Immediately after the birth - what happens?

[Mama Metis]

We are planning a home water birth, and have been thinking about the immediate postpartum period and what it might be like. If you've had a homebirth, can you describe what this time was like, and maybe things you liked or didn't like? I'm thinking really practical stuff, like - How fast did you get out of the birth pool (if applicable)? How long did the baby stay on your chest/breastfeed? Did you take a shower afterward? Did you watch the newborn exam? Did you wash or dress your baby? How long did your midwives stay? Things like that! Thanks in advance!

[sharita]

I have had two so far.  My first wasn't a water birth, second was.  After first, I gave birth in my bed, He was immediately put on my chest and I attempted to breastfeed but he wasn't interested at the time.  He wasn't rushed to cry just allowed to look around and figure out he was born.  They did rub him down a little to get him to take his first breath and he pinked right away.

  my other kids were woke up all sleepy to come meet their brother.  Then as I was led to the bathroom by the birth assistant and into the shower to kinda just clean up a bit, the midwife began the newborn asessment.  I came back to bed and laid there and was offered a protein snack or meal and they finished with him.  He was after some time, weighed, and my oldest who was only 5 got to cut the cord after it stopped pulsing.  The midwives and birth assistant got everything cleaned up and I didn't have to worry about anything.  The last midwife stayed about 3 hours total after the birth to make sure we were all settled in and things were good. 

After my last which was a waterbirth, I had him, and he was again placed immediately on my chest.  This one was a cryer though.  Nothing could calm him except my finger in his mouth.  I guess he was born hungry but I still had on my sports bra and was trying to deliver the placenta so couldn't feed him yet.  I had a bit of trouble with the placenta as it only partially detached (some of the membranes stuck) so I had to get out of the pool and to the birthing stool to try and deliver it completely.  It finally detached and I was ushered to the bed.  She did the newborn exam with him right next to me on the bed again.  I was too woozy from bleeding just a little too much from the placenta issue to shower so they just helped me clean up a bit and empty my bladder.  After all the excitement with me died down, I was able to breastfeed.  This is what my little hungry guy wanted all along because my finger was only working halfway.  He finally hushed as soon as he was fed.  They stayed 2-3 hours getting everything cleaned up and getting us tucked into bed for the rest of the night for bonding and rest.  It was great.

Most midwives stay 2-3 hours, come back and 1 and/or 3 days postpartum and then again at 1 week maybe then at 6 weeks for your official postpartum.  I LOVED having my own bed that first night and all the peace and quiet and no nurses every half hour waking you for something.  Nothing beats it.

[sharita]

Oh and I forgot, my midwife is very big on mom and baby having skin to skin contact for the first 48 hours and didn't want me dressing baby but keeping him on my chest.  I however, was dying to get him into his first little outfit for a pic and could only wait a few hours.  I did let him sleep in just a tee though next to me.

[erin057]

After reading this thread, I'm now also curious!  This will be our first home birth, and I guess I never really thought about what to expect afterwards.  I'm sure it will be much different than last time at the hospital. 

Definitely looking forward to being in our own space, having our bed, and not having nurses coming in and waking us! 

[L&K'smommie]

My third was my first homebirth and he was born in our tub. After he was born I had to get right out to deliver the placenta as I have some bleeding issues so my mw wants to monitor me closely. So I laid flat on my back for an hour an a half to two hours so she could keep an eye on my bleeding(this is not normal). Bad I lay there I held my little boy almost the entire time. We were trying to get him to nurse as this helps your uterus contract but he wasn't hungry. After my bleeding was under control I was able to get up and get in bed. I was there for just a bit until I got back in the tub(I didn't have a shower in the master bath) and cleaned up...we even had my little guy in the tub too...he LOVED it...went right to sleep. After that I got back in bed and the MW's gave us some time to ourselves(which they said they normally do within the first hour). Then they came back in and did the newborn exam on our bed so we watched the whole thing. Not long after that the MW's left. They did clean up all the trash and started some laundry too. They were there for about 5-6 hours after the birth which I think is longer than normal.

HTH!


