So what exactly happens after you give birth?

[BabySmurf]

I am expecting my second child in a few months, and I was woefully uniformed with my first baby.  I would like to change that for this baby, so I'm looking into what procedures are done after birth?? I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm not even sure.  I think I would like to avoid most things, but I don't even know what standard procedures to ask about. 

Unfortunately we can't afford a homebirth, so we are having a regular MW assisted hospital birth.  After having DS, I am determined to avoid "standard" procedures.  (Obviously if intervention is necessary then it's needed, but that can be so subjective). 

So what happens in the third stage of labor? What do they do to the baby? I know generally they give the eye drops, vit k, hep B, and a blood draw for the baby...is that it? What about for the Mom, do they give pitocin to deliver the placenta? Or is that only in special circumstances? What else am I missing?

Any feedback is appreciated!!

[tpase]

My first was delivered under every possible intervention. For the second, I attempted and successfully delivered her (VBAC) naturally and without intervention or medication.

Third stage of labour was intense. Crazy maddeningly intense. My daughter also had shoulder dystocia, so I pushed (which is the shortest period of labour) for 4 hours. I walked around, changed position, and tried so hard to push her out. But it took a very long time. At times I would say, I can't do it, I can't do it. But my amazing unbelievable rock star of an OB would hold my shoulders look me in the eye and say, yes, you can do it. DO IT! there was a lot of chaos towards the end. I remember eating an ice cream my OB brought me to give me that final push.

At one point he said that he would need to place the electrode on baby's scalp to measure blood pressure. I refused but then my OB said that it was minor and necessary. They checked my baby's blood pressure and I carried on.

4 hours later, my OB finally reached deep in and grabbed my baby and pulled her out. No tears! Unbelievable. And, it was not as though I was doing those perivaginal massages either.

Baby was immediately placed on my belly. No eye drops, no intervention.

Then the nurse pressed on my belly to deliver the placenta. A memory that I have blocked out because it always gave me the heebie jeebies to think about. But I imagine delivering the placenta is unmemorable after you deliver a baby. Plus you are so carried away with the whole amazing experience that even if there were herd of elephants marching on your stomach you probably wouldn't notice.

They left me with my darling from that moment on until the next day when the head nurse came in to bathe her by my bedside. So, amazingly enough my little girl didn't leave my side for even a second following her birth. 

What an experience. I think it transformed my life, as I was pretty beaten up over my first traumatic birth experience.

Hope this helps!

Good luck...best wishes.

[tpase]

To be more specific, in my case, after birth, they placed the baby on my belly. she nursed for a bit. then they wiped her down (no bath) placed a hat on her head and clamped her umbilical cord.

After that she was with me. I stayed in the hospital for one night. That night she nursed non-stop (voracious appetite). The next morning, my OB came in to see how I was doing. That afternoon the Pediatrician came in to see how baby was doing. Then the head nurse came in to bathe her and send us home.

The night after birth, going to the bathroom was a bear. But nothing like after the C section. That was so very traumatic. After the VBAC it just felt like someone had beaten the heck out of you.

But in two days after the birth of my baby I was at the pediatrician's office with my two girls, unassisted. Pretty crazy how quick the recovery is post natural birth.

[LeighPF]

Bee, my second, was born in the water.

I caught her and brought her up, her cord was super short, I could not raise her above my belly button, so her cord was cut immedietly. I held her for a few minutes.

My water did not break until two pushes before she was born and she was gurgle, so the midwife very gently talked to me about it and she went to the warming bed to be suctioned with my husband while I got out of the tub. I was comfortable about it. It was not a big deal, and was what was best.

The wiped her up a bit and put a hat on her then I got her back. She latched on right away.

I delivered the placenta and got a stitch with her in my arms. I got dressed, her dressed and we went to the new room.

I believe we did Vit K, but no Hep B or eye ointment.

She stayed with me, latched on most of the night and we left the hospital in the morning.

The only thing they "had" to do was the hearing test (she slept through it, it is tiny ear buds connected to a machine). She failed at 8 hours old as expected and we repeated it later that week.

She did her heal stick at our family doctor two days after she was born.

[starrlamia]

for placenta delivery usually they will give a shot of pitocin and do cord traction to deliver. It's up to you to read about delayed cord clamping and physiological third stage vs. active management, the info is pretty easy to find through google. There are benefits to both. Good luck!

[BabySmurf]

Thanks ladies! I love hearing all of the stories! That third stage is so blurry in my mind, I can't remember much of anything.  (I had an extremely drawn out labor and pushing phase, so was absolutely and totally out of it by the time DS was born).  I know I need to look up specifics for my hospital, but it's always interesting and informative to hear about others experiences - sometimes it puts those procedures into context :)