At the Hospital
Once your baby is born, a lot of different things can happen in the delivery room. Although it is now routine for fathers to be in the labor and delivery room with the mother when their baby is being born, it can sometimes be hard for an expecting dad to know his place. You probably will be feeling anxious, confused, nervous, excited, or some combination of all of these feelings. Remember that your primary role is going to be to coach and comfort the expecting mother. If you don't know what to do beyond this, just ask someone. No matter how many books you read or classes you take, this experience is not something that you can easily prepare for.
Usually the first thing that will happen once the baby is born is that the umbilical cord will be cut. Then, if the birth was an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, the mother might be given a few moments with the baby. If it was a caesarean section or if the baby is limp or blue, he might immediately be taken away to be resuscitated.
Not all babies cry a lot after they are born. Parents often listen for the sound of loud crying to signal that their baby is healthy. If your baby stops crying after a few cries but is awake and alert, pink and breathing well, then she is likely to be healthy and doing fine.
Resuscitation
The term “resuscitation” means to revive someone. This procedure is best suited for a baby who is not breathing or doesn't have a heartbeat when born; however, even crying, healthy newborns often undergo the same basic initial resuscitation procedure. After delivery, a baby who needs resuscitation is handed off to someone from the resuscitation team — a nurse, pediatrician, or some other health professional — who takes him over to an infant warmer. Once on the warmer, the baby will be quickly dried off to prevent heat loss, especially if he seems sick. Next, the baby is positioned so that his airway can be seen, and then his mouth is suctioned to get any leftover fluid out. After these procedures, if the baby still isn't breathing well on his own, the health professional will stimulate him to breathe by slapping his foot or firmly rubbing his back. The baby is likely to respond to this extra stimulation and start breathing and crying well on his own.
First Feeding
After the resuscitation, your baby will be wrapped in a blanket and handed back to either mom or dad. You may not be thinking about feeding your baby at this time, but if your baby's mother plans on breastfeeding, now would be a good time to start if she is feeling up to it. This is especially important, because after being awake and alert for an hour or two, your baby is likely to sleep most of the rest of his first day and will be harder to wake up for breastfeeding. Even if you aren't breastfeeding, you both should spend the first hour after delivery holding and bonding with your new baby if he is healthy and doesn't have to be taken immediately to the nursery.
The Nursery
Whether your baby is sick or well, he will eventually be taken to the nursery. Once there, he will be weighed, measured, and observed to make sure that no problems develop. Other routine procedures will include:
A sponge bath
A vitamin K shot
Eye drops or ointment to prevent infection
Observation to make sure he can maintain a normal body temperature
Observation for difficulty breathing, heart murmurs, and color changes
A first feeding of sugar water if you aren't breastfeeding
At-risk babies might also have blood sugar testing if they are very small or very large. Babies whose mothers have a positive Group B Strep test might have additional testing and antibiotics for a few days.
Rooming-In
Once it has been determined that your baby is healthy and his temperature doesn't drop when he isn't under a warmer, he probably will be able to leave the nursery and go visit his mother and other family members. At this point, you can usually decide to either have the baby stay in your room for all or most of the time, which is called rooming-in, or continue to have him go back and forth from the nursery.
Nursery workers often assume that sleeping mothers don't want to be awakened for nighttime breastfeedings. If you and your partner don't want your baby to get formula and she isn't rooming-in, be sure everyone knows to wake mom up for feedings. You should also alert the nursery that you do not want them to use a pacifier, because that can often interfere with effective breastfeeding.
Rooming-in with your baby can make breastfeeding on demand easier for the mother and give her more time to bond with and understand your baby before going home, but it may make it harder for her to get much rest. Rooming-in is also a good idea for dad, so that he can also bond with the baby and help his partner get some rest.
