Wellness After Delivery

Congratulations Mom and Dad!

What has occurred is pretty amazing. We are extremely proud to be a part of this important event in your life. We want this to be a very special time for you and your family, a time that you can spend together in love, learning and in discovery.

Mother-Baby Couplet Care

We believe that families belong together. That is what couplet care provides, a period of support and education for the new family. The nurse caring for mom will also care for baby. So please do not hesitate to ask for our advice and assistance.

Staying Safe and Sound

Even though this is a very family-centered experience, we must keep safety and security in mind. For this reason, there is a procedure that requires your attention and joint responsibility. All personnel who handle or transport your baby, and who take care of your medical and personal needs should be wearing an Angel Medical Center picture ID. This will help you easily identify the people caring for you and your baby on a daily basis. This is purely a safety measure and is being used to monitor the flow of traffic on the unit. We encourage you to be aware of people entering and exiting your room and handling your baby. Check all personnel for the Angel Medical Center badge. Feel free to ask questions and don’t hesitate to ask for proper identification. If you believe and unauthorized person is handling your infant, please notify the nursing staff immediately. Infants are always transported in the crib when taken out of mom’s room to go to the nursery or other areas of the hospital. Always report someone carrying an infant through the hospital!

After delivery, please call for assistance when walking to the bathroom for the first time, or until you feel help is no longer needed. There is an emergency call light in your bathroom should you become weak or dizzy. Please use it to call your nurse.

Smoking is prohibited in the hospital.

Visiting Guidelines

Because your time to rest and learn is very short, you may wish to ask your friends and neighbors to wait until you get home to visit. A support person of your choice is encouraged to remain with you throughout your stay. Remember friends or family members should not visit if they have recently been ill.

Salute to Dad

Congratulations! You have supported and cared for your partner throughout an exciting time and now you can enjoy this new experience called “fatherhood.” We want to assist you in this important role of caring for your new baby and encourage you to actively participate in holding, feeding, diapering and bathing your new baby.

Birth Certificates

Birth certificate information will need to be obtained before you leave the Women & Children’s Unit. Shortly after delivery, a staff member will ask you for all the necessary certificate information. Affidavits of parentage are required if the mother and father of the baby are not married and the father wishes his name to be on the birth certificate. This affidavit must be notarized. Please have proper identification available for the notary such as a valid driver’s license. The birth certificate information will be sent to Raleigh via computer. The baby’s social security number will be requested at this time. It takes 6-8 weeks for the social security card to be obtained. Official copies of the birth certificate can be purchased at the Macon County Courthouse for $10.00.

Going Home

Finally, after nine long months, you are ready to take your new baby home. The average stays in the hospital 24-48 hours. However, your physician will determine when you are ready to go home. The day of discharge is filled with excitement and stress. To help you reduce the stress level, we have compiled a “to do list.”
• Both mother and baby must have a discharge order from their doctors.
• Your nurse will explain the discharge procedure and coordinate your discharge and your baby’s.
• Don’t forget the car seat! North Carolina law states that all children under the age of 4 be placed in a child restraint device. You should have your baby’s car seat in the car, installed according to manufacturers directions-prior to discharge. Parents, not nurses are responsible for securing infants in car seats. The recommended position for the car seat is in the center back seat facing the rear window.
• You will ride in a wheelchair, with your baby in your arms to be discharged from the hospital.

Caring for Mom

The Women & Children’s Unit wishes you a speedy recovery and the best of health. Even though you are no longer in our care, we hope you will follow these general post-partum instructions.

General Activity-Traveling home is enough exercise for one day. Try to avoid visitors and further activity until the following day. You will need help at home for caring for other small children and general household chores. Avoid prolonged car trips. Do not lift anything heavier than the baby. Remember it takes 6 weeks to completely recover from the birth of a baby.

Bathing-You may wash your hair, shower or take a tub bath. If you have stitches, sit in hot water for 10-15 minutes, three to four times daily. Use Tucks or anesthetic spray to relieve discomfort. You may take the medication prescribed for you by your doctor for discomfort. Continue to use your peri-bottle wash until the vaginal discharge ceases. No tampons, douches, or intercourse for six weeks, or as directed by your doctor.

