Common hospital routines after baby is born
Let’s focus on some hospital the routines after baby is born.
Over the last years the norm has changed in Sweden when it comes to cutting the cord. Delayed cord clamping is currently the norm in the hospitals. This means to wait for 3 minutes or more after baby is born to cut the umbilical cord. As about ⅓ of the baby's blood is in the umbilical cord and the placenta at birth it's very important that baby gets this blood.
All newborns are offered a Vitamin K shot after birth, and most parents say yes to this. But in order to make an informed decision I suggest you read up on it beforehand. But to explain it in short vitamin K is given to babies as they don't have developed this yet, and vitamin K is a part in the body's ability to coagulate the blood, so this is why it's offered.
Most hospitals, if not all, adhere to skin to skin for at least the first hour after baby is born. This to ensure a good start when it comes to breastfeeding. Even if you choose not to breastfeed skin to skin is beneficial for both baby and parent right after birth.
After baby is born the placenta needs to be born. How hands on and active the hospital staff is during this varies. Mostly this has to do with how much bleeding there is during this time. If the placenta isn't released within the time the hospital has as a routine the staff may be more hands on and want to give medication as well as pull at the cord.
Once the placenta is born the uterus is checked to make sure it's contracting as it should and that there is a normal amount of blood coming out of the vulva from the open wound in the uterus where the placenta previously was attached.
In some hospitals they routinely take pH tests from the umbilical cord blood right after the baby is born. Read up on this and decide if you want to this or not.
Some hospitals also give a shot of synthetic oxytocin to mom right after birth. This is something that you should be aware of and know about as well. This shot is given to help the uterus to contract better, sometimes to release the placenta, other times to minimize postpartum bleeding. In some hospitals this is given to everyone, in others it is given as it is deemed to be needed.
Usually after the first feed the baby is weighed, measured and quickly looked through to make sure everything looks okay. Within the first 24 hours a pediatrician usually does a more thorough check of the baby.
The postpartum routines vary, some stay in the postnatal ward for a couple of days, others go home just hours after their baby is born. It all depends on the hospital's routines as well as how you and baby are doing.
This was a general overview of hospital routines when giving birth in Sweden. What did I miss? Did you experience any routine that I didn't list and you want to know more about? Leave a comment below!
