What To Expect When You Go To The Hospital To Have Your Baby from Check In To Check Out

 

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What to Expect at the Hospital Before, During, and After Labor

 Having a baby is very exciting but can also feel pretty terrifying, especially if it’s your first time. The closer you get to your special day, the more anxiety you can begin to have and that’s ok. It’s perfectly normal.

I remember my first baby, I was over the moon but I had a lot of very real fear. One way I helped calm myself was learning about what comes next and what I could expect each step of the way. Knowing what was coming helped me feel more prepared and ready.

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In this post, I want to shed some light on the things that you can expect on your journey to bringing your child into this world. Hopefully, it will help you enjoy the whole process a bit more.

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The Check-In

 This is the easy part, at least compared to everything else. Chances are that you’ll already be in labor at this point unless you had a scheduled induction or c-section, so nothing is really easy from this point forward. Fortunately, hospitals are well-oiled machines and the staff members will know exactly what to do to get you started. They will quickly check you in and take you to the triage room or labor and delivery room depending on whether or not you have a scheduled delivery.

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Triage Room

This is where they will check you to see if you are really in labor and how far along things are coming.

Once they ask you some questions to see what’s going on they will connect you to a fetal monitor to check the baby’s heart rate and monitor your contractions. The nurses will then decide if you are ready to be admitted for delivery. If they decide you are not, they may send you home. That may be a real bummer if you’re ready to meet your babe but It does happen sometimes.

But don’t worry if you do get sent home, you’ll be headed back real soon.

 

Labor and Delivery Room

 This is where you’ll be staying until you have your baby so you can settle in and get comfortable. { Hopefully, you’ll have taken a tour of the hospital beforehand so you’ll know what to expect and it will meet your needs. It’s important that you do this so you’ll be confident that you’ll be happy with your chosen hospital and Environment. This will give you a feel for the staff as well. }

Once you settle in Nurses will be monitoring your labor and the heart rate of the baby, doing everything they can to keep you comfortable. You can decide to shower or bathe if this helps you manage stress or pain. You’ll also notify the nurses whether you are deciding to have a natural childbirth or use pain medication. If you decide on using an epidural, you will be briefed on that and administered it in this room.

You’ll be working with multiple nurses during this time, and it’s likely you’ll even be there long enough to warrant a shift change, but all of the nurses will be familiar with your pregnancy and progress. Be friendly and get to know your nurses, this will help make the experience better for everyone.

Doulas, midwives, and family members are generally allowed in the delivery room, but each hospital varies on the number they allow, so you may want to check beforehand. Chances are they aren’t going to allow you to bring in 20 friends to cheer you on in your delivery, ready to pop the bubbly, so make sure you choose your family members wisely. You don’t want a know-nothing know-it-all making things uncomfortable for everybody, do you?

Also as you can imagine, things get pretty PERSONAL when having a baby… you’ll likely poop on the table and more so keep that in mind when you enthusiastically invite all your buds.

Related Posts:

The Psychology Of being A New Mother, How you’ll feel and What To Expect 

Labor Bag Essentials, What you’ll really need at the hospital plus Printable Checklist!

What To Really Expect During The First Trimester

Delivery

 This is it (for better or for worse)! After playing the waiting game, the pressure may begin to get too intense to handle. You’ll start to feel the need to push but you need to wait till you are exactly 10 centimeters of dilation before you start. So Don’t get too eager to push, as this could cause injury if you aren’t ready.

You’ll have to call the nurse and they will come with the OBGYN. Depending on the time that you are in the hospital, it may not be your regular OBGYN, but rest assured knowing that they will be perfectly qualified and ready to assist you.

Often times The OBGYN practice you go to have several docs on hand and you can end up with anyone of them during your birth. You will likely be introduced to each one throughout your prenatal care so you will be at least a bit familiar with the one you end up with if it’s not your own.

So here you go… This is the part that many people dread. We’ve all seen the movies with the yelling and the screaming and the swearing. And they aren’t always wrong. However, many people report that the contractions leading up to the actual delivery are more painful than the pushing itself. At least up until the end when you push the baby out.  This part is known as the ” ring of fire ” and can be pretty intense. If you’ve had an epidural it won’t bother you at all but if you haven’t, well it can be pretty hardcore but you’re almost there and it’s all good mama. Just keep going, you’re tough and you can do it!

Because every woman is different, you may only need a few pushes to get that baby out. Other women may need a lot more. Either way, just stick with it and you will eventually be staring at the newest, beautiful member of your family.

Wondering What you should take to the hospital? Well, I wrote an article about that and you can read it here.

 

Post-Delivery

 

Congratulations, you did it and you’re amazing!

After you deliver, the baby will be cleaned and given a health evaluation by the doctors.

However, as long as he or she seems healthy, you’ll be handed your baby and given some time to cherish the moment and bond with the newborn. This can be a therapeutic decision for both you and your child, and you’ll want to discuss these options with your doctor before delivery. It is your choice to refuse certain treatments that happen immediately after birth, and there is no harm in spending the first hour or so with your baby as long as the doctors confirm that the breathing, color, and tone are healthy.

I held my little ones for a couple hours and began teaching them to breastfeed before they were even weighed so please know that this is an option if you picked a good hospital. Unfortunately, some hospitals and docs can be pretty pushy so that’s something to think about when picking your OBGYN and facility.

 

At some point soon though the doctors will want to weigh the baby and give an APGAR score which consists of appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. You will then be sent to a recovery or postpartum room. You’ll stay here for two days after vaginal birth and up to four days after a c-section. Your doctor will check with you and the baby every day to make sure he or she is adjusting healthily and that you are on track to leave the hospital on time. More and more hospitals are allowing family members to stay in these rooms overnight, allowing for more time to bond and learn.

My husband always stayed the first night at least and then left the second. I loved this personal time alone with my new baby and always enjoyed these hospital stays. It’s like a mini-vacation really when you need it most and you can get to know your babe without worrying too much about your house or visitors and all that. It’s nice. So don’t be in too much of a rush to get home mama. Enjoy this time and these new, special moments.

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In the next few days, You will probably be exhausted, dehydrated, and sore – and completely elated! and That’s totally okay because one look at your child and all these problems will melt away. Just make sure to drink fluids, keep yourself and your baby well-fed, and connect with your doctors and nurses with any issues or questions. Before you know it, you will be out of the hospital and on to your new life as a mom!

Good Luck Mama, It’s a wild but fulfilling ride and we hope you enjoy every second of it!

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