Discovering the sex of my baby
Regardless of how you give birth, you can choose who announces the sex of your baby if you do not already know.
If you give birth vaginally you can discover the sex of your baby yourself or your birth partner or the midwife can let you know.
If you have a caesarean birth then you can ask for the surgical drapes to be lowered, or the baby can be raised by the obstetrician for you to discover the sex of your baby yourself, or your birth partner or the midwife/obstetrician can let you know.
My first moments with my baby – skin to skin contact
We recommend you have some skin to skin contact with your baby as soon as possible after birth. Not only is this a special moment for you to get to know your baby, skin to skin contact has many benefits including:
- Calming and relaxing both mother and baby
- Regulating your baby’s heart rate and breathing, helping them to adapt to life outside the womb
- Helping to stimulate your baby’s digestive system and get them interested in feeding
- Regulating your baby’s temperature
- Enabling colonisation of the baby’s skin with the mother’s friendly bacteria, providing protection against infection
- Stimulating ‘feel good’ hormones including oxytocin to support bonding and breastfeeding.
This time can be uninterrupted following birth provided you and baby are both well, regardless of how you have given birth to your baby. Most of the checks your midwife will complete on your baby can be carried out whilst you are having skin to skin time, allowing you time to bond and initiate a first feed if wishing to breastfeed. If you have chosen to bottle feed, this is also an ideal time for your baby’s first feed.
If you are unable to have skin to skin contact with your baby straight away, your baby can also have some skin-to-skin time with your birth partner until you are ready. It is important to note that if you have been unable to have skin to skin contact immediately after birth, you needn’t worry. Skin to skin contact is very important in the first few days and weeks with your baby, and forms part of the ongoing process of bonding with your baby. Take every opportunity you can to undress your baby and place them directly against your skin for a cuddle, keeping them covered with a blanket so they don’t get cold.
If your baby needs to spend time in the neonatal unit, skin to skin contact is still very important. It is sometimes called ‘kangaroo care’ and the nurses will help you safely and effectively do this if your baby is well enough. Benefits for babies requiring neonatal care include:
- Improves oxygen levels
- Reduces cortisol (stress) levels
- Encourages pre-feeding behaviour
- Assists with baby’s growth
- Possibly reduces overall hospital stay
- Improves breastmilk volumes
- Changes composition of breastmilk to contain any antibodies your baby may need
Would I like to have optimal cord management?
At birth, some of your baby’s blood is still sitting in the umbilical cord and placenta. Optimal cord management (sometimes called delayed cord clamping) for at least 1 minute allows this blood to pass into your baby. This helps to boost their iron levels at birth and lowers the chance of iron deficiency anaemia in the first year of life.
Optimal cord management is now routine for all types of birth, provided there are no immediate concerns. It can be achieved whilst you are having skin to skin time with your baby, waiting for the third stage of labour to progress. If you would like to delay cord clamping for longer than 1 minute or wait until the umbilical cord has stopped pulsating, please let your midwife know.
The cord will be cut immediately (usually by the midwife or obstetrician) if there are any urgent concerns for you or your baby’s wellbeing.
If your blood group is Rhesus negative, we recommend taking a sample of blood from your baby’s umbilical cord to check their blood group. This can be done after the cord has stopped pulsating.
Who do I want to cut my baby’s umbilical cord?
If you have a vaginal birth, you can choose who you would like to cut the umbilical cord. This could be yourself, your birth partner, or your midwife. If you have a caesarean birth, the obstetrician who delivers your baby will clamp and cut the umbilical cord to prevent any sources of infection entering the operative field. You or your birth partner will be able to trim the cord once your baby is passed to you.
