At the Maternity Ward

What to expect and what to ask - especially if you do not have a midwife for after-care at home.

What happens after birth in the hospital

After the birth of your baby, you will stay in the delivery room for at least 2 hours before you can move into your room in the maternity ward. The term 'maternity ward' is used because the period that follows is also called the postpartum period and lasts 6-8 weeks. During this time, you should rest as much as possible, avoid stressing your pelvic floor and try to give your body and mind time to recover.

Who you can find at the maternity ward

There are many helping hands on the maternity ward who can support you and answer your questions: paediatric nurses, nurse-midwives, lactation consultants, paediatric nurses, physiotherapists.

PLEASE ASK - in Germany they want to give you privacy - so please ask if you need anything or have a question. Just ring them or look for them.

Questions to ask

To give you an idea of what you can ask your helping angels, we have compiled a list of what might be good to ask (of course, no guarantee of completeness):

• How do I change a diaper?
• How do I put my baby to bed?
• How do I lift / handle my baby?
• How do I hand my child over to a second person?
• How do I get my baby dressed and undressed? What kind of bodysuits are there? What do I have to pay attention to?
• How do I take care of my baby's navel / the umbilical cord?
• How do I clean my baby? What is part of the daily care?
• How can I tell if my baby is warm enough or cold?
• How do I carry my baby?
• How do I comfort my baby when it cries?
• How to breastfeed? What positions are available?
• How often do I need to feed? (latest every 3 hours until the milk comes in - then as per babies needs  - Top Tip from us)
• How do I pump?
• What are the tricks for having enough milk? Drink lots of water (Gravidamiga tip)
• What is the best way to take care of my perineum? 
• What is the best way to get up and lie down in the postpartum period?
• How do I care for my nipples?
• How do I care for my stitches? (Caesarean section or vaginal stitches)
• What can I eat and drink?
• What are some easy exercises to avoid thrombosis in the postpartum period?
• How much do I bleed? Is this normal? How long for?
• May I have some warm food?

Did we miss something? Please help us to complete the list - write us an email. Thank you.

December 2021 - Gravidamiga
This blog post has been prepared with the greatest possible care and does not claim to be correct, complete or up-to-date.“ Picture credit: Adobe Stock licensed

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