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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Question about right after delivery
I'm trying to figure out the timeline of how things *might* go. Only DH and doula will be at the birth but I know family will be waiting and anxious to come in. Do you usually have time to clean up or shower? We talked about wanting family bonding time with just baby for at least an hour.
I'm sure it depends on vaginal, epidural or c-section... but I'm just trying to get an idea.
When did visitors come?
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Re: Question about right after delivery
I gave birth at 11:46 am. I had a med-free birth & stated in my birth plan I wanted LO skin to skin contact for as long as possible & to nurse before she was taken for bath or anything. I had her for about 2.5 hrs, we nursed & bonded. Then dh went with her to get her bath & the nurses tried to get me up to pee & get a little cleaned up, put on underwear & pads, etc. I ended up passing out from all my blood loss when this happend so I think things were delayed. They kept me in the post partum room a little longer. We had visitors around 3 pm I think. We didnt want anyone in the waiting room though & wanted time with our LO.
It all depends though because my sister had us all in the waiting room while she gave birth & we went right in the post partum room as soon as she was done being stitched. It really depends on what yOU want and your birth plan.
Most6 hospitals uphold a no extra visitors in recovery rule, and the recovery period for most vaginal births is one hour (before you are moved to/considered PP). Chances are, though, if you have an epi that it will take longer than an hour before they allow you to shower.
I have no clue as far as c-sections go.
I had an emergency c-section and was quite loopy for awhile, and was not allowed to get up for about 10 hours. She was born at 11:15. So no shower until the next day. I was so exhausted from the early morning trip to the hospital followed by a labor room admission and then ultimately ended in a c section, so I was not ready for even phone calls let alone visitors. We waited to call people until DD was born and we were in recovery (well DH called and tried to give me the phone and I was confused from the nausea and morphine). I did not have visitors until the next day. That worked well for me.
With DS, I had vaginal birth, and I had visitors that evening. He was born at 3 in the afternoon.
So I would not plan on anything too much, but ask your close family and friends to wait for a phone call. that way if you are not up to it, or need bonding time, you have that luxury.
I had a med-free birth and delivered/recovered in the same room. DH was the only one at the hospital, as my parents and MIL had firm instructions to stay home until we called.
DS was born around 6:30pm and our visitors arrived around 7:30pm (they were allowed that late because I had just delivered). By the time they arrived I was cleaned up and resting. We were just getting ready to try nursing for the first time when they arrived.
Tell them ahead of time what you want. Personally, I didn't want too many visitors early on (at hospital or home). I wanted only people who are close and spread out the visitors as well.
I was induced and then c section when that failed to progress so everyone knew that time was ticking til our baby would be in the world! My parents and my MIL were first visitors which were waiting when we came out of surgery. We didn't have any other visitors until the next day. Most people called to coordinate when they could drop by and if there was anything they could bring us.
My surgery was in late evening (on a Tues) and I was up walking a bit and helped to clean myself up a bit the next morning. I was able to completely shower/remove bandages etc by the second morning (Thurs).
I started out natural/med-free but after 12 hrs in labour (at the hospital) we had to go for an emergency section and he was born just before 4am. We only had my SIL and her partner visit and MIL & FIL, but that wasn't until later that afternoon, say 4 or 5pm. The section left me SOOO loopy with all the crap they had to pump through me and subsequent pain meds.
Like everyone has said though...it's up to you at the end of the day who you want to visit and when. Just let people know. You're giving birth either way so they have to appreciate and respect that you may want some time before they all pile in.
I had an emergency c-section after laboring VERY quickly (had baby less than 4 hours after my water broke). I did get an epi but it didn't work and made for a very uncomfortable start to the c-section. I ended up with general anesthesia and didn't see my daughter for the first four hours of her life
. Dh was still in the hallway getting scrubs on when she was born (I kid you not the dr.'s made the decision to do the c-section and us in the OR and her out of me in less than four minutes - my mom was in the labor room and obviously was freaking out and watching the clock so I know this to be true). Anyway Dh got to hold our daughter and then they took her to the nursery to clean her up and he waited back in the labor room for me to come back for recovery. I was the second person to get to hold my daughter but that was after nearly everyone else saw her (dh, mom, mil, fil, dad, stepmom, both brothers, aunt cousin and family friend). It's more frustrating now than it was at the time (I was so loopy).
Anyway the visitors only stayed for a bit when they brought the baby back to the room (I was a complete mess from the anesthesia) took a bunch of pics of me meeting my daughter for the first time and then left. Finally dd, dh my mom and I were set up in my hospital room and I nursed dd for the first time (five hours after birth.....but she latched on perfect the first time) and then my mom left and it was just dh and I. Since I had general anesthesia I wasn't allowed out of bed until the next afternoon (I had her at 5:49pm) and even then they didn't allow me to shower until the following day GROSS!
Check with your hospital because I hear that every labor/post labor is different. And be prepared for anything!
I had a vaginal delivery with an epidural. We told everyone we'd call when he was born so we didn't have family sitting in the waiting room while I was laboring/delivering. Once he was born, they gave him to me for a few minutes. Then they took him a few feet away to the warming table to get his footprints and a few other things. At this time the doctor did my stitches while DH stayed with LO.
After my stitches were done and LO was checked over, they gave LO back to me and I held him. Then DH held him. Then I breastfed him. All this lasted about an hour. Then they had to take him to the nursery to weigh him, etc. We sat in the room for a little before I got a shower waiting for the doctor to come take the epidural out. At this time DH called family and told them that we'd be in the recovery room in about 45 mins or so. DH stayed with me and helped me get a shower/clean up. Once I was cleaned up we went to the recovery suite. Family actually got there before they brought the baby back (just a few minutes).
It worked out well because I didn't want anyone there until I was cleaned up and comfortable.
I wanted an hour with just DS, DH and me.
Yeah, right.
DS was born at 10:38pm. My mom & DH were the only family in the delivery room. My IL's were visiting when I delivered and they waited outside. As soon as I was cleaned up and covered back up, they came in and saw me and DS and then left. I don't remember them leaving because I passed out from exhaustion.
My only thing when he was born was that no one comes in until I'm done being stitched up and got a clean gown on.
This exactly for me too!
My hospital L&D let us have 3 hours of bonding time with him in the delivery room before he was taken to the nursery for the rest of his exams (some, like weighing and Apgar stuff were able to be done at a station they had set up in the delivery room). They made such a big deal out of the fact that they offered this, that I'm pretty sure it's not very common at other hospitals to get 3 whole hours.
Time to clean up really came after I got to my room in the mat ward, because then the nurses had LO at the nursery. Before that I had wanted to spend every minute holding him, resting, and trying to nurse him.
That being said, I was so exhausted and sore, and overwhelmed with the new baby, that I was very glad none of our family visited until the last night I was in the hospital. The first day I don't remember much, except that my legs didn't work very well (thanks to the epidural), the ibuprofen they gave didn't seem like enough, and I was more than happy to nap while DH sat around holding the baby (best to nap the first day while the baby's still tired from delivery - the second day I got almost no sleep). I couldn't imagine dealing with anyone else and was pretty sure I looked as bad as I felt. DH was exhausted too, from spending the whole night with me in labor. Neither of us would have been up to it.
Our families live really far away so not one person came to the hospital and it was HEAVEN! DH, DD and I got to spend lots of time cuddling and sleeping and just enjoying our first few days together as a family.