In the Delivery Room
Once you are in the clinic, the doctor will guide you and tell you what to do. Generally when you are five centimeters dilated, the doctors will give you the epidural; when you are at ten centimeters you will need to push correctly so that they baby is able to come down.
The wonderful moment has just happened, but wait, the work of the delivery has not finished yet, you will also need to eliminate the placenta and fetal annexes (the rest of the membranes that covered your baby, part of the umbilical cord). This can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Relax, look at your newborn baby and prepare yourself for the last step.
When the childbirth is over you will see that you are full of emotions and pain. It is good for the mother and father to rest a few hours before the baby breastfeeds and before receiving the avalanche of their family and friends in to congratulate them on the newcomer.
The postpartum stage is usually difficult but extraordinary, because both parents share and discover new experiences.
Keep In Mind That:
- Neither you nor your partner have superpowers or know everything, so take your time to rest, talk and share.
- Prepare yourself to be able to listen to the thousands of tips and advice you are going to get on how to take care of your baby that will be given by your mother, mother in law, older sister, aunts, and friends that go to visit you. However keep in min that the person that must give you recommendations is the pediatrician.
- Rest while your baby is sleeping, you also need to restore all the energy you have lost during the pregnancy and delivery.
- Don’t feel bad about telling your visitors to not carry the baby and much less so to not kiss him or her.
- Share experiences with other new mothers, learning from others will calm you down.
- Ask for support from your family and friends when you need it. Nobody is able to guess when it is that you need help and when you don’t.
- Be aware that your life will be disorganized for some time, take on each day as a learning experience.
- Talk with your partner to start up with sexual relations again; the gynecologist will tell you when you are ready to do so, generally it is after 42 days. Remember that breastfeeding does not work as a contraceptive.
What Is Episiotomies? It is a surgical incision in the muscles of the vagina and of the perineum to enlarge the channel from which the baby comes out of. After the delivery you will be given some stitches. There are arguments in favor and against this practice. The defenders assure that ripping is avoided, avoids the baby’s head from hitting the perennial zone and helps to reduce the delivery time down to 15 to 30 minutes. Those that are against it signal that the mom is exposed to infections, that there is more risk of hemorrhages and postpartum pain, as well as higher levels of sexual dissatisfaction when sexual activity is taken on again.
In all cases, it will be the doctor who determines whether or not to do the incision. It depends on specific conditions such as if the baby is in danger, has fetal suffering, or that the doctor the doctor is required to use forceps.
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