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[JamieCatheryn]

I had the baby while kneeling on my floor a little after midnight, then sat down and held him a few minutes, then delivered the placenta. We put the placenta in a bag in a small bucket and dh and mw changed my bedsheets. I laid down on the bed on some underpads and nursed baby for half an hour, then the mw helped dh cut the cord and she started the newborn exam on the bed beside me. I went and used the bathroom and I think I showered at that point, DH held baby after the exam was done til I finished showering. I laid down and snuggled my baby wrapped in  a receiving blanket and tried to sleep the rest of the night. At some point he pooped meconium without a diaper on so I threw out that blanket cleaned him up and dressed him. DS1 came in and met his brother in the morning, we'd woke him to show him in the middle of the night but he was sleepy and didn't like the crying DS2 when just born so went back to bed. My friend who had come over to watch DS1 during labor made eggs for breakfast and helped with dishes and things, her parents picked her up late morning. DH took care of household stuff and I sat around with baby for a week or so.

[Youngfrankenstein]

I sat on a birth stool to push and ended up on hands and knees to get her out.  The midwife passed her through my legs into my arms and help me get back up onto the birth stool.  I just sat there holding the baby while they mw wrapped her in a towel and listened to her heart.  I have no idea how long I sat there, I'd say 10-15 minutes while the kids came over to look at the baby and me to say "Man, that was HARD!".

Then they asked if I wanted to get into the bed so they helped me.  I held the baby but we moved slowly because I wanted to and because the placenta was still inside.  I laid in bed and rested while I was helped to put a new shirt on....there was baby poo all over the other one.  So I laid there with the babe until the placenta started to come down....um....maybe 20 minutes after the birth.  I think then dh cut the cord and everyone, yes everyone, except me crammed into the bathroom to watch her examine the placenta.  I think I got help sitting up to nurse her.  And someone brought me something to eat.When I felt ready, I let them do the newborn exam on the bed.  Then they wrapped her up like a burrito and daddy took her while the two midwives helped me get a shower.  They told me to make sure and pee.  After that I was back in bed and the visitors arrived and I sat and held the baby and such.  The mw cleaned everything up including the carpet which got baby poo all over it.  They stayed for 2 hours after the birth, I think.

I hope that answers your questions.

[Lynn08]

I had the same MW (but different assistants) for both my HBs.  The births were each so completely different, but I'll relate as much as I can recall.

HB#1 (08/08 @ 9:50am):  After almost 28 hours of labor and very little sleep the previous 48, immediately after the birth is a bit hazy.  She was born in the living room, but we somehow ended up in the side bedroom, where we nursed and did the newborn exam.  I also birthed the placenta in there, but the order of things escapes me.  And at some point after the exam, MIL came over and dressed DD1.  I do remember the MW kept asking me if I was hungry, and I wasn't but finally agreed to a yogurt and some herbal tea.  After they left, DH and I slept (w/DD1) for several hours before having visitors.  It wasn't until the next day that I realized the MW had washed all the towels/sheets used during the birth and generally cleaned up after me.   That's about as much detail as I remember. 

HB#2 (01/11 @ 11pm):  Much more lucid this time around due to a nap in the afternoon and a shorter labor (about 7 hours).  It actually was an unintentional water birth.  I drew a bath to soak during contractions (thought I had several hours to go) and DD2 was born less than 15 minutes later!  I put her to my chest right away and got her to latch.  DD1 and MIL came up to meet DD2 but only stayed a minute as it was pretty crowded in the bathroom.  We stayed in the tub until the cord stopped pulsing and Dh cut it.  Then I birthed the placenta (DH had taken DD2) and got out, dried off and got into bed.  DH brought me the baby to nurse while the MW was cleaning up (drained the tub, washed the towels, etc).  The assistant was asking me questions and filling out her paperwork.  Then they did the newborn exam in the room with me, DH, DD1 and MIL; DH dressed her and passed her back to me to nurse.  Again, MW kept pushing food, so I again ate yogurt (but only after she told me she had to stay until I ate something).   They finally left (about 1am) and MIL went home.  DH put DD1 to bed and then we both finally passed out around 2am.  The next few days, DH took care of everything!  He brought me meals, changed all diapers, entertained DD1, everything.  I only got out of bed after a day or so because I was bored and missing the family.

