Keep Your Baby With You After Birth - Step 6 of 6

Find more information at http://www.MothersAdvocate.org.
Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice Six.
See how holding your baby skin to skin right after birth and in the first days of her life help her adjust to life outside the womb and get breastfeeding off to a good start.

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[thightemcat101]

My baby was born at 35 weeks and was immediately taken to the NICU for evaluation, but thankfully everything was fine and she was brought back to me within 15 minutes of her birth. I was then able to hold her skin to skin and nurse her. That was such an amazing feeling-3

[DollysVlog]

my son was rushed to a heating table (i think thats what it was call) then to the nicu. I wasnt able to hold until the second day of his life. he remained in nicu while I stayed in my hospital room without him for 6 days. then sent home while he spent two more weeks there, sadly I was not able to hold him after birth, they needed to save his life. thank god he is here today. I wanted to do skin to skin. I hope I am able to with my next child (someday)

[Kathy Taborn]

Jodee, I posted a reply 6 hours ago, but it apparently did not post! :(

I have attended approx 80-150 "natural" and intervention free vaginal delivers in the past 34 years. I have seen mostly JOY and BEAUTY and HEALTHY babies born at these deliveries. Roughly 10% of these deliveries - there are unanticipated problems during labor or at the time of birth. Most babies survived, but many did not. All deliveries: 800-1000. My primary role is attending high-risk deliveries.

[jodee934]

Also you imply that if something unexpected causes harm to mom or baby during a homebirth it is the mother's fault for choosing homebirth.....who's fault is it when a mother chooses a hospital birth and the mom or baby are harmed? Would you then say it's the mother's fault for choosing a hospital birth?

[jodee934]

I will forever own the safe, spiritual, empowering, beautiful home birth of my first child. And in a few days I'll own the second home birth of my second child. Forever. You didn't answer how many natural births you have been personal witness to. All you need to do is look at statistics for home birth with a midwife to know they're safer than hospital birth. The fact is medical intervention where it isn't needed poses risky side effects making a normal labor turn into a dangerous labor.

[Kathy Taborn]

DollysVlog: I'm very sorry that that was your experience with your son. He must have been very ill. I am so happy for you that he is fine and was able to go home to his family - where he belongs.

In the NICU I work in, we do our very best to get Mom and Baby back together as soon and as often as possible. You can do skin-to-skin/Kangaroo Care anytime - for months and months. Until you and baby are not longer interested. Happy he's home! :)

[Kathy Taborn]

You only have one shot at this. The choice is your own. The outcome is then your own choice - you have to own that - forever.

[jodee934]

Home Birth: Great idea for normal healthy pregnancies. As a NICU nurse how many natural intervention-free births have you witnessed personally? My guess would be that many uncomplicated pregnancies at the hospital because unanticipated emergencies at the hospital when needless interventions were performed like manually breaking waters, epidural, pitocin. If the hospital is the safest place for healthy moms and babies why does the U.S. have such terrible mom and baby outcomes?

[Kathy Taborn]

Home Birth:  Bad idea... I'm a NICU nurse and some of the sickest babies I have ever seen (many of whom did not survive) were completely uncomplicated pregnancies that ended up with unanticipated emergency problems at the time of delivery. You only have ONE chance to have a healthy baby... AND a healthy Mom....

[MarisaKamy]

After I was born, I was immediatly laid on my mom.

I was so slippery, that's a miracle, mom managed to hold me after being tired giving birth to me (36 hours...).

And now she can't get away from me hugging her)))

[mylovesofmylife]

such gorgeous babies