After the Birth of Your Baby

After giving birth to your baby there is a whole list of things to get used to now. Such as starting a schedule with your infant; one of the very first things you will want to do is get to know your baby. Go over his or her body with a fine toothed comb. Look over their hands and feet, look at their legs and arms, make sure you check the area where their umbilical cord is attached, this should be drying now, sealed with a clip and it will turn a dark brown color. When the umbilical cord is ready to fall off, it will on its own. Don’t touch it and don’t mess with the skin. This is only one small part of becoming a parent. Your bundle of joy is full of excitement for you and your family. Make sure to get plenty of rest, because you are going to need it!

Right after the birth of your baby, the doctors and nurses will go into action. They will whisk your baby away to be weighed, measured and to have a general physical examination. In the process of the examination a heel prick will be done in order to get a sample of the baby’s blood to run tests and make sure your baby is healthy. They will also do a screen to make sure your baby is functioning correctly. Checking their heart, lungs, hips, eyes and testes in boys; usually this exam is done by a specialty doctor or midwife.

While you are healing, you will receive treatment for you and your baby will also get care too. Sometimes after birth there is a need for urgent care, this is only if there is a serious issue when the baby is born. In some rare cases babies who are born without enough vitamin k may suffer from a disorder of the blood called hemorrhagic. If this is not caught early on, it can cause serious bleeding in the brain which may lead to death.

It’s rare, but it does happen that some babies are born without hearing, during the first exam the baby’s hearing will be tested. When hearing loss is present babies and their families will be able to get the support they need, for finding this issue early on.

The heel prick test, sometimes called the newborn blood spot screening is done to test for rare but potentially serious illnesses which may develop early on or show up in your baby at the infant stage. Knowing the blood count of your baby and the genetic make-up can help parents and doctors to be ready for sudden changes. During this test, the blood is also tested for metabolism issues, which can be treated to help your baby digest milk and foods.

Birthmarks are often little spots on the body of your baby and often will go away as the baby matures and grows. Sometimes marks stay longer if they are bigger, it’s best to ask your physician if the marks are going to stay if you are concerned.