Birthing mothers: first weeks of parenting

After a birth centre or hospital birth: what birthing mothers can expect

If you had your baby at a birth centre, you and your baby will probably go home on the day you gave birth. If you or your baby need a longer stay, you’ll probably be transferred to the nearest maternity hospital.

If you had your baby in a public hospital or private hospital, you and your baby will probably stay in hospital for at least 12 hours. If you’re both well enough, you might be encouraged to go home earlier. If you want to go earlier or stay longer, or you’re not sure, it’s OK to talk with your doctor or midwife.

If you stay in hospital overnight, your partner or a family member might be able to stay with you.

Your hospital stay might be longer if you have a medical condition, your baby needs extra care or your labour or birth was assisted – for example, you had a forceps birth or caesarean birth. In these situations, you might stay in hospital for 2-5 days.

If your baby was born prematurely, your baby will probably need to stay in hospital for longer in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or the special care nursery.

Before you leave hospital

It helps to know about your recovery and how to get support in your first weeks at home with your baby. Before you leave hospital, you or your partner might like to ask:

who to contact for breastfeeding support
whether a midwife can visit you at home
how to manage pain
whether you can drive or lift and carry heavy things
when and where to have your stitches taken out, if you had a caesarean birth
whether the hospital has a lactation consultant or women’s health physiotherapist and how to contact these professionals
how to recognise problems with your recovery and what to do
where to go for your 6-week check-up.

You can also ask about caring for your new baby. For example, it’s good to know things like:

how many feeds your baby might need and how long feeds might take
how to recognise your baby’s cues for comfort and feeding
what to expect from your baby’s poos and wees
how to know whether your baby is sick and what to do
who to call if your baby is sick
how to contact your local child and family health nurse and how the nurse can help you
when immunisations are recommended for your baby.

Your doctor or midwife will give you this information as part of your care.

It’s a good idea to ask friends or family members for help with practical jobs like washing baby clothes, buying nappies and filling your fridge and pantry with healthy foods.

After a homebirth: what birthing mothers can expect

If you had a homebirth, your midwife will stay with you on the day of birth until you and your baby are stable and breastfeeding has started. This usually happens around 3-4 hours after birth.

Your homebirth midwife will keep giving you and your baby care and support until your baby is about 6 weeks old.

Your feelings in the first week after birth

Whether you’ve given birth in hospital, at a birth centre or at home, your body has been through a lot. The good news is that you’ll start to heal, and you can usually manage pain and discomfort.

Most birthing mothers will feel tired and overwhelmed soon after giving birth. You might also feel relief, happiness, fear and joy. You might feel teary and anxious 3-5 days after birth – this is called the ‘baby blues’. The ‘baby blues’ last for only a few days.

It can help to talk regularly with someone you trust about how you’re feeling – your partner, a family member or trusted friend. This helps you both to be aware of any changes in your mood and how long the changes go on for.

If the blue feelings don’t go away after 2 weeks or they get in the way of your health, daily life or relationships, it might be postnatal anxiety or postnatal depression. It’s important to seek help early. Talk to your midwife, child and family health nurse or doctor.

Home visits from a midwife or child and family health nurse

If you’ve had a homebirth, your homebirth midwife will visit you regularly (daily at first) and then less often, depending on how much help you and your baby need. They’ll visit you up until 6 weeks after the birth.

If you’ve had a hospital birth, a midwife or child and family health nurse will usually visit you at home in the week after you leave the hospital. They’ll check on you and your baby and answer your questions.

If you have urgent questions or worries, you can call the parenting helpline in your state or territory. You can also make an appointment with your GP or your local child and family health centre.

Learning to breastfeed

Breastfeeding can take time, practice and patience. Finding a breastfeeding technique that works for you and your baby can make all the difference.

It can help to have as much skin-to-skin contact as possible and to keep your baby close to you in the early hours and days.

It can often take several weeks before you feel confident with breastfeeding.

If you have any questions or problems with breastfeeding, talk with your midwife or a lactation consultant. You can also contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association by calling the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 1800 686 268, 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Learning about baby care

If you’re a first-time parent, there’s a lot for you to learn about caring for your new baby. For example, you’ll probably need to learn about:

Taking it easy

Sometimes a good day will be just feeding and comforting your baby, getting out of your pyjamas and having a shower. This is OK. Try to rest whenever you can, and give yourself time to get to know your baby.

It’s also good to have someone you trust to support you for the first few days – for example, your partner, a family member or a friend. If you’re not a first-time parent, it’s still good to have support, especially if you have other children to look after.

Depending on your family situation, a small number of hospitals offer free or low-cost home help with general cleaning and shopping for a few weeks after you go home. Ask the midwife about what your hospital offers. And if you have a private health fund, you can check to see whether these home services are covered.

Eating and drinking

Healthy eating and drinking helps you keep your energy up to care for your baby.

In the early days, you might have less time to cook healthy meals. So if friends and family offer to cook meals for you, accept them. You can also buy prepared meals, soups and salads for the days when time is short.

Another way to save time is to shop online and have your groceries delivered.

Visitors

Family and friends will be excited to see you and your baby. They’ll want to visit you at home.

It’s OK to say how and when you’d like visitors. For example, you can say no to visitors who are unwell. And it’s important for your other children and close family members to be up to date with immunisations before meeting your baby.

Some new birthing mothers give the job of managing visitors to their partners or a trusted friend. For example, they might ask family and friends to come in pairs or to wait a few days before visiting.

It can help to put a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on your front door, use voicemail and switch your mobile phone to silent.

Other parents can be a great source of help and support. If you join a local or online parents group, you can share ideas and experiences with other new parents.