Congratulations, you have just given birth to the most precious thing you will ever make, own, love...
You have battled through 9 months pregnancy; morning sickness, backache and hormones. Then you laboured through birth so you could hold your baby for the first time... Its totally magical.
Thus begins parenthood and the first 24 hours are just as intense as everything that came before. I am going to be candid during this post as I think it is important. The first 24 hours as a parent are really intense!
This isn't meant to scare but to be honest about what it is like, so you can feel prepared going into this amazing, but crazy time.
Here are a few things that happen in those first 24 hours that I didn't expect...
Firstly, be aware that you are going to be emotional. Having just given birth your body is adjusting by releasing hormones and stopping other pregnancy hormones. This is like having PMS times 100. You will cry with joy when you meet your little miracle, but you will also cry for no reason. I found that I cried in the evening, once my husband had to leave (as visiting hours were over) and I was on my own. It felt like I was crying because I loved my son so much, not a bad reason to cry but not necessarily the reason of a sane person. This does continue too, for the first week. I found that I would cry about 7pm every night for no reason what so ever. This is normal, it is hormones but if it continues after a week do speak to your midwife or doctor about it.
You aren't going to sleep. Despite being in labour for 35 hours without sleep I still didn't sleep the night after my son was born. I just watched him all night. This is due to a mixture of love and genuine fear that something might happen. It is highly unlikely anything bad is going to happen but being a new Mum you are suddenly consumed with worry for your baby, this is natural. In fact, I didn't sleep the 2nd night either (after we came home), I just watched him to make sure he was breathing.
This all leads into that: oh my goodness moment! Usually when you get home and it really sinks in that you are now responsible for a life other than your own. Again, this is totally normal to feel a bit overwhelmed but don't forget you have your partner, family and friends to support you through this period of adjustment.
You will probably disagree with your partner, over something trivial like how to put on the nappy properly or where the poppers go. This is normal, you are both overwhelmed and trying to get a handle on things.
The mirror is not your friend! I would generally avoid looking in a full length mirror on the first day. Just keep it to your face upwards because your body can be like a stranger to you. I really expected my pregnancy tummy to go down a lot quicker than it did. Most women do look at least 6 months pregnant after the baby is no longer in the tummy. If you are one of the women that is instantly skinny again then you are very lucky!
They will do several checks on your baby. These include checking his reflexes, hearing, a full body examination and generally monitoring him. Don't be worried if they aren't able to get a clear read on some of the results of the tests, this can happen. There is plenty of midwives around for you to speak with if you have any concerns.
In the case of my son, they weren't able to get a positive result on the hearing test they do on your baby while they are in hospital. They said it was probably due to him being a C Section baby which can mean that the mucus in the ears, from being inside, hadn't cleared properly. This is normal and we just had to take him back a week or 2 later to have it checked again, we did and he was all fine.
Getting released out of the hospital can take time. I was ready to go (having had all my checks and my son having had all his) the morning after I gave birth, but because they are so busy I didn't get released until 8pm that evening. If you want to leave the hospital that day (feeling fit and well of course) then tell the midwives as soon as possible so they can start the process. Also, be aware that the wards are busy. You will go from a private room during birth to a ward (in most cases) were you will be sharing a room with a few other Mums and babies. However, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You are recovering from a big strain on your body, they don't call it labour for no reason.
The reality of taking them home and your first few hour at home is probably not what you will imagine. It wasn't for me anyway. I had visions of dressing him a cute outfit and booties for his journey home followed by a beautiful few hours at home relaxing. The reality was I didn't put him in his specially selected going home outfit as I was exhausted and just put him in the closest outfit to hand. Still cute but not what I had picked. You will probably be sore from giving birth (even more so if you had a C section or episiotomy) and just walking to the car to go home will be a bit painful.
Also, when I got home neither me or my husband could face cooking so we got a take away, hardly the domesticated bliss I had expected.
Lastly, you will never know love like it. I know it is very soppy to say and such a cliche, but holding your baby in your arms for the first time is wonderful. No matter what happens during the first few hours, days and weeks you just need to cuddle with your baby and life is good.
