Skilled and Compassionate Postpartum Midwifery Care
The midwives and staff at CCWC are sensitive to your specific needs immediately after your birth. Postpartum is a special time for you and your family to bond, recuperate, breastfeed and get to know your new little one. Our team of midwives is dedicated to making the transition from birth center or hospital to home as seamless as possible.
We believe in minimal separation of mom and baby. It is our standard practice to delay cutting the umbilical cord and have baby remain on mom’s abdomen or chest in the minutes after birth. All assessments can be easily done while baby is with you. Some of the benefits of skin to skin are: Keeps baby warmer, regulates breathing, keeps blood sugar higher, increases bonding, helps mature the digestive system and immune system and breastfeeding is initiated sooner.
The 'Golden Hour', the first hour postpartum, "allows the new mom and baby to enjoy the first breastfeeding together and experience the intimacy of skin-to-skin contact before anything else is done eases baby’s transition from the womb into the world”. - (Dr. Bob Sears, pediatrician)
Initiation of breastfeeding within the first 1-2 hours is best practice. The evidence shows that babies will look to nurse within the first couple hours after birth. Your midwife and nurses will support this natural physiologic process and set you and your baby up for breastfeeding success. For ongoing challenges with breastfeeding we have a Lactation consultant available by appointment.
Routine newborn screening is done including weight check, assessment of feeding, jaundice screening and non-invasive cardiac screening. All states require a newborn metabolic screen which screens for metabolic diseases in the newborn. All of these screening tests are the standard of care for newborns postpartum. In the current environment with COVID, we have changed out postpartum appointment schedule slightly. We now have mom and baby return to the office between 24-48 hours after birth to assess both and do the metabolic screening, hearing screening, and cardiac screening. At 2 weeks postpartum we follow up with you, and again, at 6 weeks postpartum we ask you to come back to the office for the final postpartum visit.
We are still here for you. We continue to care for you for 6 weeks after your baby is born. We are a constant support system for new mom and families as they adjust and adapt to parenthood. Continued care after your baby is born depends on where you gave birth. If you had your baby at the birth center, postpartum care includes the early office visit between 24-48 hours after birth. If you had your baby at the hospital, one of the midwives will see you and check in each day you are at the hospital. After discharge you return to the office for a 2 week and 6 week visit.
We provide support for moms and have local resources for postpartum depression. Life with a new baby can be a difficult transition. Surround yourself with friends and family for support. It really does take a village. You may be focused on caring for your new baby but it is important to take care of yourself as well. We recommend that during first few days at home with you and your baby you take plenty of time to rest and recover.
Some women need additional support after having a baby. You may feel sad, weepy, and overwhelmed for a few days. Many new mothers have the "baby blues" after giving birth. Changing hormones, anxiety about caring for the baby, and lack of sleep all affect your emotions. If these feeling do not improve within 1-2 weeks you may need to talk with your midwife about postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can happen any time within the first year after birth.
Circumcisions are not currently performed at the birth center. Should you make the decision to have your son circumcised, this procedure will be performed 6-10 days after birth by a qualified obstetrician. The procedure will be completed at the obstetrician’s office using a local injectable anesthetic. For more information on how this is arranged, please speak to one of the midwives.
Breastfeeding Support
All of our midwives can assist with breastfeeding but a lactation consultant is a professional who specializes in breastfeeding support. At this point, we do not have a full time lactation consultant (but we are working on it!) Some pediatrician offices have lactation consultants on their team and many doulas have training as a lactation consultant as well. It is beneficial to look around your community for a lactation consultant and for social breastfeeding support, such as a La Leche League group. You can also refer to our resources page for additional information on breastfeeding preparation and support.
It is most beneficial to address breastfeeding concerns or difficulties in the first few days after birth. The sooner you get help the more likely breastfeeding can be successful.