Caring for new mom and baby during the first hours
You are probably here because you want to know how to care for yourself and the baby or your friend. Your first day as a mom may be exciting but will also be exhausting for the two of you. That is the reason you should take good care of yourself and the baby. In this post, we will tell you how to care for new mom and baby during the first 24 hours after birth.
Take a shower and eat
You will stay in the delivery room with the child for around two hours. With this period, you will have to take a shower and eat some food before you move from the room. After having a meal, you will move to the postnatal ward. In case you are going home later or about four to six hours, you will remain in the birth room until you are released.
Have
adequate rest
You are likely to feel exhausted, elated,
and emotionally drained, in the first 24hours after birth. You will also feel some pain as well swelling. The best
way to handle this is to lie down so you can reduce the pain.
Use
ice pack
Applying an ice pack for twenty minutes
after every two to four may help to lessen swelling. This might help you feel
better.
Wear
comfortable underwear
Since you will be bleeding from the vagina,
you will need to put on two or three maternity pads for additional support.
Soft and firm underwear will also help you to sit comfortably.
Mom-baby
body contact
After you have hard a normal delivery, you
will have your newborn placed on your chest for skin to skin contact. You baby
has come to a different setting, feeling your skin is essential as it makes the
baby feel warm. It will lessen the baby’s crying while maintaining his body
temperature.
Cleaning
Soon after birth, the doctor will wash her
clean and put him in an infant warmer until he can sustain his body
temperature. While this procedure may take some minutes or hours, you will be
around or witness all these happen. But you will also be busy getting some
attention like stitching or cleaning.
Feeding
Your baby is now out, and you need to
provide food physically through breastfeeding. Usually, kids start showing
signs of needing to feed immediately after birth. The baby may suck at the
breast around 50 minutes after delivery. After that, they may be breastfed for
around one hour or more. Place your baby against the chest, and he will find
the breast and begin to feed. If this does not happen automatically, seek help
from a midwife. Your first milk, colostrums, is the best milk for the infant.
Having
a little one is one of the most exciting moments. Whether it is through
C-caesarian or normal delivery, you can’t avoid getting excited. But it is
vital to remember how to help the child maintain the body temperature and how
to suck milk from your breast. The first 24 hours are exciting but risky if
proper care is not taken.
