what happens after you give birth?

I've been reading birth stories( which are so helpful- by he way) and the ones I've read seem to end after the baby is born. What happens next? Do they take the baby right away to be cleaned and tested. Do you get to hold the baby? What else should I know about the process.....will I be able to tell them what I'd like to happen?

Re: what happens after you give birth?

for me dd was placed on me immediately (one of the most powerful moments of my life...I can still feel the warmth!)
Then they took her to clean her off and wrap her up....while the dr stitched me up
They gave her to my dh who sat with her in all his glory...then he gave her to me and I nursed her right there afterwards they took her and dh went with them while they really cleaned her up, tested her and what not...I was moved to my room they brought her in to my room for a while (it was already 9pm)I opted to send her to the nursery for a few hours so I could sleep...

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I had a c section and gestational diabetes. The Doctor held the baby above the curtain for .02 seconds for me to see. Then they took him to the corner of the room where they did the apgar and a few measurements, gave him a quick rub down cleaning, wrapped him up. That took a few minutes.

Then they brought him over to DH and let him hold him, got a few pictures. They were sewing me up.

They took DS to the nursery and really cleaned him up there, gave him a tiny bit of formula due to his sugar levels and jaundice testing. Put him under the lights.

Due to the GD and his sugar levels I didn't get to hold him until I got to my room four hours later. Then I got him for as long as I wanted. I delivered at 9:58pm so it was really late when I finally got him. I had been there since 8 am with DH. We decided to send him back to the nursery overnight except for feedings (I ebf after they brought him to me) and DH went home.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I had my baby at NorthShore Manhasset. I gave birth vaginally and thought that my baby was going to be given to me immediately, Wrong! She was pulled out and on too the table, saw her for 2 seconds, they weighed her, i think did the foot prints, cleaned her up. At the same time I am delivering the placenta and my dr. is sewing me up sorry but its the truth lol.
She was in the same room but not what I expected at all...maybe I had to tell them?
After 10-15 I was able to hold her for a little bit then she was taken to the nursery because it was 4am and I was exhausted and needed some rest! After that I was taken to the recovery room and was there the whole time.

During your stay at the hospital you can either have the baby sleep at the nursery or stay in your room. If you are planning to breast feed and decided to have your baby sleep in the nursery you should tell the nurses otherwise they will formula feed him/her and I know some moms are against that.

Nurses will check up on you, give you pain meds etc...

My hospital had sponge bathing classes and breast feeding classes which I took and was very helpful!

I am speaking on behalf of having a vaginal birth and on behalf of my hospital...good luck and congrats!!

Message edited 3/18/2012 4:53:45 PM.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

they cleaned ds up and did the tests in the room while the dr did the stitching. They had dh come over and take pictures of him while they were weighing him and stuff.

ds had breathing problems so they put him on me for a minute to see if he would get better, then whisked him away to the NICU.

They gave me juice, then I think I fell asleep and woke up when they transferred me to my room.

The one thing that annoyed me about Winthrop was... I know the girls here say they try to give you a private room. We'll my ds stayed in the NICU and they gave me a roomate who didn't have a baby in the NICU. So all day I saw the roomates baby with her while I was so out of it from the magnesium stuff for the preeclampsia that I couldn't even get out of bed.

Message edited 3/18/2012 5:01:47 PM.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I had a vaginal birth. I barely saw twin A and saw twin B for a moment longer. They were whisked away to the nicu

Re: what happens after you give birth?

They cleaned the baby, suction their nose, and wrap them up. They give them to you to hold. We spent a half hour with each baby alone and then we invited family in. You get about an hour, they move you to a room and take the baby. You get the baby back in an hour or two.

You. can keep the baby during the night or let them stay in the nursery, it was hard to do alone after birth, but I loved keeping the baby. My first they took to the nursery. Since I knew nothing about babies I was okay with it. My second I kept. I feel like the alone time allowed me to bond with the baby. It was so amazing.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

Re: what happens after you give birth?

After I had DD, I held her for a few minutes while they stitched ne up. They cleaned her up and gave her back to me. Our families were in the waiting room and they came into the room and visited with us and DD for about an hour before they even took her to the nursery. It was amazing that they got to see and hold her right away.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I delivered vaginally.

Once she was born, they put her on my chest/belly for me to touch while DH cut the cord. I had her for probably 3 minutes. Then they took her across the room to be cleaned off and dried and swaddled. I delivered the placenta at this time.

After she was swaddled, they gave her back to me....I was allowed to hold her for up to an hour, I think I had her for about 25 minutes. Then they took her to the nursery to be weighed, measured, her apgar, her vit k shot, the eye goo and to be cleaned off. DH went with her, this was the time I was eating dinner and being stitched. Best meal of my life let me tell you. It had been so long since I ate!

Once she was clean, DH wheeled her into the delivery room...and then the 3 of us went down to my room.

I went to sleep around 8pm that night, so I really had no alone time with her, I was so tired that I didn't really care.

The next AM, they brought her in at 6am, so I could give her a bottle for the first time

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I delivered vaginally and did not see him at all they whisked him away to be cleaned up. My DH was over there with him. I was being stitched up and they were having issues with geting my blood pressure down. Once I was stitched up they let me hold him. In the mean time my DH held him after he was cleaned up

Re: what happens after you give birth?

Thank you all so much for the replies. it seems like everybody has such a different experience. I really appreciate the help!

