What did you do after delivery? - Page 2

[treehugginmama]

After m/w checked baby and we got baby situated I got in the shower. M/W and DH switched the sheets on my bed while I was in there. When I was done showering I got back in bad with baby and styed there for about a week.

[LittleLu'sMom]

My MW and her apprentices helped me upstairs to our room. They made sure I went to the bathroom ok, helped me clean up, and got me situated in bed with baby and hubby. I stayed there while our families visited, called a few friends and my boss to let them know baby was here, drank some juice, and ate some dinner. My daughter came in and we snuggled and introduced her to her new little brother (she's almost 2). A while later, I moved downstairs to watch a movie with H and baby, then we went to bed. I had some discomfort, but it was so minor that by the next day I felt fine.

[Munki'sMom]

Oh after was just wonderful. Baby and I took a long warm herbal bath together. I then got out and put my gown on and sat in bed while the MW did his assesement. My mom made me eggs and toast and we all just talked about it all and loved on the new baby. It was really really nice. I felt GREAT after I had him.

[MamaQuest]

Immediately after birth, with both my HBs, I took a quick shower, and then cuddled up in bed with my baby, just staring at him, knowing I should sleep, but unable to take my eyes off him for several hours while he figured out nursing, and snuggling, and just being on this side of life. Looking back, both times I should have tried harder to sleep, but I didn't, and probably won't this time either. Babies are almost hypnotic to me

[weliveintheforest]

Immediately after the birth I had a quick shower (I was covered in meconium, and he was born in the bathroom anyway) and then got into bed to introduce dd to ds and nurse him. Then I ate, called family, and tried to rest.

[zoebird]

i describe a bit at the end of my birthstory (linked in my sig), but the basics were that i gave birth and immediately walked to the tub where i had a warm bath, the placenta came out in the bath (and i put it in a bowl). the baby was attached to the placenta for the night.

after getting out of the bath, i put on a warm robe and held the baby skin-to-skin. we had some yogurt (dad and i), and then i went to bed. we slept from about 2 or 3 am until about 9 am, and then my parents came over around 11:30 or 12. I called them just after we woke up.

i took a shower that morning, we cut the cord before my parents arrived, and my husband did the clean up, which was minimal (a couple of bathmats on the bed, our sheets, the towels (two), and the bit of blood on the floor. it wasn't a very bloody birth at all.

my parents went out and got me some muffins (i really wanted muffins).

[Emmeline II]

Ate chinese food and watched Zoro returns in bed.

• 30min after birth mw#1 arrives. I'm still in the bathtub, where the babe was born, nursing.
• 30min after #1 arrives the placenta is born.
• Mws #2 and #3 arrive (#1 was closest but was not actually my mw); we get checked out. After and hour in the tub I'm not interested in a shower or bath so I get out and am fed (I had 2 PB&Js and gatorade), watered.
• I tried to pee; tried to hard and had to deal with a pph.
• Got back in bed, mw does the birth certificate, mws leave (there about 2hrs), MIL brings back toddler and chinese food, eat food and watch Zoro Returns on dh's lap top.

[Gena 22]

After all the birthing business was done, my MWs and mother went home. We'd been up all night. My ILs came by and helped with everything! DH and I slept with my twins next to us in a Pack n Play. My ILs brought us food, and changed baby diapers.

So grateful that we had help that first day and night!

[angelapittman]

After Holly was born, I stayed in the birth tub for a few minutes, just enjoying holding my new baby and waiting for the cord to stop pulsing to cut it. My friends asked me if I needed anything, to which I replied I was hungry. They said they would get me anything so I told them exactly what I craved at the time: a double cheeseburger from Burger King and french fries from McDonalds .My midwife had all the men (father-in-law, friend's husbands, etc) go into the other room while I got out and birthed the placenta on a chair with a vinyl table cloth underneath to protect the carpet. MW and her apprentice helped me into the bedroom where I got a few stitches, then they helped me into the bathroom to potty and cleanse with the peri bottle and put on my pad and underwear. I then went to the living room and chatted with my friends and family and ate my yummy meal.

[the_lissa]

After the baby nursed, I had a shower. Then we all just stayed in bed, snuggled, watched tv, called people, etc.

I went out the next day.

[ZoeyZoo]

I had dd in the hallway and Dh helped me into bed with the baby after I rubbed her down. The MW checked me and we spent the next 3 hours delivering the placenta, stitching a tear, did a little BFing, ate a bowl of cereal and drank juice, and trying to confirm my cervix shrunk. DD fell asleep in DH's arms after being out for about an hour. I felt fine physically just a little swollen which made it hard to sit on hard objects. Since it was 3 am before all this was done I just wanted to go to bed and sleep.

