After your baby is born, and all is well, it’s nice to be left alone for some time as a new family.

This is an ideal time to start breastfeeding, as it’s in the first few hours of life that baby can be very alert and ready to feed. Have some skin to skin time. It’s a great way to bond and get the feeding process going.

This is also a good opportunity to have something to eat and a cup of tea, you’ll need it now the hard work of labour is finally over! Soon the midwife will return to check and weigh your baby.

The initial newborn check by the midwife is to make sure that there are no obvious problems and that baby has been born in good condition. She’ll carry out these checks so that you can see and she will explain exactly what she is doing.

Firstly, baby will be weighed. Make sure you wait before ringing your

relatives. The first thing they will ask is what’s the sex and how much does baby weigh!

The average weight for a newborn baby is around 3.5 kg (7lb 7oz), babies that are born below 2.5kg (5lb 5oz) are considered to be low birthweight and may require some extra care initially. For the most part these babies stay with mum, but their feeds, weight and temperature will be closely monitored.

Baby will have her temperature taken and ideally it should be between 36.6 and 37 degrees centigrade.

Your baby will have his head circumference measured, as this provides a baseline for future measurements to check growth. Your midwife will then feel baby’s head for swellings or moulding. These are common after labour and will settle within the first few days after birth.

They occur because your baby’s skull has been designed so that the bones overlap and this is known as moulding. The swelling or ‘caput’ is due to pressure on the baby’s head from the cervix while she was in the birth canal.

The ears are examined to make sure they are in the correct position and are patent (open). The midwife will also check for skin tags.

The midwife will put a finger in baby’s mouth to make sure that the palates are normal and most baby’s will suck her finger at this point!

Baby’s neck is examined to make sure that she can move her head properly, and that there are no obvious problems.

Limbs are examined to make sure that baby has full movement and fingers and toes are counted.

Baby’s genitalia and anus are examined to confirm that

everything is normal. In boys the midwife may check to make sure that both the testes have descended and that the opening of the penis is in the correct place.

Finally, the spine is checked and felt for swellings and dimples.

After recording all this information in the notes, your baby will be given hospital tags, dressed to keep them warm and handed back to you.

The midwife will take your observations, blood pressure, temperature and pulse are recorded. She will also feel your uterus to make sure it is contracting well and check your blood loss. If you are well and feel up to it you can have a shower.

Once your paperwork has been completed you will be transferred to the postnatal ward where you can relax and spend sometime getting to know your baby.