IT sounds like Kate’s pregnancy was pretty straightforward after an initial problem with morning sickness. First pregnancies can be a tiring and anxious time for mums and dads-to-be.
Kate and William will no doubt be like all new parents — very excited, very relieved and very, very tired. They will be anxiously watching over the new baby and quickly trying to master skills such as nappy changing and dressing.
For the baby, the most important issue at the moment will be to establish feeding. Mother and baby will be given the help and support they need by midwives and medical staff.
In the UK we are lucky to have a community midwifery service. Community midwives support new families and babies during this important time.
Kate will be feeling exhausted and will need time over the next few weeks to gradually recover from what is a natural but very demanding life event.
We encourage every woman to breastfeed. It’s much better for both mother and baby. It’s important she gets support to establish the feeding. And each baby can be different — the first can be fine but the second may cause problems.
Babies may feed every two to four hours, so my advice is for Kate to get plenty of rest and limit visitors. And when people do visit, they should help out.
Fathers are present at almost every birth nowadays. Every woman has someone with her, whether it’s the dad, their mother or a friend. We check the baby’s heart, lungs and reflexes before being allowed home. We also check the hearing. If you detect a hearing problem in a baby, it’s much easier to treat early on.
After a natural delivery it’s normal for the mother to go home the next day. If they have had a Caesarean they might stay in hospital for two or three days.
Scott Johnson is Head of Midwifery at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust.
