what did you do the day your baby was born?

[MommytoTwo]

Afterwards, obviously. Did you get up and get dressed and walk around? Stay in bed? Have visitors? Share!

[georgannemomof6]

Well, since my hb baby was born at 1 in the morning...

we got right in bed (he was born into mw's hands, about 2 inches from the floor, as I was squatting at the end of my bed!LOL!)
and I nursed him for almost a whole hour, wating for the cord to stop pulsing!! Finally, it stopped, was cut, and my teenage dd got to hold him, whilst I delivered the placenta.
We took lots of pics/video, I had some broth and emergen-c (just to up my vites/strength) and gawked at our big fat baby til about 4 am ! Tried to snooze, rest of kids got up by 6 to meet their new brother! I spent the next couple of days being pampered by my dh, mom and accepted visitors right from my bed! I didn't even go downstairs for almost 3 days!

[MommytoTwo]

that sounds perfect!!! The birth stories always end at the birth (obviously! LOL) and got me wondering what the rest of the day would look like!

[MelW]

Mine was an evening baby. After nursing her in bed, my MIL brought me "dinner" in bed. I made a few phone calls from bed. I got up to pee, shower and put on some pajamas (was naked for the labour and birth). Then we all tucked back into bed for the night.

I regret not having better lighting in the bedroom, since we didn't take any photos of us together until the next day. My DH took her out to the living room and has a couple of photos with her on her birth day.

The next day I rested in bed a lot, but got up for meals and a bath and a little walking around/stretching out in the house). By the second day after her birth I put on "real" clothes for the first time, and also went outside for a short walk.

[storychick]

After my DD was born, at 9 am after only 2 hours of labor, we had tea and cheesecake with the midwives and chatted. I felt really up and wasn't tired at all, having had a nice long sleep and then a sprint rather than a marathon labor. After they got us all cleaned up and checked out, they left, and DH and I looked at each other and said "now what?" We decided turning on the tv would be very wrong but it was so normal to be sitting on our couch, nursing the baby. We did spend about 2 hours trying to decide what her name would be then we made phone calls to announce the birth. We just hung out all afternoon, I dont really remember what we did, just stared at the baby no doubt (and nursed and changed diapers!). DS was delivered back to us at dinner time with takeout and we sat and ate that with our friend who had been watching him, and that was nice. Then we put him to bed, and ourselves too if I remember right.

With DS, we were at a FSBC, and he was also born first thing in the morning. They brought us a plate with fruit, cheese, crackers and nuts and a cup of tea which was the best thing I have ever eaten. I had a shower and we all got tucked into bed to sleep off the labor, but I couldn't sleep I was too high. So I made phone calls and admired the baby. After DH and DS woke up the midwives' assistant made us lunch, we ate, filled out the birth certificate paperwork etc. and installed the carseat (he was 2 weeks early and we werent ready lol). Then we went home, less than 8 hours later. A few friends stopped by briefly to admire the baby but left us alone, and we ordered a takeout dinner and went to bed early I think.

I actually like having company and showing off the new baby right away.

[Phoebe]

My hb started at about 10pm and lasted until 6:30 the next morning. So naturally, we slept.

[Romana]

My baby was born at 1:10 a.m. By 3:00 a.m. everyone had left except for dh, me and dd. Dh was dead tired and I was actually worried he wasn't excited about the baby! I, on the other hand, was wide awake and called my mom. I thought she'd want to know right away and she's far away, so no chance she'd be coming to visit unexpectedly. Anyway, I just lay there in bed with my heart flipping and falling more and more in love with dd every second. I just could not believe I'd created this perfect little person! I spent all night looking at her, smelling her, kissing her, and couldn't sleep until about 5 or 6 a.m.

Actually, thinking back on it, I was in a heightened state for days. For several weeks I ate very little, needed very little sleep, and had plenty of energy. I didn't do anything active, just sat around and nursed all the time, but it was an interesting sort of heightened awareness and happiness for days.

Thanks for reminding me, lol!

Julia
dd 9mos

ETA: It wasn't a homebirth in the end - UC/hospital transfer but all I did at the hospital was push for 25 min and there was really no interference either with me or baby other than getting stitched up. And I wouldn't have been doing anything anywhere other than lying down. The labor was long and very painful, and I remember I looked at dh's grandfather like he was from Mars when he asked me, about 3 days after the birth, if I'd had a shower yet. I was barely making it to the toilet! Maybe it'll be easier next time.

[Cookie5765]

My birth ended up in an emergency transfer after the birth so not typical. They had managed to get the bleeding under control for a short while so I had a tiny bit of fruit from the lovely platter they prepared and we marvelled at the baby and breastfed. However, that didn't last long. The rest of the day was tests and poking and prodding and no food!!! By the time they decided I could eat cause surgery wouldn't be necessary it was passed midnight and we couldn't get food anywhere. The next morning they gave me dry toast (I could have strangled someone)!!! When we got home 18 hours lately I breifly talked to a neighbour who wanted to know what happened (ambulances aren't seen to often in our neighbourhood and I am now the official crazy homebirth Mama). Then I made my way to my bed (with help) where I stayed pretty much for the next two weeks getting to know my baby.

With my son, I was a freestanding birthing center and within two hours of his birth I eaten a feast and had a bath. He was born at 11am after an all night labour so after the meal my husband and I dozed for several hours and called the grandparents at 7pm or so (we wanted just that time for ourselves). We decided to stay in the center overnight as it was a Friday and we had really noisey neighbours. The baby didn't sleep at all that night so I sat with him in the living room listening to the lady beside me give birth with wonderful drum music playing (really it was a beautiful birth from the sounds of it.....came it at 9cm after labouring at home, had the baby an hour maybe after getting to the center, Mama was up a glowing and ready to go home at dawn).