Hope that helps and Good Luck!!!! 

[*MamaJen*]

Let's see...I had a home water birth for my first and only. It was a really easy and simple labor, and DS was born right after midnight. Immediately after he was born, the midwives pulled amniotic sac off him (he was born in the caul with waters unbroken, pretty cool) and helped me maneuver my leg over the cord, since I was on my hands and knees when I pushed him out and he was behind me. We sat in the tub gasping and oohing for a couple minutes, and then the midwives asked if I was ready to get out, and I said I was.

Then helped me step over to the sofa a couple of feet away, which they had already laid out with sheets and chux pads and stuff. I lay there for about the next hour, holding the baby and talking with everyone.

The memory is very hazy, but it was a happy, Christmas morning type feeling. I'm not sure exactly what order everything happened, but I remember pushing out the placenta, they cut the cord after it stopped pulsing, the midwives made me the best grilled cheese I ever had in my life, the baby nursed for the first time, I took an absolutely divine hot bath with herbs while DS's dad held him. At some point, we moved to the bedroom, and the midwives weighed and measured DS.

I don't know exactly how four hours passed, since it really didn't feel like that long, but I know the midwives finally packed up and left around 4 a.m. and we went to sleep.

[Mama Metis]

Thanks everyone! I'm enjoying reading about your experiences. They've given me some good ideas, like setting up a comfy area to rest near the tub, which is on a different floor from my bed. 

[goldenwillow]

Home water birth here.  First and only. 

My labor was 7 hours and I went in and out of the tub as I got too warm sitting in it.  When out of the tub I birthed on ball.  I was really uncomfortable laying down in any position.  I delivered our son in the tub (on hands and knees) and we sat there for about 45 mins while the cord pulsed.  I got out and my husband held him while our birth attendant (MW/ND in training) weighed him and I delivered the placenta on a birthing chair in my kitchen.   Off to the living room and our MW finalized all the newborn stats.  Our MW explained the tree of life through our placenta while her attendant cleaned up our home.  I nursed him after I delivered the placenta.  They drained the tub into our garden, ate a peanut butter sandwich on homemade bread my husband made and left about 3 hours after our son was born.  It was amazing to watch the sun rise, have a clean house with this beautiful little person lying with us, absolutely amazing.  Kind of a trip to be honest.  I remember staring at our son that morning and my husband and I were like "what just happened?".  Our MW came back the next day to check on us. 

I recommend writing your birth story as soon as you can.  Maybe have someone take notes during your labor.  We only had the 4 of us there.  Well, my dog and cat too!

[mamahen2coop]

Originally Posted by erin057 

After reading this thread, I'm now also curious!  This will be our first home birth, and I guess I never really thought about what to expect afterwards.  I'm sure it will be much different than last time at the hospital. 

Definitely looking forward to being in our own space, having our bed, and not having nurses coming in and waking us! 

Me too! I'm due the end of July which is one of the hottest times here in the PNW so I'm actually hoping to deliver in a pool outside. Maybe I can have some lounge chairs and blankets out there too. But if it's night, or randomly too cold or windy, we'll be inside somewhere. I have no idea where I'll want to labor or deliver. I labored in the tub with DS before we went to the hospital but I dont intend to deliver in the tub. I think I'll have a birthing pool of some sort maybe near the kitchen since there's no carpet. I just cant picture where I'd want to deliver if I cant be outside.

Any other helpful hints for making afterwards easier?
Someone once said to have a set of sheets on the bed then the waterproof mattress cover then another set of sheets so you just have to take them off and the bed's already made. I'm hoping to get my act together and have some dinners in the freezer for DH to make.

[*MamaJen*]

Originally Posted by mamahen2coop 



Any other helpful hints for making afterwards easier?
Someone once said to have a set of sheets on the bed then the waterproof mattress cover then another set of sheets so you just have to take them off and the bed's already made. I'm hoping to get my act together and have some dinners in the freezer for DH to make.

