After your baby is born, the midwife will regularly check to make sure your uterus is tightening enough. The placenta must first release from the uterine wall and can then be born. This again requires contractions of your uterus. Some women still really feel contractions at this stage; others no longer notice any of this. On a contraction of the uterus, you can push and the placenta will be born. This does not take as much effort and pain as the birth of your baby. Only when the placenta (afterbirth) is born is your labor truly complete. You will always hear from your midwife when it is still necessary for you to do something yourself at this stage. She will also check the placenta for completeness and appearance, after which she will show it to you if you wish.
Suture
After the placenta is born, the midwife will check if suturing is necessary. The delivery may damage the vagina (internal) / perineum (piece of skin between vagina and anus) or a labia. If necessary, the midwife will repair this with sutures. Suturing is done within an hour after delivery by your obstetrician or gynecologist. In principle, this is always done with an anesthetic, and because you often already have your baby on your chest by then, you will generally not notice it much. The stitches are dissolvable. This means that after about 2-3 weeks they are absorbed by the body on their own and therefore do not need to be removed. If they bother you a lot, we may still remove the stitches after 6-7 days.
Newborn examination
The midwife will also further examine your baby. She will check for any visible or palpable abnormalities. She will also assess whether your baby has good reflexes (for example, can it suck well and crawl to the breast). After that, your baby is weighed. Babies are not measured immediately after birth because it is not good to forcefully stretch the little leg. When your baby is bathed (the next day) and then is nice and relaxed and stretches the legs all the way, you can ask if the maternity nurse wants to help you measure the baby if you are curious about the length.
First time docking
When you start breastfeeding, you can try to latch your baby on as soon as possible. The maternity nurse and the midwife will help you with this. You can also let the baby get used to the breast during the first introduction by bringing the baby’s mouth near the nipple. It is important to try to put the baby at the breast or lick the nipple within an hour of delivery. This increases the chances that breastfeeding will succeed. Some children are a little nauseous right after delivery, for example because they have ingested some amniotic fluid. Then your baby may not want to drink at the breast at all. There is absolutely no need to be alarmed by this. Breastfeeding is to a large extent practicing and getting used to each other. Try, together with the maternity nurse, to latch your baby on regularly during the first 24 hours after birth: practice makes perfect! Still have questions? Ask your midwife or read on via the button below.