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Now your baby is born

After the Birth - What to do now

Having a baby isn’t just about a woman physically giving birth – it’s probably the biggest responsibility a man or woman can have.

Register your baby. Your baby's birth needs to be registered in the district where it was born within 42 days. If your baby was born in Brighton or Hove you can call in at Brighton & Hove Register Office in the Town Hall, Bartholomew Square between 9.30am and 4.30pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, or between 10am and 4.30pm on Weds, or you can phone (01273) 292016 to make an appointment.

If you were already married to your baby’s mum or dad when your baby was born then either parent can register the birth. If you weren’t married at the time of the birth then mum can register alone, but dad’s details can only be entered if they attend to register together.  If this is difficult you can make a statutory declaration, or dad’s details can be added by re-registering the child at a later date.

Other people may register the birth in exceptional circumstances. For further information call: (01273) 292016. (When you go to register the birth it is helpful to take with you the discharge papers showing your baby's birth weight and NHS number.)

Emotions After the birth

Take every opportunity to rest and make sure you rest when baby does. You might have lots of visitors coming to see you and your new baby – let them help out and make tea for you so you can relax.

Women and men may experience a wide variety of emotions when first meeting their baby, from joy through to simple relief or even anti-climax. 

It’s common to feel down within weeks (or sometimes months) of your baby’s birth. It may be the baby blues, or some women experience postnatal depression which can result in anxiety, sleeplessness and extreme tiredness, leaving a woman feeling very stressed and unable to cope. If you feel like this it’s important to get help. You can speak to your health visitor, midwife or GP. 

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) provides information and support in pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. You can call the Breastfeeding Line 0870 444 8708 or the Pregnancy and Birth Line 0870 444 8709. Callers are put in touch with counsellors or local and regional contacts for support groups.

The Association for Post Natal Illness is a service for women with postnatal illness, their families, friends and professionals, offering advice and information. Mums can call the helpline 020 7386 0868 (Mon and Fri 10am-2pm; Tues to Thurs 10am-5pm). Or to receive postal support, contact 145 Dawes Road, London SW6 7EB, or get e-mail support at info@apni.org For more info visit  www.apni.org.

Feeding your baby

Breastfeeding is something that you need to learn how to do – don’t expect it to all go well immediately. Sometimes you need to persevere – don’t worry about asking your midwife or health visitor for help.

Why Fiona chooses to breastfeed Faith:  

  • It’s free
  • It’s best for the baby’s health and reduces risks of allergies, asthma and ear infections
  • It means less smelly nappies
  • You can do it anywhere
  • You don’t have to go far to feed them at night – you can do it in bed
  • There is no need to sterilise bottles
  • You lose baby weight much quicker

"I found it really hard at first because Faith wasn’t attaching properly so my health visitor arranged for a breast-feeding counsellor to come round. I kept on trying because I think breast-feeding is better for the baby and I’m too lazy to be bothered with bottles which take so much time. I don’t feel embarrassed breastfeeding in public." Fiona, 16 (daughter aged 5 months)

Breastfeeding Advice

  • You’re likely to feel thirstier when breastfeeding so make sure you drink when you need to – that might mean getting a drink ready for yourself before you sit down

    to breastfeed your baby.

  • If you’re worried about showing your breasts when feeding in public, think about what clothes you could wear that might cover you. Tops that you can pull up easily combined with zip-up jumpers or jackets or scarves can keep you covered.
  • You don’t have to eat like a rabbit to have good breast milk. Just eat what you
    usually do and your milk will be fine.

Expressing milk

  • Establish breastfeeding fully over the first few weeks before you start expressing milk.
  • Breastfeeding doesn’t mean staying in: you can express your milk and store it for the baby sitter. If you want a drink when you’re out you can easily work out when it’s OK to start feeding baby again because alcohol leaves the breast milk at the same rate as it leaves the blood (one unit takes an hour).
  • You can still involve dads in the feeding. Either express and let dad feed or
    he can look after you when you feed – getting you drinks, making you comfy, brushing your hair (this helps milk flow).

Bottle Feeding

A booklet has been produced with guidance on bottle feeding and can be downloaded from the Department of Health website: http://www.dh.gov.uk/.

Top tips on bottle feeding:

  • Make sure everything you use is sterilised! (This will reduce the chance of your baby getting sickness and diarrhoea.) Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for sterilising.
  • Before you make up the bottle, clean the surface and wash your hands.
  • If you’re making up a bottle with formula, boil fresh water and then let it cool. Put the boiled and cooled water into the bottle first BEFORE the formula so you can accurately measure how much you put in. Follow the instructions on how much formula to add. Test the temperature of the milk on the inside of your wrist. If it needs cooling you can run some cold water from the tap over the outside of the bottle (keep the lid on and don’t run the water over the sterilised teat).

Getting Support

There are lots of people out there to support you in adjusting to being a parent and it can sometimes be hard, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. It can be difficult getting used to not going out so often and it can be hard to maintain friendships.  Talking and meeting other parents can make a woman or her partner feel less alone. 

Ask your health visitor about local groups and classes where you can meet other young parents or check out the services section of this website.

Contraception - afer giving birth

After you’ve just had your baby, sex and contraception may be the last thing on your mind. However a lot of unplanned pregnancies happen soon after birth and it’s important to know the facts and be prepared.

People often think that if they are breastfeeding they won’t get pregnant. However, it is possible to become pregnant while you are breastfeeding. You can get pregnant again as soon as you start ovulating (releasing an egg) and this happens about two weeks before a period, so don’t wait until you get a period before using contraception.

If you’re having unprotected sex you might get pregnant before your period comes.
There are lots of different methods of contraception available and if you don’t want to get pregnant again for a while you might want to think about using a longer term method such as the contraceptive injection, the coil (also called the IUD) or the implant.

If you are breastfeeding your baby you will be advised not to take the combined contraceptive pill because it can reduce milk flow.

Remember that these methods mentioned above won’t protect you against sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia (which often has no symptoms). The best way to protect against STIs is to use condoms.

To discuss contraception options, get advice on sexual health and access free contraception, visit one of the many different services on this site.

"It’s essential to be organised and plan every day to make sure you get out and about otherwise you’d be in every day … I use the bus all the time to get into town but sometimes I have to wait about an hour for a buggy bus." Fiona, 16 (daughter aged 5 months)

Getting out and about with the baby

Most places have special buggy buses that are easy to get on and have a special place for the buggy. It’s a good idea to find out where your nearest buggy bus goes from. To make your journey easier, check out the key on the bus timetable to see if the bus is OK for wheelchairs and buggies.

If you use the bus a lot, it’s a good idea to buy a pram or buggy that is easy to get on to the bus – buying the right buggy can make a big difference – follow 17-year-old mum Holly’s top tips for choosing your buggy:

Holly’s Top Buggy Tips

  • Make sure the handles are not too high and not too low – just right for your height.
  • Make sure the buggy has swivel wheels because it will make it much easier getting round corners.
  • Make sure the buggy is not too big and heavy because it will be difficult getting on and off transport and getting in and around shops.
  • It is best to buy a buggy with a large basket or with handles – make sure you don’t put too many heavy bags on the handles because the buggy will tip over because of the weight.
  • Buy one with the full set of accessories including the rain cover and cosy toes.

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