Having worked as a midwife for more than 25 years in labour and postnatal wards, special care nursery and now private practice means my experience and knowledge about what to expect from the birthing process through to the first 6 weeks post-delivery is very detailed.
My first recommendation is not to have too high an expectation of yourself, the birth or subsequent feeding. Having seen and helped deliver more than 15,000 babies, too many people believe they can impact or determine the type of birth that they will have, not realising that their body and their baby will always be the ultimate decision maker. A skilled obstetrician and midwife should always try to assist their patients to achieve their wishes but ultimately this will be influenced by the primary focus of being medically safe for both mother and baby. So try not to have a rigid goal for your birth and discuss with your obstetrician and midwife your preferences and concerns.
Many first time mums come to hospital not knowing what to expect, following is a list of items for your stay in hospital:
- Baby clothes – generally size 0000 long arm and leg suits x 4 and size 000 x 2
- Soft cotton blankets x 3
- Cotton beanies x 2
- Muslin wraps x 6
- Plain cloth nappies x 6
- Tube of Lansinoh for soothing sore nipples.
- Nighties x 2 (nothing with a band to wear around your stomach)
- Toiletries and personal items
When arriving home getting baby and yourself into a routine is key:
- Feeding varies between 2 – 6 hours. Don’t wake a sleeping baby before 6 hours unless there are concerns over weight gain. One thing I have learnt is you have to be flexible, every baby is different.
- Try and drain both breasts well at every feed. If bub won’t take it all, burp them and put them to bed, then express the remainder and freeze (you can purchase specific bags for this purpose and once you want a night out having stores of breast milk can be a god send!)
- Put your newborn to bed after the feed in a dark room to start establishing their bedtime routine.
- Continuous screaming by newborns isn’t normal, seek advice.
- Struggling with feeding is very common and can happen with one of your children and not with the other, so again don’t worry about it. Most midwives can provide advice but private lactation consultants are available to come to your home and assist. You can also attend hospital breastfeeding clinic during week days.
I always recommend to my new mums to try and get some sleep during the day. The best time is straight after a feed, put bub to bed and then have a nap yourself. As Dr Skinner says to our new mums, if you see a chair, sit in it, if you see a bed, lie in it.
Being a new mum is exhausting and even if your baby sleeps well you still have to get up several times a night and don’t underestimate the energy required to breast feed and the stress your body has been under.
Now if you have toddlers you probably know most of what I’ve said, but you won’t get as much of a break during the day. So try and have some easy pre-prepared meals, cut down on activities for a few weeks or months! If you have the opportunity to have some help such as mum, dad or anyone, take it! Try not to get overtired.
Bleeding post-delivery is very common and can last up to 6 weeks post-delivery. Should the loss become extremely heavy, where you are changing pads less than every hour or you notice changes please ensure you contact your obstetrician further advice.
Your postnatal visit often occurs between 6 – 8 weeks post-delivery. This is an opportunity for your obstetrician to perform a medical check of you, check your baby and answer any queries or issues you may have. They can also update your pap smear if required, provide contraception and discuss your birth experience.
Remember to take lots of photos, get out of the house, take a gentle walk if you up to it in the second week, visit a café, see friends and family out of your house. Most importantly be kind to yourself and enjoy this precious time with your new baby it will go by all too quickly.
