If you’ve never had a baby before you may be wondering ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ʀɪɢʜᴛ after you give birth. Things can move pretty quickly and it’s a very exciting time! There’s a lot that ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs in the initial 24 hours after you ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ. And, if you are expecting your first child, you might be ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍᴇᴅ with all that ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs after you give birth. Things ᴇsᴄᴀʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ Fᴀsᴛ in the ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ ʀᴏᴏᴍ and you don’t want to be ᴄᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏFF-ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ after all the work you did to ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ your munchkin. So, let’s dive into your first 24 hours after ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ your baby.
1.What will your baby be feeling?
Babies are ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ after birth, he will probably sleep most of those first few days, so get rest when you can. Babies have the scent ᴏF ᴠᴇʀɴɪx and ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ Fʟᴜɪᴅ after birth and this gives them a familiarity with life in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ. While you are getting to know baby, make sure you are skin to skin often. A baby being skin-to-skin very ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ ʜᴇʟᴘs ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ, ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ and ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʀᴀᴛᴇ after birth by helping them to feel safe and secure. It is also the vital initiation in the breastfeeding pathway.
Your baby should be able to recognize that you’re his or her mother by the sound of your voice and ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. It’s a familiar sound and it brings great comfort to your babe. When he is awake he will hear you and likely try to turn his sweet little head towards you. When he ɴᴜʀsᴇs your ᴄᴏʟᴏsᴛʀᴜᴍ will taste familiar like the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ Fʟᴜɪᴅ in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ and this will also be comforting. After skin to skin, your baby wɪʟʟ be handed over to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ sᴛᴀFF. This is when they completely ᴄʟᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴍ ᴜᴘ, put ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏɪɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ and give ᴠɪᴛᴀᴍɪɴ K ᴅʀᴏᴘs. ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏɪɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ is to prevent any ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ʀɪsᴋs of getting an ᴇʏᴇ ɪɴFᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ as a ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛ ᴏF ᴘᴀssɪɴɢ through the ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴄᴀɴᴀʟ. ᴠɪᴛᴀᴍɪɴ K is given as your baby’s ʟɪᴠᴇʀ may not be developed enough to produce it. ᴠɪᴛᴀᴍɪɴ K has ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴇxᴄᴇssɪᴠᴇ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ. The ɴᴜʀsᴇ wɪʟʟ then put on a ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ʙᴀɴᴅ on your ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴜɴᴄʜ ᴋɪɴ and take him or her with them.
2.What ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs To You, You Be Feeling?
You may feel exhilarated and elated at the arrival of your baby and ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴅʀᴇɴᴀʟɪɴ affect may prevent you from sleeping a great deal in the first 24 hours. Other women, feel ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛᴇᴅ, ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ and ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍᴇᴅ following the birth and welcome sleep at this point. If you had a normal ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀy, you wɪʟʟ continue to experience ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs at least until you ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ. These ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs are mild, but your ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ may ask you ᴛᴏ ᴘᴜsʜ ᴛᴏ Fᴀᴄɪʟɪᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss. Your sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ may also be gently pressed or ᴍᴀssaged to move the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ forward. There may be an extra gush of ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ following the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀy. In the case of C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ is removed before the closing of the ɪɴᴄɪsɪᴏɴ. Your ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ may also ᴍᴀssage the sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ to encouʀᴀɢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sʜʀɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴏF ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs.
After the ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀy of the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ, your ᴠɪᴛᴀʟs wɪʟʟ be checked by ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀɪɴɢ your ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ pressure. They wɪʟʟ also check how much ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ has been lost and see if everything is going well. Both you and your baby wɪʟʟ stay in the ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ ʀᴏᴏᴍ for a couple of hours. Later you wɪʟʟ be moved to ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏsᴛɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ᴡᴀʀᴅ. You wɪʟʟ be staying here for a night or two to make sure you are recovering properly. Fᴏʀ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ʙɪʀᴛʜs, this stay might extend to 2 more days. If you have decided to ʙʀᴇᴀsᴛfᴇᴇᴅ, the ɴᴜʀsᴇs wɪʟʟ help guide you through it. They wɪʟʟ tell how to hold your baby and initiate ʙʀᴇᴀsᴛfᴇᴇᴅing. Some women ʙʀᴇᴀsᴛfᴇᴇᴅ babies during the skin-to-skin contact period. As soon as you are settled in, the ⒾⓋ wɪʟʟ be removed from your arm if it’s not done already. It’ll be left in some cases if they feel you need it. You wɪʟʟ be asked to visit the bathroom soon enough to make sure everything is working fine ᴅᴏᴡɴ there. If you had an ᴇᴘɪᴅᴜʀᴀʟ, you wɪʟʟ be given a stand-up wheelchair to use when you ᴘᴇᴇ. The stand-up is given to use your legs as much as you can to promote quick recovery.
The best way to bond with your baby and make them feel loved, secure and contented, is to spend lots of time touching and cuddling them. Never be afraid that cuddling your baby too much will ‘sᴘᴏɪʟ’ them. Babies crave touch, and you’ll notice immediately that picking your little one up calms them if they’re crying or ᴜɴsᴇᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ. Sometimes they’ll be unhappy for no other reason than they want to be held. They ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ talk, so being ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ is the only way they can express their sociable nature.
