couldn’t tell you what they said. I then went to sleep (I’d been on 15 minute observations all night so hadn’t slept, plus morphine!). Woke up at teatime and was fetched something to eat. I asked for my baby. They fetched him round and we had a cuddle but then both of us weren’t breathing right and had to go on oxygen. DS also wasn’t maintaining his temperature so they took him back to SCBU, I think I held him for about ten minutes. My midwife helped me to express milk to feed him but midwives fed him it. The next day when I could walk I was helped into the shower but managed to shower by myself. Dressed and then DH wheeled me to see him in SCBU.

SCBU nurse started telling us about him which really pissed me off at the time if I’m honest as I felt I should’ve known everything about him. He was also dressed in hospital clothes as he was low birth weight and nothing I had was small enough which also annoyed me (I know this is completely irrational and they were doing their jobs, and doing them well! But it’s the truth!) He was there for 4 days and I was transferred to private room on post natal. He came back to my room with me on day five and we stayed in until day 9.

So none of it went how I’d told myself it would and I found that quite difficult post natally. I would have a plan for what you’d like to happen but be prepared to roll with the reality and don’t beat yourself up for the reality either if you don’t experience what most mums do. We can’t control everything and ultimately we are both still here due to the actions of doctors/nurses and it could have gone the other way.

My babies were both lifted from the moment of birth straight to my chest and I was encouraged to feed. One hospital birth, one home birth. I had said I wanted to bf.

I have absolutely no recollection of the placentas being delivered.

They are 23 and 21 now!

Congratulations OP and enjoy your baby when they arrive. Like me, you'll blink and they'll be adults!

I had an emcs - baby showed over curtain, then taken for quick check and dh cut the cord (more ceremoniously thank anything as obviously the surgeon had cut it to move ds) then onto my chest (I had gown on though) and off for cuddles with dh whilst I was stitched up.
I had expressed some colostrum before birth and was too knackered to feed straight away so the nurse syringed in some whilst I cuddled ds.

As an aside, I had a nurse in the theatre who took pictures during the c section so i have photos from first cut to delivered baby which I love, gruesome as they are - I look back and feel a bit more present where I might not have if not ecms. If you're not squeamish can't hurt to ask!

First was a vaginal birth. Two midwives, no doctors. Baby was placed directly onto me still attached to their cord. After a minute or so, the cord was cut, but baby was left in place while we waited for the placenta to be delivered. As the placenta took its sweet time making its appearance (over 2 hours), baby was weighed, dressed and given to DH in the meantime. I think I had a doze. Once placenta was out I went to the loo, then came back for some stitching.

Second was an emergency C-section. For some reason nobody even asked if I wanted to hold my baby, so DH got to hold baby while I was being stitched up. Once I had been transferred to the bed ready to go to recovery, baby was put into bed with me, so I got some skin to skin then.

I think they weighed the babies and then passed them to me. We were then sent to the recovery area for an hour where we just cuddled the babies. Really lovely memories.

I had two c-section
The first one was an emergency under general anaesthesia so I was conked out for a bit and got to hold him once I was awake and coherent.
The second was a planned c-section and the plan was to hold my little girl right away and delay cord clamping but she got a lot of fluid in her nose and had to sit up. My partner held both babies for 1-2 hours before I did but they got some lovely skin to skin contact with him.