The MW wanted to make sure I rested as much as possible but I went to the grocery store and picked up take out within 24 hours.

[ryansma]

Ds2 was born in the birth pool (fishy pool) set up in our finished basement. I held him for a while in the tub, wrapped in towels. After about 20 minutes maybe more we moved to the pull out bed of our sofa.. I nursed him, we gazed at him adoringly, my ds1 woke up from nap and came down to meet him. I delivered the placenta. Another hour or more after that we cut the cord, weighed and measured him and got him dressed. The midwives checked me out while dh held the babe then I made my way to the main floor for some oj and sitting on the couch with him. A while after my mom helped me up the shower on the upper level (in our bedroom) and dh came up and showered with me whlie my mom held the baby. My in laws showed up not long after that and we ordered pizza.

[bsideu4ever]

After the birth I got in bed, nursed and got stitched up. I had a lot of PP bleeding and was too dizzy to get out of bed. I didn't actually feel like getting up and doing things until day 3!

[groovynaturemama]

i just sat there and stared at my baby for what seemed like an hour. all the while i was being tended to, fed, made to drink, got some skid marks sewn up so it didn't burn when i peed, etc, but all i was conciously aware of was my baby. dh dressed the baby after a while and i just stared at her. then i got up to pee and shower. we got into bed as a family, but i was so high on the birth that i had a hard time falling asleep. i stayed in bed for a couple days, but got stir crazy and had to at least venture out into the living room on day 3.

[haurelia]

Stayed in the pool with DS for about 30 mins, got out to the couch and nursed a bit, still waiting for placenta. Cut the cord, gave DS to DH and went upstairs to try to pee and birth my placenta...after it finally came out, MWs and apprentices tucked me in with my baby in our bed, stitched me up and did the baby's exam. My doula fed me a snack and some homeopathics, and they cleaned up and left us to sleep (LO was born at 2am).
The entire next day was spent with just the three of us, sleeping, eating, loving, phone calls. Our MW came by with some bath herbs and chocolate for me, and checked us over. Our pediatrician came over to check DS.
BLISS!!

[Surfer Rosa]

Originally Posted by Overthemoon

This is my first home birth so I'm sort of unsure what to expect after delivery.
Can you share what you did after delivery? Did you feel good enough to get up and shower? Did you stay in bed? Did you find much discomfort after or were you fine to say sit with the family and watch TV after?
I'm sort of trying to envision how it's going to go after I have the baby, but I'm drawing a blank and would just love to know what you all did.
Thanks!

Lay in bed with babe, nursed, then my MWs ran a bath for me. DH stayed with the baby while they did a thorough check, and they cleaned up the room. I got into clean clothes, had something to eat, and just hung out with DH and DS for a bit, til DD came home with MIL and we hung out as a family. Then I SLEPT!!! It was lovely!

[MrsJewelsRae]

I nursed dd till she was done, took an herbal bath with her, got up and made toast and tea (though the midwives were telling me sit down and let them do stuff!), then sat and stared at her surrounded by my entire family (dh's parents, my parents, my 2 sisters, ds and dh. It was wonderful. I had no tearing so was fairly comfortable till the after pains set in the next morning.

[Eresh]

After DS was born we stayed on the bed and cuddled for a while. He wasn't interested in nursing but just staring at me and DH. During that time I birthed the placenta, then the mws did a basic exam (bp, hr, temp, peri on me and hr, temp on DS). After an hour or so I got up and took a shower. I'd been in labor about 24 hrs and just felt grimy. The birth assistant kept checking on me, which was kind of funny. I actually felt great! While I was in the shower they gave DS his vit K shot, changed the bed, and did general cleanup. After the shower, I got my tear stitched up and they did the newborn exam. Then DS finally latched on real good. When he was done I had some quiche and a glass of orange juice, then we all went to sleep (it was about 2am by then).

One thing the MW recommended was for the first few days not wear any underwear as much as possible to allow lots of air circulation to help things heal. So I didn't even get dressed for a day after the birth. I just kept a chux pad underneath me in bed to avoid bleeding on everything. I slept that way for about a week and wore pads soaked in witch hazel and frozen for a couple of days during the day. Everything ended up healing very quickly.

Maybe TMI, but one other thing that my bradley instructor suggested is to take a stool softener immediately after the birth so that the first bm isn't painful.