You have battled through 9 months pregnancy; morning sickness, backache and hormones. Then you laboured through birth so you could hold your baby for the first time... Its totally magical.
Thus begins parenthood and the first 24 hours are just as intense as everything that came before. I am going to be candid during this post as I think it is important. The first 24 hours as a parent are really intense!
 |
| My son just after he was born, in hospital. |
Here are a few things that happen in those first 24 hours that I didn't expect...
Firstly, be aware that you are going to be emotional. Having just given birth your body is adjusting by releasing hormones and stopping other pregnancy hormones. This is like having PMS times 100. You will cry with joy when you meet your little miracle, but you will also cry for no reason. I found that I cried in the evening, once my husband had to leave (as visiting hours were over) and I was on my own. It felt like I was crying because I loved my son so much, not a bad reason to cry but not necessarily the reason of a sane person. This does continue too, for the first week. I found that I would cry about 7pm every night for no reason what so ever. This is normal, it is hormones but if it continues after a week do speak to your midwife or doctor about it.
You aren't going to sleep. Despite being in labour for 35 hours without sleep I still didn't sleep the night after my son was born. I just watched him all night. This is due to a mixture of love and genuine fear that something might happen. It is highly unlikely anything bad is going to happen but being a new Mum you are suddenly consumed with worry for your baby, this is natural. In fact, I didn't sleep the 2nd night either (after we came home), I just watched him to make sure he was breathing.
This all leads into that: oh my goodness moment! Usually when you get home and it really sinks in that you are now responsible for a life other than your own. Again, this is totally normal to feel a bit overwhelmed but don't forget you have your partner, family and friends to support you through this period of adjustment.
You will probably disagree with your partner, over something trivial like how to put on the nappy properly or where the poppers go. This is normal, you are both overwhelmed and trying to get a handle on things.
The mirror is not your friend! I would generally avoid looking in a full length mirror on the first day. Just keep it to your face upwards because your body can be like a stranger to you. I really expected my pregnancy tummy to go down a lot quicker than it did. Most women do look at least 6 months pregnant after the baby is no longer in the tummy. If you are one of the women that is instantly skinny again then you are very lucky!
They will do several checks on your baby. These include checking his reflexes, hearing, a full body examination and generally monitoring him. Don't be worried if they aren't able to get a clear read on some of the results of the tests, this can happen. There is plenty of midwives around for you to speak with if you have any concerns.
In the case of my son, they weren't able to get a positive result on the hearing test they do on your baby while they are in hospital. They said it was probably due to him being a C Section baby which can mean that the mucus in the ears, from being inside, hadn't cleared properly. This is normal and we just had to take him back a week or 2 later to have it checked again, we did and he was all fine.
Getting released out of the hospital can take time. I was ready to go (having had all my checks and my son having had all his) the morning after I gave birth, but because they are so busy I didn't get released until 8pm that evening. If you want to leave the hospital that day (feeling fit and well of course) then tell the midwives as soon as possible so they can start the process. Also, be aware that the wards are busy. You will go from a private room during birth to a ward (in most cases) were you will be sharing a room with a few other Mums and babies. However, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You are recovering from a big strain on your body, they don't call it labour for no reason.
The reality of taking them home and your first few hour at home is probably not what you will imagine. It wasn't for me anyway. I had visions of dressing him a cute outfit and booties for his journey home followed by a beautiful few hours at home relaxing. The reality was I didn't put him in his specially selected going home outfit as I was exhausted and just put him in the closest outfit to hand. Still cute but not what I had picked. You will probably be sore from giving birth (even more so if you had a C section or episiotomy) and just walking to the car to go home will be a bit painful.
Also, when I got home neither me or my husband could face cooking so we got a take away, hardly the domesticated bliss I had expected.
Lastly, you will never know love like it. I know it is very soppy to say and such a cliche, but holding your baby in your arms for the first time is wonderful. No matter what happens during the first few hours, days and weeks you just need to cuddle with your baby and life is good.
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