As soon as it is born, the baby that you have carried for nine months will be the center of attention. Covered with vernix, blood and a slightly pointed head from its journey through the birth canal, your baby will start crying soon after birth.
Depending on your hospital's procedures, you may be given your baby to hold right after birth. It will be reassured by your stroking and the sound of your heartbeat and it will probably be looking right at you.
By holding your baby to your breast immediately after delivery, oxytocinOxytocin is a pregnancy hormone that both stimulates breast milk production and stimulates uterine contractions. Synthetic oxytocins have been created to induce labor.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. will be stimulated and help speed the delivery of the placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Be sure to let your partner hold the baby as well. Fathers of newborns can bond as deeply with their babies as quickly as mothers do if they are given the opportunity.
Doctors are divided about when to cut the umbilical cordA flexible structure that connects the fetus to the placenta during pregnancy. It carries blood, oxygen, nourishment and waste to the placenta. It is first formed during the fifth week of pregnancy and contains the yolk sac and body stalk.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Some believe that the baby benefits from the blood returing from the placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and wait till it stops pulsating, while others worry that it could be the cause of anemia and cut it immediately. Two clamps will placed about and inch apart close to the where the umbilical cordA flexible structure that connects the fetus to the placenta during pregnancy. It carries blood, oxygen, nourishment and waste to the placenta. It is first formed during the fifth week of pregnancy and contains the yolk sac and body stalk.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. enters the baby. This holds the blood in the cord and helps prevent bleeding after the cord has been cut. If the umbillical cord has been tightly wrapped around your baby's neck, doctors may chose to cut it earlier.
Your midwife will make sure your baby is breathing. If it isn't, oxygen may be required. Checks will be performed to make sure that no fluid remains in the mouth nose or other air passages. After the placenta has been delivered your midwife will wash you down and ask you to pass urine to make sure everything works correctly. You will then be allowed to change and prepare to leave the hospital. While you are doing so the midwife will then draw up your baby's Apgar score.
Your doctor will confirm that your baby's facial features and body proportions are normal, and a finger will be run along your baby's spine to make sure there is no evidence of spina bifida. Finally your baby's fingers, toes and anus are checked, as well as the two arteries and vein in the umbillical cord. Your baby will then be weighed and its head circumference, and possibly body length, are measured.
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