You asked and you shall now receive. It’s only fair for us to share all of this stored up knowledge about a baby and what happens once the baby is born until they are no longer called a baby but a toddler! We now will answer, in a very public forum, all of those burning questions about babies and those first 12 months. Each Tuesday, we will tackle a commonly-asked-question from the point of view of a new parent. Chiming in to give her feedback will be three women who have been there and done that: an expert (you know someone who does this for a living), a mom from our community (for the “best” friend advice you need) and a babybites’ team member (someone who will promise to give you the REAL deal and no fluff). Earmark, share and add your own input to today’s question; it’s good karma.
What are the first 24 hours like with a new baby?
Expert: Dr. Gina Lamb – Amato
The first 24 hours are the most exhilarating and exciting hours with your new baby. As both a pediatrician and mother I can remember so clearly the first day of life with my baby and how I felt such a deep feeling of love holding her as much as I could in the hospital while at the same time feeling exhausted from the whole birth and delivery process. When your baby is first born you will see a tiny wet infant who may appear crunched up and wrinkled from passing through the birth canal. Immediately after your newborn is delivered the medical staff will give your baby an Apgar score at 1 minute and 5 minutes of life. This score, which the normal range is between 7 and 10 measures baby’s responsiveness, vital signs, heart rate, breathing, color, activity and muscle tone. After that the medical staff will dry off your baby and wrap her in a blanket and place your baby in your arms for very special bonding time. You may try to breastfeed at that time. After a few minutes the mother is taken to the birthing suite or recovery room and the newborn is taken to the nursery for a bath. The father usually goes with the baby during this time. Your baby is given a Vitamin K injection to help her clot properly. If you consent your baby can also receive a hepatitis B vaccination. The staff may also test your newborn’s blood glucose. Also sometime in the 24 hours your baby will have a Newborn Screen blood test where blood is taken from her heel to look for PKU, congenital hypothyroidism and other diseases so that babies can be diagnosed early in infancy to ensure successful treatment for treatable diseases. Right after birth your newborn’s eyes are open quite a lot and your baby will look directly into your eyes. During this time you will continue bonding with your baby. After you have had some time with your newborn the nurse may show you how to diaper, swaddle and bathe her. Within the first 24 hours your baby will have a newborn physical examination from a pediatrician. The baby’s height, weight and head circumference will be measured along with a complete physical examination including listening to her heart and lungs and checking for abnormalities. During the first day of life your baby will sleep between 12 and 22 hours which is when you should sleep as you will need all the rest and sleep possible to care for your newborn.
Mom: Jen Dolce
The first 24 hours after I had my children were all the same, a perfect combination of joy and fear. Staring and poking at the bassinet every 15 minutes to make sure the baby is breathing, and then before you know it 24 hours turns into 48, then 72 and you are still plugging away learning something new each day.
Mommybites’ team: Elise Jones
Emotional!!! And with all of the hormonal strain your body has been through with the birth of your child, expect a lot of mood swings and exhaustion. It’s all so worth it though; you’ve got this new little bundle of joy to introduce to the world. And don’t forget about what your partner has been through too. Mine was so worried something bad was going to happen he could hardly wait for it to all be over. One big suggestion would be to sleep as much as possible. Have your partner greet visitors and talk to the nurses about baby updates, etc. Getting sleep during your stay in the hospital is key!
About our team
Dr. Gina Lamb – Amato MD
Gina is a general pediatrician and developmental pediatrician who works at Village Pediatrics and Agho Medical practices both in Manhattan, NY. She has a masters in child therapy and works with a child psychologist Rosa Vasquez PhD performing office and home consultation for newborns and parents, office and home developmental assessments, school consultations and parent child playgroups where play and art along with baby massage and other techniques are used to help parents bond and support their child’s development. Formerly, Gina was the Director of Pediatric Special Medical Needs before she went into private practice where she cared for medically fragile infants and children. She is also a Early Intervention Pediatrician for Early Intervention which assesses and treats infants from age zero to 3 years. She has extensive experience in Early Head Start programs which work with infants from prenatal to 3 years of age. She is the mother of a beautiful daughter who is 3 years old and the joy of my life. Her husband is an artist, producer and owns Synchronicity Space, a non-profit arts organization that supports emerging artist in fine art and theatre. Finally, she is also an artist who paints mainly babies and children.
Jen Dolce
Jen is a mom of four girls, living in Windy City of Chicago.
Elise Jones
Elise is the social media director and blog editor for Mommybites. She is responsible for engaging and investigating a variety of parenting topics found on Mommybites’ social media channels: parenting videos (webbybites), blog, Facebook, Twitter, and BlogTalkRadio show. The Mommybites’ blog is an outlet for moms who are in search of information to support them in their role as a parent. Prior to working with Mommybites, Elise was a teacher and worked in corporate PR. She is a wife and loving mom of two lovely girls and currently resides in New Jersey. In her spare time (HA!) she performs in the theater and is an active member of her local public arts council as well as blogs at Here in This House.
