Newborn care
Wherever you give birth – at home, in the hospital or in the car on the way to the delivery suite – and however you give birth – without assistance, following induction, or as a result of a c-section – there will be a number of immediate requirements after childbirth to think about.
First and foremost, unless your baby has particular, urgent needs and requires special care from a paediatrician or in a neonatal unit, you should expect to start caring for your baby immediately after the birth and, with the exception of those times when you are showering or using the toilet, you and your baby will be together constantly. This is entirely natural; the first hours and days are crucial to bonding, newborn development, and the health and wellbeing of both you and your child.
The period immediately after birth is as important as any other in all of human life. This is why it is essential that maternity staff strike the right balance between providing you with the privacy and rest you need for your recovery and your baby’s development, and ensuring that you and your newborn receive all necessary routine health checks.
Although only a minority of new mothers and newborns require treatment for health conditions after delivery – for example as a result of a low Apgar score for baby or excessive blood loss in a new mother – it is essential that midwives and doctors look out for these and when necessary take steps to address them. Furthermore, there are routine procedures to carry out such as a Vitamin K injection and, at five days, the heel prick blood screening test.
And women who have had a Caesarean section or an instrumental delivery may need some extra care and assistance following childbirth.
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