Baby's first hours
Once your baby is delivered, all the attention will be given to her and rightly so. She may cry when delivered and will cry lustily a few seconds after birth. She'll probably be a bluish-white colour and may be covered with vernix - a white, cheesy substance that protects her skin in the womb. She'll have streaks of blood on her and, depending on your delivery, her head may look slightly pointed after her journey down the birth canal.
Baby's first moments
© Jupiter
If her breathing is normal, there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't hold her immediately. If there's a danger of her being cold, you can be covered with a towel or blanket. Your gentle stroking movements and the sound of your heartbeat and voice will reassure your baby. Her eyes will almost certainly fasten on your face and she may scrabble as if trying to swim towards you.
Cutting the cord
The first procedure is the clamping of the cord. Some doctors believe that a baby benefits from the return of placental blood through the umbilical cord, and that the cord should not be clamped until it stops pulsating. Others believe that this could cause the baby to develop anaemia. At the appropriate time, two clamps are applied to the cord, one a short distance from the navel, the other about 2.5cm (1in) away from the first clamp. These clamps prevent the cord from bleeding, the one closest to your baby being the most important. The cord is then cut between the clamps. It may have been clamped and cut during delivery if it was looped tightly around your baby's neck.
Her general condition
The midwife will check your baby's general condition. She'll remove any fluid remaining in your baby's mouth, nose, or air passages by sucking it out with disposable plastic tubing. If your baby doesn't start to breathe immediately, the midwife will take her and give her oxygen.
Welcoming your baby
Once the midwifery and medical staff have checked that both you and your baby are well, by all means ask them to leave if you want to be left alone in the warmth of your house or hospital birthing room with your partner and your baby. If you've had an episiotomy you may have to wait until after you've been stitched; your midwife or doctor will be able to make a much neater repair if you're stitched as soon as possible after the birth before the tissues swell. Once this is done, you can relax after your hard work and enjoy this amazing new experience together. It's a good idea to put your baby to your breast immediately because it stimulates delivery of the placenta, even if your baby isn't hungry at first.
Spend these first few moments concentrating on your baby, getting to know her, learning to recognize her face, and cooing at her so that she can hear the sound of your voice. Ideally, hold her about 20-25cm (8-10in) away from your face - at this distance she can make out your face quite clearly. Smile and talk gently in a sing-song voice, because newborn babies are attuned to high vocal pitches.
Encourage your partner to hold his baby for the first time within half an hour of the birth. Men can bond as deeply and as quickly with their newborn children as women do.
After this initial bonding process, you'll be washed down and asked to pass urine to make sure that everything's in working order. You can then change and the midwives will check your baby more thoroughly.
A more thorough check
Shortly after birth (in addition to the Apgar score), the doctor or midwife will make some specific checks on your baby. The doctor will check that her facial features and her body proportions are normal. She'll be turned over to check that her back is normal and there are no indications of spina bifida. Her anus is checked, as are her fingers and toes. The number of blood vessels in the umbilical cord is recorded - there are usually two arteries and one vein. Your baby will then be weighed, and her head circumference, and possibly her body length measured. All this takes only a few minutes in the hands of an experienced doctor or midwife.
Apgar score
Within a minute of your baby's birth, five simple assessments on her condition are carried out to check that she is fit and healthy. These are recorded on the Apgar score (named after Dr Virginia Apgar, who devised it). The Apgar score includes the following checks.
Activity (movement) during the first hours
Gives an indication of your baby's muscle tone. Active movements score 2, some movements 1, limp scores 0.
Pulse/heart rate
This measures the strength and regularity of your baby's heartbeat: 100 beats per minute scores 2, below 100 scores 1, no pulse scores 0.
Grimace (crying)
Crying and grimacing can show that your baby responds to stimuli. Crying scores 2, whimpering 1, silence 0.
Appearance (skin colour)
This shows how well your baby's lungs are working to oxygenate her blood. Pink skin scores 2, bluish extremities 1, totally blue skin scores 0.
Respiration (breathing)
This checks the maturity and health of your baby's lungs. Regular breathing scores 2, irregular 1, none 0.
Most babies score between seven and 10. A second test is done about five minutes after the first.
Your baby's identification
Before your baby leaves the delivery room, she'll have some identification fastened to her, so that all the staff know she's yours.
Plastic bracelets will usually be sealed around both your baby's wrist and her ankle. The identifying bracelets must remain on your baby at all times while she's in hospital. These bracelets are usually marked with:
- your surname (she'll be referred to by the staff as “baby Brown” for example)
- her date of birth
- an identification number (an identification number is used by most hospitals for both you and your baby).
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In addition to the above:
- her footprints may be taken
- her cot may be marked with her name and number.
Like many parents, you may want to keep your baby's identity bracelets as souvenirs. As your child grows, it'll soon amaze you that her wrists and ankles could ever have been quite so tiny.
Posted 16.11.2010
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