Each mother remembers it in a different way, but in all experiences you can talk about some magic, spark, emotion never experienced before. Because it is the first time we see our baby face to face, the first time we felt his warmth, we heard his crying. Everything is new for him too.
How is that magical moment when we see our son for the first time? Everything will depend on how the labor has passed, if it has been without complications, they can put your baby to your chest, skin with skin, while the expulsion of the placenta takes place and prove that everything is fine.
Timely cutting of the cord is ideally once it has stopped beating (or two or three minutes after birth), which provides essential iron reserves for the child. Some very valuable minutes whose benefits are appreciated even years later.
It may not seem like a precious baby or maybe it does. What is clear is that we will not see the newborn baby in the movies. We'll see a baby probably wrinkled, whitish by the vernix caseosa layer, with the head probably with an elongated or "cone" shape because it has just crossed the birth canal. With a slightly bluish or bruised skin, it will soon become more pink. The baby can be on the mother even while "cleaning", although the vernix is not dirt and nothing happens to leave it longer.
If everything goes on correctly, you and your baby will be transferred to a Postpartum or Observation Room, possibly accompanied by the same person who was with you during the delivery. We have a couple of hours in this room where we can start breastfeeding with our baby, offering our warmth and food.
Remember that for a happy breastfeeding it is recommended to put the baby to the breast the first hour of life and that among the good practices of those first minutes in the world we have a series of actions that respect the natural processes and allow mothers and babies to take advantage of its benefits.
There are other tasks in the first hour of life, such as weighing or identifying the baby, administering vitamin K ... but they are done quickly and in the following hours, if the baby's health is good, the rest of the necessary tests can be performed without separating the baby and his mother.
Already We started communicating with our son, through skin-to-skin contact and the sound of voices. Do not stop touching him, caressing him, talking to him, whispering ... all of which conveys tranquility and begins to establish a very special, unique bond. He needs to know that he is not alone in this new world he has just discovered.
Don't be separated
The baby's first hour is a very special and sensitive period, the baby is very receptive and starts his innate reflexes, so any stimulus that comes from mom and dad is vital for their development and well-being. That is why it is essential that you are not alone.
The caresses are powerful and calm the baby who just went through a very stressful moment. No one would like to feel abandoned in those moments and, he may not speak and just see, but the brain of the newborn, already in these early hours, works and grows much more than we can imagine.
Only if a cesarean section has to be performed is it likely that they cannot put the baby to your chest. In these cases, and in some hospitals, the recovery of the mother is done in a room without the baby, that if it is okay, she would spend those initial moments with the father, who can also get in touch skin to skin with the baby. But more and more the baby is left with moms who have had a C-section while they recover.
Neither caesarean section nor epidural should be an impediment for the baby to be with mom, skin to skin, and start breastfeeding with the most appropriate postures.
Remember that you can make a birth plan expressing your wishes about how you would like it to develop, not only the moment of birth, but also those first hours. If everything goes well and in the hospital they are respectful, they will not separate you from the baby (in fact, it would not be necessary to put this in the birth plan, if all professionals were aware of its importance).
What we cannot plan is how we are going to feel those first moments. But surely in a very special way. You are probably tired and sore, but all that is almost forgotten when we see our son or daughter. There may not be "love at first sight", but even our brain is ready to bond with the baby.
After nine months of waiting, the first time we see the baby is unforgettable and exciting. A unique, magical bond has just been created with our son and we will always take that special moment with us. Congratulations on your baby.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | The first hour of life is sacred to the mother and the baby, The baby is born, how to start breastfeeding ?, The first days with the baby: its appearance at birth
