What REALLY Happens in Your Baby’s First 24 Hours?
Your baby is finally here… now what!?From skin-to-skin and lots of sleep to sticky first poops and some seriously weird newborn noises, here’s what you can actually expect during your baby’s first 24 hours.
Want to Feel More Ready for Baby?
Bundle of Joy, Bundle of Chaos: Newborn Care 101 covers the newborn basics so you can feel more prepared and confident heading into those first days with baby.
Baby’s Here… Now What?
You put in that work. Your baby has finally arrived. Congrats Mama!
Now, sorry to rip off the Band-Aid, but there is A LOT happening during those first 24 hours. Your baby is adjusting to life outside the womb, you're recovering from birth, and both of you are basically figuring things out as you go.
So, what can you actually expect?
First Up: Skin-to-Skin
If baby is doing well after birth, they'll usually go right onto your chest for immediate skin-to-skin.
And yes, it's a beautiful photo opportunity, but there's a lot more happening here. Your baby has gone from relying on your body for absolutely everything to suddenly having to regulate their own breathing, heart rate, temperature, and blood sugar.
Being against your skin helps make that transition easier. It can also help with bonding, support breastfeeding, and help your body release oxytocin, which encourages those postpartum uterine contractions.
If you're breastfeeding, you might even notice baby instinctively moving toward the breast. This is called the breast crawl. And yes, babies can actually work their way toward the nipple and latch themselves.
Our bodies are WILD.
And while you're soaking in that first skin-to-skin moment, you may also be getting your first REAL look at your baby. And Mama… they might look a little different than you imagined.
Your Baby Might Look a Little… Different
You're going to think they're beautiful because they're your baby, and they ARE beautiful.
But let's manage expectations here.
They may be wet, a little bloody, and covered in a white waxy substance called vernix. Vernix actually helps protect and moisturize baby's skin, so we're not aggressively scrubbing that stuff off anymore.
They might also have purple-ish hands and feet, a swollen little face, or the infamous cone head after spending time in the birth canal.
Don't panic about the cone head. Newborn skull bones can shift during birth, and their head usually begins rounding back out afterward.
Basically, they just spent nine months floating around inside your body. Give them a minute.
And after all that work getting here? Don't be surprised if their next order of business is… sleep.
Expect A LOT of Sleep
A healthy term newborn may sleep for a huge portion of their first 24 hours.
When they're awake, there's usually a reason: they're hungry, wet, poopy, gassy, or just need something from you. Once you've figured it out, they may go right back to sleep.
Your healthcare provider may recommend waking baby every two to three hours for feeds until they've regained their birth weight and are consistently gaining.
And I do have to warn you…
That sleepy first day can be VERY different from night two.
Second-night syndrome is real. Do that postpartum prep and have your village ready.
But even with all that sleeping, there are a few things we're keeping an eye on during that first day. This includes what's happening in those teeny tiny diapers.
That First Diaper Is… Something
During baby's first 24 hours, we're generally looking for at least one wet diaper and one poopy diaper.
And that first poop is called Meconium.
If nobody has warned you yet, I will.
It looks like black tar. It's thick. It's dark. And it is STICKY.
Like, unbelievably sticky.
So, when you open that diaper and wonder what on earth you're looking at: yep, that's normal newborn poop.
Now, let's talk about another thing that's going to take up A LOT of those early days: feeding.
Feeding Can Feel Constant
If you're breastfeeding, those first 24 hours are really about you and baby learning together. Watching for early hunger cues and offering the breast when baby is ready can help you start getting into a rhythm.
And remember: milk production works on supply and demand. The more milk baby removes, the more your body gets the message to keep making it.
You may also experience cluster feeding, where baby seems to want to suck over and over during their short awake periods.
Their stomach is teeny tiny during that first day, so it doesn't take much to fill it, but it also doesn't take much to empty it.
If you're formula feeding, that tiny tummy still applies. Talk with your healthcare provider about the appropriate amount and frequency for your newborn.
And whether they're eating, sleeping or just hanging out, you may start noticing something else pretty quickly: newborns are quite NOISY.
Newborns Make WEIRD Noises
Nobody warned me about this one.
Clicks. Squeaks. Snorts. Hiccups. Random little noises while they're sleeping.
The first time you hear them, you might be thinking, "What the heck is wrong with my baby!?"
Often? Nothing.
Newborns can be surprisingly noisy, even when they're completely asleep. They're adjusting to life on the outside, and you're learning what your baby's normal sounds are.
And while you're busy getting to know your baby, your care team will be getting to know them too.
There Will Be Checks, Tests and LOTS of People
During those first 24 hours, baby's heart rate, breathing, temperature, weight, length, and head circumference may be checked. Depending on your baby's needs and where you give birth, there may also be blood sugar checks, newborn screening and recommended medications.
Ask questions about EVERYTHING.
Seriously.
Your nurses have done this baby thing a lot. Keep a running list in your phone because the second they leave the room, you're going to remember the question you meant to ask.
And be prepared for what can feel like a revolving door of nurses, providers, lactation professionals and other hospital staff.
If the interruptions are getting overwhelming, ask whether your care can be clustered so multiple things can happen during the same window.
Because between the feeding, diaper changes, check-ins, and everything else happening around you, those first 24 hours can feel like A LOT.
Give Yourself Some Grace
Your baby is learning how to exist outside your body, and you're recovering from birth while learning how to care for this brand-new little human.
You don't have to have it all figured out on day one. Ask ALL the questions, lean on your support system, soak in those newborn snuggles, and give yourself some time to figure things out too.
You've got this, Mama.
