Baby's First 24 Hours: What to Expect
You have been waiting for this baby to come for a long time, and now it is finally here! What should you expect on the baby’s first day?
What to Expect on the Baby’s First Day
The first day of a new baby can be fun and tiring. This page explains what a newborn baby can sense and how the umbilical cord and placenta work. It would have general information about whether your pregnancy was healthy, full-term, between 37 to 42 weeks. At this time, you should already have everything prepared, including your baby’s clothes, wash cloths, hygiene kit, and others. While you don’t need to give your newborn a bath right away, try to clean them with a cloth and gently wipe their skin. You need to be extra careful in cleaning their nails and hair since their bodies are not yet fully-developed unlike adults.
What Will My Newborn Baby Look Like?
When babies are born, their skin might be blue and mottled. They are usually covered in amniotic fluid, blood, and something called vernix. This is normal.
When a baby is born, their skin will start to turn pink. This usually takes about a minute after birth. Your baby’s hands and feet may still be blue for a few hours after they are born.
The vernix and amniotic fluid are there because they were present in the womb. After birth, your baby’s ability to smell and taste is critical. These familiar objects provide your infant a sense of security outside the womb.
The Placenta Is Born, and the Umbilical Cord Is Cut
After you have a baby, you will have more contractions that help the placenta come out from inside of your belly. The cord is clamped twice and then severed. Your support person may be asked to cut the cord.
Skin-to-Skin Contact
Your kid is placed on your chest after a normal vaginal birth. This is so they can sleep and eat. Babies need to feel safe and comfortable, which is why they need to touch your skin.
Doing this simple thing:
- lowers the screaming of newborns
- helps start and sustain breastfeeding
- helps maintain your baby’s body temperature
After the first contact, they will be weighed and measured to ensure health.
If you have a cesarean section, ask your doctor to ensure that your baby has skin-to-skin contact with you as soon as possible. In the theater and during recovery, you or your partner may be able to hold your newborn skin-to-skin.
Feeding
Babies will show signs that they want to feed soon after being born. They will probably attach and suck at your breast about 50 minutes after birth. You must feed the baby for a long time, about an hour or more. If the baby does not find your breast, ask your midwife or lactation consultant for help.
Colostrum is the first milk you produce. It is thick and often yellowish. It’s good for your baby’s tummy, which is the size of a marble.
If your infant hasn’t eaten within an hour or two of birth, try again in a few hours. Colostrum can be spoon-fed to your infant. Breast milk is essential to babies; that is why you also have to know how to take care of yourself as a mom.
Weighing and Measuring
Your baby’s weight, length, and head circumference may be measured when they emerge from the womb. Your baby does not need to bathe for at least 24 hours.
Vitamin K
You will be weighed at the time of giving birth, and your midwife will offer to provide you with a vitamin K injection. This helps prevent bleeding from vitamin K deficiency.
Cord Blood Collection If You Are Rh-Negative
If you are Rh-negative, some blood will be taken from the umbilical cord to see if your baby’s blood group is compatible.
Sleeping
For a while, your baby will be with you. You can feed and care for them. They may fall asleep quickly after their first meal. A baby stays asleep for many hours on its first day in the world.
Apgar Scores
It will be measured when your kid is born. A test measures how well the baby adjusted to life outside the womb. The test will happen at 1 minute and 5 minutes after the birth and then again at 10 minutes after birth.
This test shows how your baby does in different areas. The result is a ten. Your child is performing well if they have a score of 7 or higher. This test isn’t an intelligence or ability test, so you don’t have to worry about it being a sign of your baby’s future health.
What Will My Baby See, Hear, Smell, Taste, and Feel When Born?
Throughout your pregnancy, your baby has been listening to your voice. They might recognize it when they hear it after birth. Your partner’s or support person’s voice may also be familiar to them if they have also talked near your baby. When they hear your voices, your baby will feel secure and turn their head towards you with their eyes open wide. Your baby can also hear the sound of your heart beating like in the womb.
At birth, your baby’s vision is blurry. They will start to see from about 30 centimeters away from their face. This is called the ‘cuddle distance.’ Your child will notice a link between what they hear and what they see.
The amniotic fluid and colostrum, which have similar flavors, will be tasted and smelled by your infant.
Urine and Meconium
When your baby is born, they will pee and poop. Their pee is yellow, and their poop will be black and sticky for a few days.
For more information about your baby’s first 24 hours, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby’s First 24 Hours
Breastfeeding should be attempted within the first hour of your baby’s birth. They are more likely to be awake and take the breast than they are to sleep. Spend as much time as possible in skin-to-skin contact with your baby, as this will encourage them to nurse more frequently. Don’t be afraid to wake a sleeping newborn from their nap.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks with a new baby to be the most difficult. While many of the difficulties you may encounter during these early weeks of parenthood may not be discussed openly. There are several typical obstacles you may encounter during this time. In addition, you should also be financially prepared; make sure to take care of all necessities – especially if you are having a baby on a budget.
At first, being woken up may seem counter-intuitive — and even a little frustrating. However, it is critical that the vital signs of both you and your babies, such as your blood pressure and heart rate, are checked regularly. Your bleeding and healing will be closely monitored by the nurses. They may also perform a hemorrhoid check on your bum, which is a lot of fun.
During the first few weeks, your baby should be fed at least 8 to 12 times, if not more, every 24 hours, according to a very rough guideline. It is perfectly acceptable to feed your baby whenever they are hungry, whenever your breasts feel full, or whenever you simply want to cuddle with them. Breastfed babies can’t be overfed because they don’t have enough milk.
he movements of an awake baby are common, even during labor. They include kicking, stretching, rolling, and wriggling. In addition to increased movement, an awake baby experiences increased heart rate accelerations. According to estimates of 95 percent of time spent sleeping, your baby may sleep through a significant portion of the labor and delivery process.
