What to expect after delivering your baby at the Telfair BirthPlace
Women's Care
The Telfair BirthPlace at the Mary Telfair Women’s Hospital at Candler Hospital delivers more than 3,000 babies a year. Our highly-skilled, compassionate team not only cares for you leading up to the delivery of your little one, but in the days and even years following.
Janna Wooten is the clinical manager of the Telfair BirthPlace. She talks about some expectations mom can have following delivery.
Recovery, skin-to-skin and feeding
Babies are delivered at the Telfair BirthPlace in the Labor and Delivery Unit. After giving birth, mom and baby – as long as both are healthy – will spend about two hours recovering. The first hour is spent doing skin-to-skin, where baby is placed on mom’s bare chest. The first feeding also occurs during the first two hours.
Mom may be hungry herself since only clear liquids are allowed while in labor. Mom can certainly eat during the recovery time; however, because she’s doing skin-to-skin and feeding, most moms wait until they are moved to the Mother-Baby unit.
After a couple of hours recovering, moms are moved to the Mother-Baby unit, still within the Telfair BirthPlace. They will get settled in their room for the reminder of their stay.
Related Article: Seven things all expecting mothers should know about feeding your baby
Bonding time with baby
As long as baby is healthy, baby will stay with mom in her room. Otherwise, newborns that require critical care will go to our Special Care Nursery.
“Research has shown that babies need to stay with mom to form that bond, so we keep mom and baby together,” Wooten says. “That bath is done in the room and any procedures, blood work or testing, for example, are done in that room.”
The one exception is circumcision. If mom chooses to circumcise her baby boy, that is done outside of the Mother-Baby unit, but baby comes right back following the procedure. Circumcision is usually done a day after the baby is born, Wooten says.
Some moms may expect a bath pretty soon after birth; however, most babies are bathed at least six hours later. The delay to bathe is supported by research evidence because it gives mom and baby time to bond and feed and time for baby to adjust to the temperature outside the womb.
Around the clock care
Our highly-skilled Telfair nurses check on mom every one to two hours, sometimes more frequently, Wooten says. Nurses on the Mother-Baby unit also have phones with them and leave their number written on a board in mom’s room. That way mom can call her nurse directly instead of the front desk if there is a need.
Nurses help with feeding, bathing and other needs, including pain management for mom. Each patient tolerates pain differently, Wooten says. Moms will often be asked to rate their pain on a scale of one to 10, and going into labor, Telfair nurses talk to mom about her pain expectations and goals.
Most physicians write an order for Motrin or other narcotics following delivery, Wooten says. Patients that delivery via C-section will be given IV pain medication and then go to oral medicine.
Related Article: What to expect with a C-section
“It’s very important for our moms to know not to sit there and wait until the pain gets too bad,” Wooten says. “We want to stay on top of it and make sure mom is as comfortable as possible.”
Lactation assistance after delivery and beyond
If mom decides to breastfeed, Telfair BirthPlace nurses are ready to help. We have three registered nurses that are international board certified lactation consultants. These consultants are on staff specifically to work with moms on feeding.
In addition, Telfair BirthPlace has more than a dozen certified lactation counselors. These also are registered nurses who may be your bedside nurse, but also certified in lactation to answer any feeding questions. Additionally, the entire nursing staff at Telfair BirthPlace must take a 20-hour course on lactation support to be employed within the Telfair BirthPlace.
Beyond our staff, lactation services include outpatient visits after mom is discharged, pump rentals, prepared classes and telephone and in-person support, including a Mommy and Me Breastfeeding Support Group that meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Telfair BirthPlace.
Related Article: Five tips to be successful at breastfeeding
Visitors
In labor and delivery, the Telfair BirthPlace limits the number of visitors, typically three for a natural birth and one for a C-section. Once mom and baby are moved to the Mother-Baby unit, it’s mom’s decision on the number of visitors she wants.
The Mother-Baby Unit follows hospital visiting hours, which are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. One support person is allowed to stay with mom overnight. That person must be over the age of 18.
Length of stay
For a vaginally delivery, healthy mom and baby typically stay 24 to 48 hours. C-sections may require a stay of two days up to four days. Moms will discuss with their physician when they are ready to be discharged.
Postpartum check
Before mom leaves the hospital, the staff will evaluate her for any potential postpartum blues or depression.
“It’s a very exciting time, but it also can be very stressful for moms,” Wooten says. “Some emotional changes are normal with the hormone changes and sleep deprivation, so moms should be aware of and know that some of that is normal. Be sure to talk to your physician about the severity of any postpartum blues you may have.”
Moms who deliver vaginally typically meet with their obstetrician within six weeks of delivery. For those who had a C-section, an earlier visit is required to ensure mom is healing properly.
We are there for you even after you are discharged
The Telfair BirthPlace has several services moms can take advantage of even after they leave. One is an outpatient lactation service, where moms can make an appointment to return to the Telfair BirthPlace for additional breastfeeding help. We also offer a monthly breastfeeding support group that is open to all moms.
Additionally, the Telfair BirthPlace offers a Telfair Baby app. It is great to have leading up to delivery, but it also includes tons of educational material on newborn care.
For more information about the Telfair BirthPlace, visit our website.