Katrina

[mom2mimi]

Mine was about a 12 hour labor ending around noon so we did a lot of sleeping in the afternoon and evening but by bedtime I couldn't sleep anymore so I spent the night holding my little guy, staring at how beautiful he was and nursing him. It was wonderful!

[krismarie]

ds was born at 6:13 pm... so the mw made some dinner for us, i showered and we climbed into bed a few hours after the birth (and we all slept through the night...which was great b/c that didn't happen again for about two years!)

[~Megan~]

ate pancakes then slept for 6 hrs, then had visitors, then sent out online photos, and ate and slept more

[georgannemomof6]

yeah, I forgot to mention how MUCH I ate, lol!

I ate SO much yummy, milk-making food!

[AugustLia23]

My ds was born late at night 10:27 to be exact, so afterwards I got up and peed, then got in bed and tried to nurse, no success(he was sleepy), so I ate and peed again, tried to nurse again and went to bed.

[amygoforth]

Fun thread! DS and I snuggled in bed and received visitors. He nursed and slept. I chatted w/ my parents and in-laws, ate the Burger King egg and cheese croissant and OJ my dad brought me, then slept for a while.

[Full Heart]

Usually I shower then get back into bed to eat. I sit around and nurse and sleep and eat for days. I love love love that time. I get to see this beautiful little baby and actually sleep on my back again and pee like a normal person. I find it very difficult to carry on conversations at this time cause I am so euphoric. Just feel like this empty head with the only thought, "See my baby?! Isn't it beautiful!?" So I don't make phone calls or stuff. I make dh do all that.

[StrawberryFields]

I had a hospital transfer and ds was born at 1:51 am, after many many hours of labor, the day after Thanksgiving...

After ds was born, I spent 2 hours in bed with him and dh, nursing, snuggling, making phone calls, etc., etc. My mother came and visited, held the baby, and then went back to our house to spend the night and take care of our dog. Once 2 hours was up dh and ds went to the nursery for bath and newborn screen. I got up and took a shower (most wonderful shower of my life!) and got dressed in a fleece jogging suit. By the time I was dressed and back in bed dh and ds were back. I hadn't eaten for maybe 1 1/2 days or more so ds planned to run and pick up a sandwich or burger. He left. As luck would have it every single restaurant around was closed for Thanksgiving. The nurse heated up a turkey Lean Cuisine for us and we each choked down a bite or two before we just tossed it and went to bed. Ds slept on dh's chest on a cot next to me and I slept in the hospital bed. When I woke up in the morning I had a big pancake breakfast. I got dressed and we had visitors all day. We left the next morning, went home and cooked the big Thanksgiving dinner we had missed while I was in labor.

[Patchfire]

Ds was born at 6:28... so after we went back to the bedroom, checked me out, showered, and so on, someone went and got us all bagels. My parents took dd to her tumbling class and dh & I a) slept and b) figured out a name. We had lunch from some restaurant - to go, obviously. I think we slept more. Around dinner everyone went to go get food except me & ds, so I treked to the computer to post an announcement in the pertinent places. Then dinner. More resting. Before I went to bed I posted a few pictures online.

[Max'sMama]

Babe #2 was an early am birth, so after the midwives made me pancakes and dh woke up ds so he could meet the baby. Then I spent the day sleeping on my futon in the basement where dd was born while dh spent the day sleeping in our bed upstairs. Ds spent the day w/ auntie. I alternated sleeping with calling family & friends. One of the funniest things about the 23 hours after birth, while I labored I was very loud, so I couldn't talk loudly and had to use my cell to call dh on his cell: I just couldn't talk loudly enough to get his attention.

We had dinner ready in casserole form and cooked that and went to bed early. The next am we went to the chiro and visited w/ one of the midwives who came for a check.

[onlyboys]

I ate crackers and cheese, talked and read to my other boys. We looked at Ivan for a while, and I snoozed. Oh, and my "babymoon" book was Eragon, so I really enjoyed quiet to read.

I had visitors later that evening and I was up and about, though tired, at that point.

All in all, it was a lovely day.

[Peppamint]

dd1: hospital induction of 8 hours... I ate a fabulous steak dinner that my daddy bought me, visited with family and then we tucked in to go to bed. I didn't sleep well at all, between the birth high and frequent wakings by the nurses. I was thrilled to go home before lunchtime.

ds: homebirth after four hours of active labor... he was born at 3:34am. Lovely birth high. I had a snack, visited with family while the midwives did their thing and then we tucked into our *own* bed. Dd1 went home with my parents for a few hours since she'd had almost a full night's sleep and wasn't tired. My parents brought her home and I got another steak dinner from my daddy. Yummy. Then we went to bed again. I was up and dressed the next day, I can't abide not getting dressed even if I just lay on the couch in my jeans.

dd2: she was born after a lot of prodromal labor, 2 hours of active labor, born at 4:45am. Excruitiating back labor because of a nuchal hand/arm. After I got out of the birth pool, I sat on the couch for a bit cuddling the baby and showing her off to the kids. http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...momma/five.jpg A bit later I went potty and then got some yoga pants and a cloth pad so I wouldn't bleed all over the couch. Shortly after that we all went to bed and napped for several hours. We just bummed around that day and had family visit to meet the newest family member. The next day I was up and around and alone with all three kids because dh had no paid leave and we couldn't afford for him to take off work.