The midwives took care of all of that for me, and it was really nice not having to think about it. For afterwards, it's definitely a good idea to have food in the freezer or easy to make things on hand. A lot of people have things like scrambled eggs after a birth, which the midwife or birth partner cooks up. Depending on time of day, a lot of people will order in food as well. I was totally uninterested in food during labor, but after the baby was born I was ravenous.

[XanaduMama]

dd was born at 8:45am. I hung out in the pool until we saw the gush of blood that meant the placenta had detached; then I decided to get out to deliver the placenta. dd had a very short cord, so it was a bit tricky climbing out while holding her, but we managed, and I squatted over a bowl to birth the placenta before collapsing onto the recliner we had next to the pool. The MW stitched my (very minor, superficial) tears while I gazed adoringly at dd, BFd her a bit etc, and eventually we decided to cut the cord once it was white, thin and limp (not sure how long that took--maybe 20-30 mins?). Then the MW weighed dd and checked her out, daddy got a cuddle, and I went upstairs and ran myself a bath to clean off. Came back downstairs, and we hung out on the couch while my mom made us breakfast. HEAVEN!

Later that morning I took a nap with dd, but most of the day we spent on the couch in the living room watching March Madness, friends came over to visit, etc. The MW stayed maybe 2 hours after the birth, cleaned everything up, made sure we were ok, then came back the next day. I have the happiest memories of the immediate aftermath of dd's birth! Wishing you the same.

(PS-- I highly recommend investing in some Depends: amazing for labor after ROM, but especially for the first week or so afterward)

[Max'sMama]

Originally Posted by Mama Metis 

We are planning a home water birth, and have been thinking about the immediate postpartum period and what it might be like. If you've had a homebirth, can you describe what this time was like, and maybe things you liked or didn't like? I'm thinking really practical stuff, like - 

How fast did you get out of the birth pool (if applicable)? I was out before I delivered, so that is moot here!

How long did the baby stay on your chest/breastfeed? Somewhere in the 30-60 minute area

Did you take a shower afterward? Yes, when the midwives were making food for me, I felt grody and wanted to be clean

Did you watch the newborn exam? Yes, it happened on me!

Did you wash or dress your baby? Yes & Yes, Dressed baby about 2 hours later, washed baby later that night when I had rested a while.

How long did your midwives stay? Around 3 hours or so.

I agree with the depends. That or gauzy pad underwear.  Just toss when it's over.  Not super eco-friendly, but for ease afterbirth...I love those.  I liked with my last homebirth having a friend there to take care of my older kids, but the best gift she gave me was to grab my camera and start snapping pictures, not necessarily of me, but of those that were sharing the journey.  I have a couple of great ones of my MW, my husband and awesome ones that showed what my kids were doing during labor.  I will treasure those forever.  

I agree that having a couch or pallet that you can crash onto after birth is great idea.  A necessity almost. I know that my mw prefer that you not do the stairs in your house more than once a day (if necessary) for the first week, to give your undercarriage a rest! Since I want to birth in the basement (my cave of sorts) I need to rest before I head to the main level, we have a futon that we use afterbirth.  I also buy an extra big pack of chux pads for labor that way I can have them for after the birth too.  I like to be able to sit on those for the first few days of nursing, when the gushes occur

After ease tincture is great to have on hand too, in case your afterpains are particularly harsh.  I also set up a 'command throne' (as my husband calls it) for afterward, it has my phone, computer, a camera (all on/about a coffee table by my rocker) , space for snacks, my knitting, a book etc that can keep me occupied for marathon nursing sessions or for times when I am too tired or sore to get up and move about.  I also have a basket there for baby with wipes and water to wet them, diapers and a wet bag for the cloth that needs to be washed.  

