What happens in the delivery room after a normal vaginal delivery

After your baby is delivered , her umbilical cord will still be attached to the placenta.  The cord may continue to pulsate for several minutes , supplying the baby with oxygen while she establishes  her breathing. The cord will be clamped and cut once that pulsing stops. The baby feels no pain during the  clamping because there are no nerves in the cord.

The clamp will remain in place for about 24 to 48 hours or until it is dry and no longer bleeding. The stump which remains after the clamp is removed will fall off sometime between one and three weeks after delivery.

Once you’ve had a little bonding with the baby, she will be dried to prevent her from getting cold.  A doctor or nurse will examine her for obvious problems and abnormalities. They will then assign the baby an APGAR score which is  a measure of her overall responsiveness. She will then be wrapped in a blanket and given back to you.

Your  baby may also be weighed, measured and given medication before leaving the delivery room. This will depend on the policies of the hospital. She will be given a dose of vitamin K as well since nearly all newborns have low levels of this vitamin which is needed for blood clotting.

You can suggest that these procedures wait for about 30 minutes to  an hour while you hold your newborn and allow her to successfully move to your breast for her first feeding. It is important to maximize skin to skin contact as much as possible within those first few minutes.

Bacteria in the birth canal can affect the baby’s eyes. As a result the baby will be given antibiotics ointment or drops ( erythromycin ointment )either immediately after delivery or in the nursery to prevent eye infection.

One important procedure that must be done before you or your baby leave the nursery is both you and the baby’s father will receive matching labels bearing your name and other identifying details. The labels will be attached to your wrist, the father’s wrist and the baby’s wrist or ankle  after you verify the accuracy of the information. Each time your baby is taken from you or retured to you, the nurse will check the information to make sure they match. Many hospitals also footprint newborns as an added precaution and attached a security device to the baby’s ankle.