The hours after your baby is born will be exciting for you and your family. Our staff will be by your side to meet your needs and the needs of your new baby. Our goal is to keep mom and baby healthy and happy.
It is important that you understand what will happen once your baby is born. Your baby will have different types of tests performed, such as hearing screenings, oxygen checks and blood tests. Please feel free to ask us questions and talk openly about your concerns. This will help us to give you and your newborn a wonderful experience.
Skin-to-skin hugs
As soon as possible after delivery, your baby will be placed skin to skin on your chest. Skin-to-skin care helps:
- Regulate the baby’s temperature and breathing
- Your body produce more milk
- Increase bonding by giving you time to greet your baby. New dads are also encouraged to hold their new baby skin-to-skin.
Treatments
To help your baby stay healthy, your baby will receive:
- Vitamin K to prevent bleeding
- Penicillin to prevent infections
- Erythromycin eye ointment to prevent eye infections
- Hepatitis B vaccine to protect against hepatitis
Daily physical exams
Our pediatric staff specializes in caring for newborn babies. A team of pediatric doctors and nurse practitioners are here to care for your baby 24 hours a day. Your baby will be given a head-to-toe exam every day.
Monitoring
Our team of dedicated registered nurses will continue to check on you and your baby in the hours and days after delivery while you are at the hospital. The nurses will check your baby’s heart rate, breathing and temperature. They will also weigh your baby and check skin color, feeding and wet and dirty diapers. These regular checks ensure that your baby appears healthy and is doing well. The nurses will also want to know if you have concerns or questions about your baby.
Circumcision for your baby boy
Our medical staff will ask if you would like your baby boy to be circumcised. Please feel free to ask any questions or discuss concerns you may have with your care team of pediatric doctors, nurse practitioners and registered nurses.