[lkvosu]

I gave birth on my bed, and I recommend the set up described by the pp - fitted sheet over mattress, waterproof sheet on top of that, and then another fitted sheet on top.  My waterproof sheet was actually a plastic table cloth. You know, the red plaid picnic ones. It fit perfectly over our queen bed and nothing soaked through it. It was *so* nice to lay in clean bed that night with such little effort. After ds came out, he was placed on my chest immediately . I get teary eyed thinking about that sweet beautiful moment! Anyway, I delivered the placenta shortly thereafter, probably within 15-20 minutes. Then we got him to latch and even take a few sucks. After that, my midwife's assistant did the newborn exam with ds right next to me in the bed. My doula brought me some orange juice and a granola bar while the exam was going on. I remember brushing my hair and wiping down my face with clean wet rag after I ate. You can actually see in my avatar how sweaty and disheveled I was. Btw - that pic was taken within minutes of his birth, if that gives you a visual. All of that took place within the first hour. In fact, I don't think I got out of that bed, or really even moved much, for at least an hour after he was born. When I did get up, I think to try to pee, blood came gushing out of me all over my floor! The midwives quickly cleaned it up with peroxide and it all came out of the carpet thank goodness. After that little situation, I changed into a clean nursing nightgown, put on some mesh panties and a very large pad (good call on the depends, pp, I'll use those next time!), and crawled back into bed to snuggle with my little sweetie. While all this was going on, dh was cleaning up the house, heating up some food, calling family, and walking the dogs.  About 3 hours after he was born and all was well, my midwives and doula left.  Then dh, ds, and I cuddled and bonded for the next few days.

I was actually very surprised by how sore and tired I was after the fact. I obviously knew labor was hard work, but I honestly felt like a got hit by a freakin bus and I didn't expect that. I could hardly walk for 48 hours and trying to even get out of my bed was a pain in the ass...literally! I think next time I'll have a friend, my mom, or even a post partum doula there for the first couple of days after to help with things. That would be the only thing I'd do differently.   I thi
 

[goldenwillow]

Originally Posted by *MamaJen* 

The midwives took care of all of that for me, and it was really nice not having to think about it. For afterwards, it's definitely a good idea to have food in the freezer or easy to make things on hand. A lot of people have things like scrambled eggs after a birth, which the midwife or birth partner cooks up. Depending on time of day, a lot of people will order in food as well. I was totally uninterested in food during labor, but after the baby was born I was ravenous.

My husband is a professional cook, as I am his professional cleaner.....    Can you say balance?  Love it!

[goldenwillow]

opps!

[goldenwillow]

..

Edited by goldenwillow - 6/6/11 at 12:39pm

[ecoteat]

I didn't feel at all rushed to get out of the tub. Once dd and the placenta were both out I probably wasn't in there more than a few minutes, but it was long enough to find out she was a girl (the cord was blocking my view) and announce her name, remind someone to take a few pictures, get dd wrapped up in blankets, let her try to latch on, and bask in the joy of it all. Then the mws suggested we move to the bed on the other side of the room and warned me that I might shiver a lot as I got out of the water and on to my feet. They were right! I SHOOK like crazy, which I thought was hilarious. They had already laid chux pads on my bed, so with dh's help I got out, dried off, put on my old robe, and shuffled into bed, carrying dd and shaking the whole time. I was cracking up about how weird it felt to be shaking so much. Once I was in bed, the mws and dh piled blankets on top of me until I was settled in. DD nursed for a bit and the mws needed to give me a couple stitches. I was deliriously happy, so I didn't care at all what they were doing down there. DD nursed through the whole thing, and we were skin-to-skin. They gave a shot of novocaine, which was mildly uncomfortable, but I didn't mind much. I remember how weird it felt that I could feel the stitches as they pulled them through, but it didn't hurt at all. I think I laughed about that too. Once that was over and we were all comfortable again, they suggested I go take a shower. While I did that they cleaned up a few things and I think that's when they did the newborn exam--I actually don't remember. I think that's also when they wrapped up the placenta and put it in the freezer. I do know I was there when they weighed her. When I came back to bed it was all set up with new chux pads and clean towels and blankets. I must have eaten something at that point, but I don't remember that either. They were probably there about 2 hours after the birth, which happened right before 1am. They insisted that I pee before they left. When they left, they basically tucked us all into bed and we were probably asleep before they got down the driveway! They didn't do anything with the pool, so dh had to drain it the next day. I had nothing to do with that, but he said it was pretty gross. He used a pump and a garden hose to run it down the hall and into the shower, and it had a disposable liner that he bundled up and threw away. Then he packed up the tub, and the mws picked it up when they came a few days later for a home visit. (It's their tub.)