Key points

• What happens after birth depends on pregnancy, labour, birth and the way your baby adapts to life outside the womb.
• You can have skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after birth if you and your baby are both well.
• If your baby has breathing or other difficulties, staff will decide what sort of medical help your baby needs.
• Your baby will have some standard checks and immunisations in the first 24 hours.

What happens to a newborn immediately after birth?bond with your baby.

The midwife will dry your baby while they’re on you and then cover you both with a warm blanket or towels.

If you prefer, your baby can be dried and wrapped in warm towels or blankets for you to hold.

 

 

Vaginal birth with forceps or vacuum extraction

Most babies born with the help of forceps or vacuum will breathe and cry at birth. But some babies might be a little stunned or slow to breathe, especially if they were distressed during labour. If this happens, the midwife, paediatrician will take your baby to a special warming station. They’ll dry your baby and check your baby’s breathing.

You can hold your baby once they’re breathing well. You can hold your baby skin to skin, or your baby can be dried and wrapped in warm towels or blankets for you to hold.

Elective caesarean section

Most babies born via elective caesarean section breathe and cry at birth.

If you’re well and your baby is breathing well, you can have skin-to-skin contact before your baby goes to a special warming station to be dried and checked. Sometimes your baby’s breathing will be checked before you can hold them. You can ask to hold your baby skin to skin, or they can be wrapped in warm blankets or towels for you to hold while you’re on the operating table.

Sometimes you might need further medical attention, so that first cuddle might have to wait. Your birth partner can stay with your baby and give your baby skin-to-skin contact or cuddles until you get back to recovery or the maternity ward.

Unplanned (emergency) caesarean section

Babies born via unplanned caesarean section are more likely to need help to breathe at birth. The midwife, neonatal nurse or paediatrician will take your baby to a special warming station for drying. They’ll give your baby help to breathe or any other medical care that’s needed.

If you’re well and your baby is breathing well, you can hold your baby. Even if you’re still on the operating table, it’s OK to ask for skin-to-skin contact or cuddles.

If you’ve had a obstetrician will clamp and cut the cord.

The cord is quite tough to cut, but cutting it isn’t painful for you or your baby.

What is the Apgar score?poos and wees. This is usually within the first 24 hours.

Medicines

You’ll be asked to give your permission for your baby to have 1 or 2 injections. These injections are given into your baby’s thigh muscles after birth, either immediately or within a few hours. The injections are:

• Vitamin K – this can help prevent a bleeding disorder caused by a vitamin K deficiency (haemorrhagic disease of the newborn).
• Hepatitis B immunisation – this is the only immunisation required at birth and is given as part of Australia’s universal childhood immunisation program.

Skin-to-skin contact or breastfeeding can comfort your baby and reduce their pain during injections. If your baby can’t breastfeed or be held skin to skin, a very small amount of oral sucrose – a special sweet syrup – can also help.

You can discuss newborn baby checks and medicines with your midwife, GP or obstetrician at one of your appointments towards the end of your pregnancy.