What Happens Right After Birth? 6 Things No One Tells You
The moments immediately after your baby is born are often treated like an afterthought, but physiologically, emotionally, and hormonally, birth is not over yet. There is an entire phase after delivery that deserves just as much preparation as labor itself.
1. Birth isn’t over when the baby is born
It’s common to think that birth ends the moment your baby comes out, but physiologically speaking, your body is still doing incredibly important work. Hormones are shifting rapidly, your uterus is contracting, bleeding is being regulated, bonding is being initiated, and feeding cues are beginning.
In most births, your baby is placed directly on your chest right away. This immediate skin‑to‑skin contact isn’t just sweet or symbolic, it’s deeply physiological. Your baby’s skin against your skin helps regulate their breathing, heart rate, and temperature. At the same time, your body is flooded with oxytocin, the hormone of love and connection.
Oxytocin doesn’t stop mattering once the baby is born. It helps your uterus continue contracting, reduces bleeding, supports milk release, and strengthens bonding. Just like during labor, oxytocin is sensitive to stress, bright lights, loud voices, and frequent interruptions. That means the environment after birth still matters.
Thinking of this time as a continuation of birth (not a separate event) can help you understand why protecting these first moments is so important.
2. You still have a placenta to deliver
After your baby is born, your body still needs to deliver the placenta. This surprises many first‑time moms if they haven’t been told to expect it. The placenta is an entire organ your body created during pregnancy, and it has its own birth process.
Sometimes the placenta is delivered naturally with a few contractions and a gentle push. In hospital settings, it’s common for providers to use medications like Pitocin to help the uterus contract, especially if labor was long or Pitocin was used earlier.
This is where understanding the difference between what is routine and what is medically indicated matters. Using the BRAIN framework (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, and Nothing) can help guide shared decision‑making.
You can ask your provider ahead of time:
Do you recommend routine Pitocin after birth, or only in certain cases?
How long are you comfortable waiting for the placenta to be delivered naturally?
What amount of blood loss is considered normal vs concerning?
Having these conversations before labor can help you feel more grounded and informed during this stage.
And one very practical tip: if you’ve never seen a placenta before, consider looking one up ahead of time. For some moms, seeing it unexpectedly can be startling. Reducing the “unknowns” can reduce fear.
3. You may experience a lot of physical sensations
The hours after birth can come with a surprising range of sensations. Bleeding, shaking, trembling, feeling cold, sudden exhaustion, and uterine cramping are all common.
The shaking often catches people off guard. This can feel like full‑body trembling and is usually caused by adrenaline release and rapid hormonal shifts. It can happen after all types of births: medicated or unmedicated, vaginal or cesarean, during labor or after delivery (or both).
If you experience tearing or lacerations, your provider may assess your perineum and recommend sutures. This can happen while you’re holding your baby, while your uterus is still contracting, and while hormones are shifting which can feel like a lot at once.
Preparation doesn’t eliminate these sensations, but it helps you recognize what’s normal so you can stay calmer when it happens.
4. Fundal checks are common and not that fun
Your provider or nurse will likely suggest fundal checks by pressing on your abdomen to assess how well your uterus is contracting. This is sometimes called fundal massage, though many moms find it quite uncomfortable.
These checks are done to monitor bleeding and reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Knowing why they’re happening can make them easier to tolerate.
You still have a say here. You can ask:
If they can be gentle
If you can have a brief pause
Why the check is necessary at that moment
If there is concern about bleeding, your provider may strongly recommend them but this can still be a shared decision‑making conversation. Gentle communication and support matter, especially during this vulnerable hormonal window.
5. Newborn procedures don’t usually have to happen right away
Newborn care looks different depending on your birth setting and how both you and your baby are doing. Procedures like weighing, measuring, eye ointment, vitamin K, and other routines often don’t need to happen immediately.
In many cases, these can be delayed until after an initial period of uninterrupted skin‑to‑skin or done while your baby is on your chest. Even some suctioning or stimulation can often happen with the baby still skin‑to‑skin and the cord intact.
It’s helpful to ask your provider ahead of time:
How do you support immediate skin‑to‑skin?
What is your typical approach to cord clamping?
Which newborn procedures can be delayed or done on my chest?
Protecting the “golden hour” isn’t about aesthetics; it’s about supporting physiology for both you and your baby.
6. The emotional roller coaster is real
Emotionally, the moments after birth can be intense and unexpected. Some moms feel immediate joy and peace. Others feel tears, relief, overwhelm, shakiness, or even a sense of shock.
You might feel joy and exhaustion, gratitude and vulnerability, peace and tears all at the same time. This doesn’t mean something is wrong or that bonding won’t happen. Your nervous system is recalibrating, and your hormones are shifting rapidly after an enormous life event.
All of this is normal.
The goal isn’t to fear this time, it’s to prepare for it. Understanding what’s happening helps reduce fear, supports gentle advocacy, and allows you to stay present during this powerful transition.
Birth doesn’t end when your baby is born. It transitions into a tender, important phase that deserves preparation too.
If you want help knowing what to research and how to prepare for birth decisions ahead of time, I recommend downloading my free research checklist.
