Following the birth of your baby, provided you and your baby are well, you will be encouraged to enjoy skin-to-skin contact. This provides many benefits, including:
We fully encourage breastfeeding to give your baby the very best start in life.
If you are giving birth at Auckland City Hospital, you can find out more about how we will support you to breastfeed after birth here.
We encourage parents to allow their babies to be given Vitamin K. You can read more about it here [PDF, 430 KB].
Getting to know your baby and bonding with him/her in the early days sets the foundations for life. That's why we encourage you to 'room in' with your baby, rather than use the nursery on the ward while still in hospital.
The majority of women who have just given birth feel emotionally and physically tender. Your body is likely to be sore and tired, but your heart is open to the tiny individual who was so recently part of you. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when you're receiving differing advice from family, friends and health professionals, all of whom think their advice is correct! Remember, you will probably know instinctively what will suit you and your baby.
Your lead maternity carer's responsibility is to:
Work in partnership with you to develop your postnatal care plan
Complete a daily postnatal check with you and your baby
Be available to answer your questions and help with your concerns
Promote early bonding between you and your baby.
Your responsibility is to:
Share information with your LMC that may affect your care
Ask your LMC questions and voice your concerns
Expect to have your baby rooming in with you
Ask for help when you need it.