Diet-Continue your balanced diet with fresh fruit, vegetables, proteins, whole grain cereals and breads, and fluids for at least six weeks. Protein and vitamin C foods are beneficial to your healing process.

Breastfeeding-Please refer to the information provided you for breastfeeding. If you encounter problems with breastfeeding upon returning home, please call the Unit for assistance. There is also an At-Home breastfeeding consultant that will assist you with breastfeeding.

Losing Weight-If you are not breastfeeding and find that you need to lose some excess pounds, remember that it is still important for you to get the nutrients your body needs. For you, a variety of foods from the food pyramid will also apply. By lowering the added fat when preparing foods, you can reduce your caloric intake. Bake, broil or boil instead of frying. Also, choose lower-fat cuts of meat or fish and skin poultry prior to preparation. Many people find that keeping a daily food diary helps them become aware of just how much they are eating.

With a new baby at home, you will be very busy and active. This is just one reason to avoid fad diets that may deprive you of nutrients you need to heal. It takes approximately a 500 calorie decrease per day, for a total of 3,500 calories per week to lose one pound of body fat. Weight controls takes some effort, but just remember you are worth it.

Medications-Continue taking your pre-natal vitamins until the first post partum check-up. Do not take medications without consulting your physician first, especially if you are breastfeeding.

Exercise-Beginning the second week at home, you can start walking with your baby as a form of exercise, unless instructed otherwise. You may wish to enroll in a planned post-partum fitness program. No strenuous exercise until after your post-partum check-up.

Constipation-Remember that a well balanced diet will help prevent constipation. Increase your intake of dietary fiber and fluids. You may take whichever stool softener or laxative your doctor recommends.

Breasts-If you are formula feeding, wear a tight supportive bra with nonelastic straps-day and night until engorgement is controlled. Use ice packs and take Tylenol to relieve breast tenderness. If breastfeeding, follow the instructions provided you by your nurse.

Menstruation-Post-partum bleeding or discharge (lochia) will continue for several weeks. It will gradually taper off. Your lochia will go from red, to pink, to white, with or without small clots. Use pads-not tampons-for the first six weeks. Do not become alarmed if your first period is heavy or if you have no period for up to ten weeks, especially if your breastfeeding. However, if you saturate more than one pad per hour with bright red blood, call your doctor. Be certain to wash your hands after handling your pads.

Smoking-Because cigarette smoking has been determined to be unhealthy, we encourage you to not allow anyone to smoke in an area your baby occupies.

Sexual relations-Avoid sexual intercourse until after the first post-partum check-up, unless your physician informs you otherwise. This will prevent damage to stitches or infection in the uterus and you will also avoid getting pregnant.

Birth Control-Decide upon a preferred method of birth control, so that you can discuss it with your doctor before you are discharged from the hospital. Breastfeeding is not a means of birth control. Remember, despite irregular or absent menstrual periods, you can still get pregnant.

Post-partum Blues-You may sometimes feel like crying for no apparent reason. Just remember that these”blues” are normal and usually last no more than a few short days. The condition is partly hormonal and partly due to stress. Emotional support and encouragement from your support partner is especially needed at this time. Try to get at least four uninterrupted hours of sleep each day. Talk with you doctor if this persists beyond two weeks.

Cesarean Section Patients-If you notice any unusual chances (such as redness, thick drainage or separation) in the incision, call your doctor immediately. If you have staples, your physician will have you come to his office in several days to have them removed. You may shower as desired. Keep your incision clean and dry. No bandage is necessary. Your steri-strips may come off in the shower. If they are still on in three to five days, you may trim or remove them.

CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU EXPERIENCE:

• Fever (more than 100.4 degrees with or without chills).
• Excessive bleeding (more than 5 saturated pads in 24 hours with bright red blood).
• Severe abdominal pain.
• Severely painful, lumpy breasts.
• Calf pain accompanied by localized swelling or heat.
• Any foul smelling drainage or redness at the site of the incision.
• Any foul smelling vaginal discharge.