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A mom does everything that she can to bring her child into the world, keep up her baby’s wellness and nurture the bonding with her baby. Soon after birth while the medical crew will seize your baby for a while to do the preliminary tasks of cleaning the baby followed by testing and observing. But while the crew at the hospital is doing their part, here are few things that you must do as a mother right after birth:
1. Stem Cell Banking
Modern medicine has come a long way and allows you immense benefits through stem cell banking. Stem cell banking involves collecting cryopreserving cord blood cells (blood from the umbilical cord is rich in stem cells that are precursors of hematopoietic cells) that can be used in the future should there be genetic disorders or disorders in blood or the immune system. As soon as the cord is cut, cord blood is derived from the umbilical cord vein that is connected to the placenta. Consult your doctor beforehand expressing interest in stem cell banking.
2. Saving The Placental Blood
Placental blood is richer than cord blood by ten times more of stem cells. In fact a unit of cord blood might not contain adequate amount of stem cells to for the treatment of an adult patient. Therefore it might be desirable to talk to your doctor to save the placental blood. The other benefits of saving your placenta will be to convert them into postpartum antidepressant capsules and increase the supply of breast milk.
3. Delaying Cord Clamping For A Minimum Of Two Minutes
Researchers have found that cord blood returns to neonatal circulation in case the umbilical cord is not clamped prematurely. Dr. Eileen K. Hutton recommends that clamping be delayed for at least two minutes because doing otherwise might cause anemia in the first quarter of baby’s life. Delayed clamping can therefore regulate the enriching iron reservoirs and ferritin levels for duration of six months. Ideally cord clamping should be done once it stops pulsating.
4. Vitamin K Shots
Getting vitamin K shots for your baby might be a good idea. While majority of the babies are born with a vitamin K deficiency, few rare cases lead to Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn or HDN, a serious disorder. The side-effects of jaundice that follow these shots are primarily due to added synthetic preservatives. Alternatively you can choose for an oral vitamin K administration to avoid any complications as these or blood clotting. Make up your mind and let your doctor know that you will want a vitamin K administration for your child right in the delivery room.
5. Eye Ointment
Few hospitals recommend erythromycin or nitrate based or tetracycline based eye ointment formulated to protect babies from conjunctivitis that might occur due to syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea. If you have turned negative to STDs, it’s great news, but a possible conjunctivitis owing to difficult bonding or irritation or chemical conjunctivitis might still occur. Therefore you might have to agree or decline the application of an eye ointment.
6. Optional Vaccinations
There are few vaccinations that are optional. You should take a call on what you deem best for your child.
7. Say Yes To Hepatitis B Vaccination
Hepatitis B infection is one of the most dreaded infections around the world. Most children are known to contract the virus at the time of birth from their mothers. An estimated nine thousand to eighteen thousand children are known to be infected with the virus annually. So while it is an important vaccination, at times it could cause harmful reactions when administered soon after birth. You can opt for the vaccination at a later stage.
8. Skin To Skin Contact
It is something you have longed for – holding the baby in your arms is now a dream come true. Make sure that the ‘kangaroo care’ is offered soon after birth. Placing the baby as soon as possible after birth on mother’s chest helps the baby in a number of ways, researchers suggest. Even the WHO has underscored the importance of allowing the skin to skin contact between the mother and the child irrespective of baby’s weight, birth route, gestational age, clinical conditions or birth setting. And it is needless to say the multiple benefits that skin-to-skin contact will offer a new mother.
It has been proven that the kangaroo care is twice more effective at exclusive breastfeeding at least until the sixth month and such babies are twelve times less likely to cry during the observation period. The fact that just about forty three percent of hospitals implemented skin-to-skin contact, you might want to make sure to ask your doctor to cooperate with the initial contact and carry out the preliminary assessment of your baby while it’s still on your chest.
9. Choosing To Bathe Your Baby
Apart from the anxiety that a new mom might have when it’s a question of bathing her baby soon after birth, there good reasons why it can be delayed for at least until the next 24 hours. Your baby is covered with skin coat called the vernix which is protective sheath that defends the baby from infections while showing immune-boositng response. This apart the vernix helps your baby’s skin stay soft and moisturized. Also a bath after birth means lowering baby’s body temperature while the baby should be warmed up in the mother’s arms or the skin-to-skin contact. So make your option vocal that you might want your baby to be bathed later.
What were the post-birth decisions you took? Let us know!
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