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I gave birth vaginally, they showed him to me right away, wiped him down and weighed him while I delivered the placenta and was stitched up (pretty quickly) -- then they swaddled him and handed him to me for a few minutes, I think it was about 20 minutes?

he was in the same room the whole time -- then as they took out my epi and put me in the wheelchair to bring me to my room, DH went with the baby to the nursery (DH waited outside but watched them do their thing)

As soon as he was finished in the nursery we took him back to my room and he stayed until I went to sleep -- he was born at 11am so I had him ALL day with me.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I delivered vaginally as well and after she was born they put her right on my chest and the nurse wiped her down while she was on my chest and she stayed there with me doing "skin to skin" for the next hour and a half. I specifically requested this and Stony Brook was very supportive. After that hour and a half then they took her and weighed her and the rest of the family came in to meet her. It was such a wonderful and special time having that bonding time with her.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

After delivery they put DS directly on my chest and wiped him down as I cuddled him for about 5 minutes. DH cut the cord and they suctioned his nose also while he was laying on me. Then they weighed him and wrapped him, gave him back to me to nurse. I had him for about an hour before they took him for a bath. I had a few visitors in the delivery room after I was stitched who held him.

My DD was the same exact thing =)

ETA: StonyBrook University

Message edited 3/20/2012 1:51:09 PM.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I was at Good Sam and had a vaginal delivery. They put him on me and I held him while they stitched me up. Then they were nice enough to allow my family to come in to see him. I had him for about 30 mins to an hour before they took him away to do whatever they do. Then they took me to my room, oriented me to it, brought me something to drink and then I tried to rest for a little while (it was the middle of the night) but I was still so pumped up so I was sending out my texts. They had asked if I wanted to feed him his first bottle so they brought him in to me around 5 a.m. around 6ish, the resident came to check on me. Then they came and collected him around 7ish I want to say so they could care for him, give him his circumcision, etc. Around 8, my OB came to see me. Then I ate breakfast and showered. Then, when visiting hours began at 9 a.m., I was promptly baraged by visitors.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

depends on the circumstances. I needed to have a c-section after 28.5 hours of labor. The meds combo made me nauseous during the c so I was a shaky mess, couldn't hold ds is i wanted to (which i of course did)

because i needed to go to recovery for a couple hours I held him a few hours later...dh did get to hold him before i did.

I dont think my story is the norm, but it does happen

Re: what happens after you give birth?

If you give birth vaginally at Stony Brook, they do not take the baby from you anymore. The baby is cleaned up in your room, weighed, etc. with you there. They take the approach that the mother should not be separated from the child right after birth. Not sure how it works with a c-section there.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I had an unplanned c section. I have no idea what happens because I was on another planet since i had major pain during the surgery they pumped me with meds after the baby was out. They did give my ds to my dh after he was clean and all wrapped up. When they were prepping me I remember them telling me there was a pediatrician in the room during the surgery.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I would tell them what you want.

Immediately after she was born, she was placed on me while my husband cut the cord. They then took her and cleaned her, weighted her, swaddled her, dr checked her out, etc ALL in my room while I delivered the placenta, stitched up, etc.

Then I got to hold her and nurse her. My husband held her. My mom, dad, MIL came in to hold her. Again, this was all in L&D room.

Then they brought her to the nursery to give her a bath. My husband went with her at first.

I was required to pee a certain amount, but I could not pee at all/ We waited a little, but I couldn't pee and they wouldnt let me go to my maternity room until I did. I had to have a catheter go in. This part was HORRIBLE :( They kept missing the spot. OMGGG I just wanted sleep and to hold my baby girl again.

Finally, they brought me to my new room. I had the nurse bring my babygirl to me. Nursed her again and SLEPT! Until nurses, drs, and my family and friends would come and wake me up! LOL

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I delivered at NSUH...as soon as she was born my doctor cut the cord (it was around her neck). I do not remember exactly the order but I did hold DD for a decent amount of time as soon as she was born. I believe it was before pushing out the placenta and being stitched up. Maybe she was even in the room getting weighed..I cannot remember. They did take her (which they said they would do during the hospital tour). By the time I was cleaned up & admitted into a room (about 1.5-2 hrs later) she was back with me.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I had att 3 of mine at SB and each experience is different. With #1 after she was born they were assessing her and showed her to me after her first cry. She had the cord wrapped around her so they were assessing her first before worrying about me seeing her. All the while the dr was delivering the placenta. Once the apgar was done and they put the drops in her eyes i was given her to hold and probalby held her for about an hour until they had my room ready.
With DD#2 I was given her immedietly after birth to hold, they took her for a few minutes to do the measurements, footprints etc. Gave her back to me for maybe 15 minutes to nurse. once she was done, they took her to the nursery to be cleaned up and once I was settled in my room I had her room in with me.
With #3 they gave her to me right after birth. We started to notice some breathing difficulties and they put her in the crib thing in the room had the NICU drs in immedietly and were assessing her. We were probably in the L&D room about 4-5 hours with her before they decided that she could go to the nursery and that her problems resolved themselves.

Re: what happens after you give birth?

I don't think they offered for me to hold her.
ALthough I can't be too sure of anything because I was like in another world.
I was just SOOOO glad that it was over, that the pain was over the instant she came out, that I was numb to everything else.
I just got dead quiet . It seemed sureal.
I remember DH cutting the cord, and then they whisked her over to the warmer thing to get weighed, cleaned up, etc- and he went with her.
The Dr just started stitching me up at that point and i just layed there in a daze.
After she was all clean and wrapped up in a blanket with a hat on, they brought her to me to hold.