What happens in the maternity ward and postnatal ward?

It might feel a little surreal that the wait is over, but however it may feel, those long-awaited signs that it’s time are here at last. Whether the contractions have started, your water has broken, or it’s time to be induced as planned, you probably have some butterflies – but before you grab your hospital bag and go, you should call the maternity ward.

Just like all pregnancies differ, no two labours are the same. Most babies are born vaginally, but some deliveries conclude with a C-section while others are planned C-sections for various reasons – and sometimes, labour is induced. However, it’s nice to have a general understanding of what will probably happen when you go in, mainly to have a sense of what to expect when you have a baby.

Check-in and an exam

At the hospital, you will meet with a midwife and a nurse. They will begin by checking your blood pressure and taking your pulse. You will talk about when your contractions started and how regular they are. The midwife will feel your belly to determine how the baby is positioned and will check if your water has broken. The baby’s pulse will be checked through a CTG exam by placing a belt with sensors on your belly. This allows them to see the baby’s heart rate and when it is time for the next contraction. This allows the midwife to assess how the baby is handling the contractions and how it’s doing in general. Next, if it makes sense to do so, they will conduct a vaginal exam to see how dilated the cervix is.

If your contractions are fairly few and far between, they may send you home to wait until things get going in earnest. But if they are frequent enough and the midwife reckons you are in labour, you will be checked in and assigned a room.

Who works during the delivery?

The midwife and nurse are the first people you will meet when you arrive at the delivery ward. At that first meeting, you can ask questions, make any wishes known prior to delivery, and discuss pain relief.
If you have a birth plan that lists what you want and expect for your delivery, this is when you give it to the midwife. In addition to the fact that it’s good for hospital staff to know if there is anything in particular that you want or need, the point of the birth plan is that it contains information to pass on to new staff after a shift change if the process is taking time. That way, the next midwife will have the same information. You may not be feeling all that enthusiastic about having to explain your preferences after a few hours of contractions.

But you won’t only meet the midwife. During the labour, a nurse will also be present, or there might be two midwives. The midwife will take care of you while you give birth, as long as everything is proceeding normally. If anything deviates from the norm or if there is a complication during childbirth, a doctor will be brought in. An anaesthesiologist will be in the room for the epidural/spinal anaesthesia and is at the ready if you need a C-section. A paediatrician will also be on-site in case the baby is distressed or born prematurely. In addition to all of these staff members, you may also quite likely meet students in various professional categories.

Being in labour

Once you are checked in and assigned a room, you are probably having regular contractions, and you might have a chance to take a warm bath or shower to help you relax and alleviate the pain. The midwife will be with you as much as you want during the active phase of childbirth. During labour, you and the baby will be checked regularly to ensure you’re both doing well. The midwife will feel how dilated you are and can help you choose the right kind of pain relief if necessary. If you don’t feel good with the midwife you’ve been assigned, you can ask to be assigned someone else.

A midwife should serve as a guide, an expert, and a listener. It should be someone you can ask for support and advice. It is important to speak up if something doesn’t feel right. No one knows in advance how the labour will go and how you will react, and hospital staff are used to changing course when given new wishes from the person giving birth or from their partner. During the pushing phase, when you are actively pushing, the midwife will be there the entire time.

Partner, friend or family member during childbirth

During childbirth, your partner or other support person will be helpful to everyone by providing a sense of calm and security throughout the process. This person will often be the one in the room who knows you best, which means they can provide the best support, help alleviate fear of pain, and can speak up for you. This person can also help by being proactive, and can participate by asking questions, providing closeness and massage, dabbing the sweat from your forehead, and reminding you to change positions and breathe calmly. Being there for you on every level can make childbirth easier, and can make it feel more like an intimate collaboration all the way until the baby arrives.

Another area where a partner can help is by making sure to eat! It might sound trivial, but it’s important, especially if the labour is drawn out.

Process the experience

After giving birth, it’s good to talk about what happened. This is an important part of the childbirth process and can often be comforting – because you get to ask about what happened and discuss how you experienced it. You’ll be given a record of the childbirth process, which can offer a clearer understanding of the whole experience. Talking through it while it’s all still fresh can also be an important part of preparing for a possible birth in the future – even if that feels remote right now. During the delivery, the focus will be on mother and baby, as it should be. In the discussion afterwards, there will be space for the partner too, who has also just become a parent. Watching as your child is born is a powerful and emotional experience.
If everything has gone as it should, and the baby is doing well and has been looked at by a paediatrician, then after six hours, you can go home with your little one and begin your life as a new family – and you will come back for a follow-up visit in a few days.

Who works in the postnatal ward

People often opt to stay a bit longer, especially if this is baby number one – two days is normal. In that case, you will go to the postnatal ward, where you can get help with breastfeeding or any medical attention you might need if there were complications during the birth. Midwives, nurses and doctors work in the postnatal ward – so ask any questions that might come up about changing nappies, feeding, discharge or what to do if it feels a little scary to go to the bathroom after giving birth.

Whether or not a partner can stay with the new mum and baby depends on the hospital. If the baby was in a bit of a hurry and born too early, or needs extra care and attention, they will go to a neonatal unit.

Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.