DELIVERY ROOM PROCEDURES

As your babies lies with you following a routine delivery, his umbilical cord will still be attached to the placenta. For several minutes the cord may continue to pulsate, supplying the baby with oxygen while he establishes his own breathing. Once pulsing stops, the cord will be clamped and cut.(Because there are no nerves in the cord, the baby feels no pain during this procedure.)

The clamp will remain in place for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, or until the cord is dry and no longer bleeds. The stump that remains after the clamp is removed will fall of sometime between ten days and three weeks after birth.

Once you've had a few moments to get acquainted with your baby, he will be dried to keep him from getting too cold, and a doctor or nurse will examine him briefly to make sure there are no obvious problems or abnormalities, given Apgar scores, which measure his over all responsiveness. Then he will be wrapped in a blanket and given back to you.

Depending on the hospital's routine, your baby may also be weighed, measured, and receive medication before leaving the delivery room. All newborns are slightly low in vitamin K, which is necessary for normal blood-clotting, so they are given an injection of this vitamin to prevent excessive bleeding.

Because bacteria in the birth canal can infect a baby's eyes, your baby will be given antibiotic eye drops or silver nitrate ointment, either immediately after delivery or later in the nursery, to prevent any infection.

There's at least one other important procedure to be done before either your newborn leaves the delivery room: Both of you will receive matching labels bearing your name and other identifying details. After you verify the accuracy of these labels, one will be attached to your wrist and the other to you while in hospital, the nurse will check the bracelets to make sure they match. Many hospitals also footprint newborns as an added precaution.