The first hour after birth is extremely important for your baby’s development. That’s why it’s so important to give both baby and mother the time they need after birth to spend skin-to-skin (a naked baby on the mother’s bare chest). During this time, the baby will go through 9 instinctive (inborn) stages in a specific order. All of these stages are also influenced by how the birth went (epidural analgesia, pain relief medication, induction/augmentation of labour, etc.).

1st STAGE – Crying after birth

The first stage is the baby’s crying. The first loud cry right after birth is important for expanding the lungs.
2nd STAGE – Relaxation

The second stage is the relaxation stage. During this stage, the mouth and hands are relaxed. It usually follows the crying stage. The baby is skin-to-skin with the mother, covered with a dry, warm diaper/towel/blanket. There is no diaper or other fabric between the mother and the baby.
3rd STAGE – Awakening

The third stage is the awakening stage. The baby makes small jerky movements of the head and shoulders. This stage usually begins 3 minutes after birth. The baby may move their mouth, open their eyes, and move their head and shoulders.
4th STAGE – Activity

The fourth stage is the activity stage. In this stage, the newborn opens their mouth wide, licks their lips, and shows interest in sucking. This stage usually begins 8 minutes after birth. Even though the baby shows “interest,” we should not latch the baby ourselves.
5th STAGE – Rest

At any point, the baby may rest. The baby can have rest phases between any active phases in the first hour after birth or immediately after birth.
6th STAGE – Crawling

The sixth stage is the crawling stage. In this stage, the newborn slowly crawls toward the breast in short intervals. This stage usually begins 35 minutes after birth.
7th STAGE – Familiarisation

The seventh stage is called the familiarisation stage. The baby gets to know the mother by licking the nipple, touching it, and massaging the breast. This stage usually begins 45 minutes after birth and lasts about 20 minutes or longer.
8th STAGE – Breastfeeding/sucking

The eighth stage is the sucking stage. In this stage, the newborn latches onto the nipple on their own and sucks. This first breastfeeding experience usually happens 1 hour after birth. If the mother had analgesia (EK, SA) / anaesthesia during birth, it may take longer for the sucking stage to begin. In that case, baby and mother should continue skin-to-skin contact.
9th STAGE – Sleep

The final stage is the sleep stage. It can happen that both mother and baby fall asleep. The baby usually falls asleep within 1.5–2 hours after birth.