# Rubbing the baby after birth...



## BabyBumm

Excuse me if I sound thick but got a couple of questions!

After 3 hospital births, I've decided that this time I WILL have a homebirth and cos this is (probably) my last one, I'd really like to do things as naturally as possible so I am researching as much as possible.

After the baby is born, is it really necessary to rub them down with a towel? Cant the baby be put straight onto my tummy and cleaned much later? Or is it a medical requirement to make them breathe or something?
The same goes for the suctioning as the head emerges and when they're born.

Also - when I went into hosp to have my DD (10 years ago) I was asked what I'd brought with me to wear for the birth, I'd always assumed from childhood that women give birth naked, but when I said this to the midwife she looked at me horrified and threw a gown at me lol! I wore t-shirts for my other 2 (which probably explains why I didn't like the birthing pool, cold wet t-shirt is not comfy!)
This time I thought it would be better to be naked, then the baby can be put straight to the breast without faffing around taking my clothes off.
Is this unreasonable?

:flower:


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## chuck

Oh yay a home birther...come on over to the homebirth section and have a chat with the rest of us 'nutters' LOL

The rubbing is a stimulation thing to get baby breathing, it doesn't have to be with a towel, water birth babies arent rubbed down with a towel straight away. You need to keep baby warm but dont have to clean them with a towel straight away.

As for the nekkid thing...if you're at home wear what you like or as little as you like!!!

I'd wear what I wanted to in hospital if I could...ended up with an unnecessarean so didnt have any choice in the end!


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## Mervs Mum

It's not always 'necessary' to rub a baby to invoke a response. 

This *blog post* is really interesting and shows videos of babies being allowed to come around naturally versus one's who's cord is clamped prematurely and then are rubbed vigorously. The KEY is NOT clamping the cord.....it contains oxygenated blood for the baby while they make the gentle transition to breathing with their lungs. The mother talking to the baby and breathing close to their face (which is a pretty instinctive thing to do) is often enough.

The vernix is actually best left in place as it's nature's moisturiser and protects their delicate new skin. It's why they dont look like a prune like we would after 9 months in the bath! :lol:


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## chuck

bwahahaha and another one comes to live with us 'brave/mad' weirdos

teehee.

Wasnt there a vid in the link you posted the other day MM showing a mamma who had an UB resuscitating her own baby by rubbing and blowing on their face?


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## Mervs Mum

Same link above!


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## chuck

ah <facepalm>

we're both at it tonight MM...you can't type and I'm lazy LOL!


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## Mervs Mum

At least you have an excuse! My brain is supposed to have reformed in the past almost 11 months that I've not been preggo!! :lol:

Babybumm - welcome to the dark side BTW! Get naked I say!! Even in hospital you can doff off if you like and you certainly dont need to put a surgical gown on!


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## BabyBumm

Brilliant link! Thank you!


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## BabyBumm

But I think I'll close the curtains as it's a pretty nosey village where I live! Don't wanna be accused of killing off the old biddies lol!
:bunny:


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## chuck

oh I dont know some of the old fellas might appreciate it!


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## becstar

La was a hospital birth but she was pout straight on my chest and I don't recall any rubbing. I think they just out a towel on her after a bit to keep her warm and left her be for a bit.


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## Mervs Mum

My second was in a birth centre and they didnt rub her either. Just wiped her face a bit. I do think like most things it really depends on your particular hospital/doctor/Mws


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## kiwimama

I don't think Ella ever got rubbed, she got placed straight on my chest.

Oh yea, and I was naked the whole time during my hospital labour and birth! :flasher: When I first got the hospital, (right before I hit transition and really didn't care) I looked out the window (8th floor up) and wondered if the other people in the high rises could see me, naked and labouring.


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## NaturalMomma

The baby will be brought to your body, maybe not be your chest because the cord might not go up that high, but he/she will be brought to your body to be warmed by you. Then they will rub the baby with a towel or blanket. It's to stimulate the baby to breath. It will take a few seconds for the baby to breath (in that moment it feels like 10 minutes). If you give birth in the water they don't always rub down baby, instead they will use their hands to put water on the baby and that stimulates them as well. 

It's not unreasonable to be naked. Most women I know who have homebirths are either naked or very close to it.


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## KandyKinz

It's definitly fine to be naked.

As for the rubbing the baby as mentioned before they will or atleast they should put the baby directly on your chest or belly depending on how long the cord is. They will then dry the baby there. And there's two reasons for that. #1 to stimulate the baby to take a breath and #2 to dry the baby because newborns are not very good at maintaining their temperature when wet and just a slight drop below a normal temperature can cause the baby to have problems with maintaining their blood sugar causing them to become hypoglycemic (which leads to a cascading number of other interventions) and respiratory problems (eg really fast breathing which again often leads to a number of interventions).... So the best thing for baby in order to maintain a good temperature and avoid other problems is to get dry and remain skin to skin with your or your partner or whoever. 

And the drying really doesn't have to be all that aggressive. It can and should be done in a soft and gentle non-invasive manner which only takes seconds. And if baby is born in the water, they'll often encourage the mom to keep most of the baby under the water to keep it warm and they'll just dry off the head or any parts exposed to air.


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