During Birth
Check with your physician or midwife ahead of time as to when you are to come to the hospital. Labor pain is normal and natural. Today there are several options for labor pain management in addition to prepared childbirth techniques. Learn as much about these options as possible before your labor.
Your baby will be born in a labor & delivery suite. Under normal circumstances you will be able to hold and breastfeed your baby immediately after the birth! While lots of attention is being directed towards your new baby, the nurse will be monitoring you closely after your delivery.
You can expect numerous and frequent checks of your blood pressure and the nurse will feel your uterus and look at the amount of vaginal bleeding (lochia). Once you and your baby are stable, the staff will help you get settled in your room.
We recognize that this is a very special time as you begin to get to know your new baby. Most newborns are very awake and alert for the first hour after birth making it an ideal time to start breastfeeding!
The Birth Center staff will be checking your baby’s temperature, heart rate and respirations every hour for the first several hours of life. Your baby will also be footprinted, given an eye ointment and an injection of Vitamin K (to help with clotting).
POSTPARTUM (After you have your baby)
Experts in caring for the new mom
The minutes, hours and days following the birth of your baby is a time of great change physically and emotionally. At RAMC, the wellness of both mom and baby are our primary concerns.
Our team of experts includes registered nurses who monitor and care for the new mom during the postpartum (or post-delivery) period. While your baby is being tended to by our newborn professionals, our team of expert postpartum nurses will be working to meet your unique needs during this time of physical and emotional transition.
The first few hours after childbirth
Postpartum care involves managing all of the physical effects of childbirth that a woman experiences, which may include:
- Post-delivery contractions
- Episiotomy care
- Vaginal discharge
- Difficulty urinating
- Leaking urine
- Constipation
- Hemorrhoids
- Hot and cold flashes
- Breast soreness and/or leaking
- Weight management
Education and support
A large part of postpartum care at the Birth Center is to ensure that you - as a new parent - are fully educated about all aspects of your health and the care of your baby.
The postpartum period, which begins after the delivery of your baby and ends when your body has returned as closely as possible to its pre-pregnant state, usually lasts six to eight weeks. During this time, we are available to provide counseling on infant care, breastfeeding, nutrition and supplementation, dealing with emotional changes such as post-partum depression, resumption of sexual activity and immunizations.
Your nurse will assess your physical well-being frequently after the birth of your baby and then periodically until you go home. She will also assess your emotional well-being and will provide you with encouragement and support. Please share any emotional or physical concerns with your nurse. There are a lot of hormone changes taking place even now.
There will be a teaching folder and a teaching checklist that you will be given to fill out. It is the Birth Center staff’s job to ensure that you have the knowledge and confidence to care for your new baby before you go home. There are several videos that you will find helpful. You will also be responsible for filling out part of your baby’s birth certificate. It helps to know mom and dad’s social security number.
To help with your breastfeeding experience, there will be a breast-feeding log kept by you each day. This will help keep track of when you feed the baby and how many wet/soiled diapers your baby has in a day.
We know this is a time of excitement for you and your family. You no doubt will have many visitors coming to see you and your new baby. Remember to take some time out during the day for a nap. Talk to your nurse about this.