Birth Announcement and Story

On October 2nd we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our family. She weighed 7lbs 2oz which is a similar weight to my other children when they were born. Her siblings dote on her and are constantly asking to hold her and kiss her. Delal in particular is extremely happy that, after two brothers, she finally has a sister. Riyad and Kamil are enjoying being big brothers and I have not noticed any jealousy at all from K. He seems fascinated by the baby in the house!

We are taking it easy at the moment and having a short break from homeschooling. We purposely continued working through the summer so we could take the time out now instead. We are enjoying slowing down and taking the time to get used to being a family of six.

Asiya arrived seven days late which I did expect as my previous three children were also overdue. The labour and birth was quite different to my previous three. I have made a video about it.

I opted for....

Entonox

Like my previous labours, I opted for entonox (gas and air) for pain relief. It was my fourth natural birth and I barely got to use entonox as I was given it at 11pm and A was born at 11.17pm!

Delayed Cord Clamping

I always opt for delayed cord clamping (except for with my first when I did not know about it). This is because there are so many benefits to this procedure.

Neurodevelopmental benefits - studies have shown that delayed cord clamping can lead to slightly higher social skills and fine motor skills.

Less risk of anaemia - the transfusion of blood to the baby from delayed cord clamping delivers a lot of iron to the baby that will help to prevent anaemia during the first year of life.

Increased blood volume - leads to increased platelet levels which are needed for blood clotting.

Increased level of stem cells - "Play an essential role in the development of the immune, respiratory. cardiovascular and central nervous systerm, among many other functions." (https://www.mommypotamus.com/benefits-of-delayed-cord-clamping/)

Better outcomes for pre-term infants - “Preemies who have delayed cord clamping tend to have better blood pressure in the days immediately after birth, need fewer drugs to support blood pressure, need fewer blood transfusions, have less bleeding into the brain and have a lower risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening bowel injury.” (source)

Syntometrine

I opted for the injection to deliver the placenta because previously, for birth number two, I did not receive it and I bled quite a lot. Therefore, with my third and fourth birth I opted for the injection and did not have a lot of blood loss.

Skin to skin

After A was born I chose to do skin to skin straight away. There are many benefits to skin to skin contact immediately after birth.

It helps baby's temperature, heart rate, blood sugar levels and breathing to become stable.
It makes baby happier and they cry less.
It helps to initiate breastfeeding.
It also leads to the transference of good bacteria from the mother to the baby.
It enhances bonding and communication between the mother and baby.
It helps babies feel secure and develop a sense of trust.
It makes transition from the womb easier and reduces baby's stress.

Breastfeeding

I have chosen to breastfeed all of my babies. After we had done skin to skin for a while, I breastfed A for the first time. She latched on right away and breastfeeding has been going well ever since.

What kind of birth did you opt for? Did it go according to plan?