Healthy babies delivered vaginally usually stay with the mother . In most cases, immediate newborn assessments including weight and length, medication administration and even first bath are done right in the mother’s room. The new baby is quickly placed in the mother’s arms.

In the first couple of hours after birth, most babies are in the alert , wide awake phase. This gives the parents the opportunity to get to know the baby. The baby will usually turn around to familiar sounds of the mother’s voice. A baby’s focus of vision is around 8 to 12 inches which is just the distance from the baby cradle in the  mother’s arms to her face .

It is also the best time to start breastfeeding . Babies have the innate ability to start breastfeeding right after childbirth. Although some anesthesia and medications given to the mother during labor and delivery may affect the baby’s suckling ability,  most babies are able to breastfeed during the first few hours of life. The initial feeding helps in the stimulation of breastmilk. It also causes contractions of the mother’s uterus which helps prevent excessive bleeding.