Once our daughter was born, I enjoyed several blissful minutes bonding with her and encouraging her to clear her lungs. Soon it was time to deliver the placenta. The umbilical cord was clamped and cut and the baby went to the nurse. I stepped out of the pool and delivered the placenta (it was easy and painless) into a stainless steel tub. My midwife checked it over to make sure it was intact, and after collecting a sample of cord blood, she put it in a plastic storage bag for the placenta encapsulation specialist (who came and processed my placenta later that day).
The sofa was prepared for me and as soon as I got adjusted, the nurse brought my daughter to me and we spend several more minutes bonding. Alas, I needed a few stitches so while I was being stitched up, I had a tiny tear, my husband got some skin to skin bonding time with his daughter. Getting stitches is not the most pleasant experience but my midwife was quite adept and quite quick. With granny panties filled with a massive pad and an ice pack, I was back on the sofa ready to nurse my daughter for the first time. She latched on right away and nursed with ease. As I nursed her my uterus contracted more intensely then I remember with my son. Both the midwife and nurse told me that the “after pains” are painful after the first birth. At one point my midwife checked to height and location of my uterus and it was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I was given orange juice and soup during the flurry of events and when the nurse was checking my uterus I realized that my bladder was quite full.
Getting up to use the bathroom was not fun, I felt like I could not stand up all the way thanks to my very jiggly stomach (I looked like I was at least six months pregnant; basically my belly dropped and shrank a bit). It was a bit of a bloody mess but nothing out of the ordinary. I must say that is kind of awkward to wear and ice pack inside the underwear on top of the pad but that was the best way to fend off swelling. So begins my post-partum journey.