taking newborn baby out at 2 weeks old

samo1289

Hey mommies! Question. I'm the maid of honor at my sister in laws wedding on august 22, however my due date is Aug 4. yikes! I'll only be 2 weeks post pardum. Do you gals think I should be OK to attend the wedding? not sure if I'll be way too exhausted or in too much pain from my stitches down there. Any insight or tips would be helpful. Thank you!

KD32412

Due dates are not always your baby's birthdate. You could potentially be a week or two late, especially if this is your first child. There is no way I would be in any wedding that close to my due date, I would be a walking zombie and freaking out about the fit of the dress. Also, not sure if you were thinking of bringing your newborn with you -not the best idea because...GERMS. That is my opinion, best wishes!

NLB2009

Also keep in mind you don't know how the birth will go. I planned a natural birth but ended up needing an emergency c section. If you get a c section it can easy take two weeks to heal. I'd def recommend passing on the wedding just in case but that's just me. Also I agree with PP about not taking the newborn if he's born. I did take mine out at 2 weeks for a short lunch but I think even that was pushing it and a wedding would expose him to far too many people.

SharLovesAlex

Your due date is just an estimate. I planned my birthday dinner the weekend of March 11th (my birthday). My baby was due the 16th. He was born on the 9th! He came a week early. I has to take him to his first doc's appointment the following week, which was hard. I had a vaginal birth, but I was still in a lot of pain and discomfort, and that lasted about 3 weeks for me. I'd say pass on the wedding and take it easy. Don't want to hurt your healing process! Not to mention a newborn at a wedding...probably not the best place for your baby! @KD32412 is right...way too risky as far as germs are concerned! I'm sure everyone will understand, if you've had your baby by then, why you don't attend. That's just my opinion!

emsillick

I personally found if very difficult to do much at all for the first few weeks post-partum. I was totally shocked at just how difficult life with a new baby was, not to mention the healing process!

Is this your first baby? If so then I wouldn't plan anything at all for the first month except short visits from family and little strolls out in the buggy if and when you feel like it.

At 2 weeks PP I was still physically exhausted from an unexpectedly traumatic birth, bleeding a lot, overtired from sleepless nights with baby and kept getting various infections and things that were knocking me for six. Not to mention I was pumping round the clock because he wouldn't latch on, I was unconfident in feeding him, changing him and to be honest, still emotionally wrought from all the hormones.

Your experience might be completely different from mine but the chances of you doing anything this strenuous this early on are slim. Don't expect anything of yourself for the first 6 weeks other than feeding both your baby and you, getting sleep when you can and occasionally taking a shower

tcdalton

It is definitely hard to say how you will feel until after you have had the baby. Personally, my baby was late but we had a very easy labor and delivery and 2 weeks after, while my maternity clothes were too big and my pre pregnancy clothes didn't fit, I was physically feeling pretty decent. So it is possible to feel okay enough to go, but I would talk to your sister in law and let her know that you may not be available to be there and support her, you will support her where ever you are. And hopefully she will understand. And maybe you are able to be there for the ceremony but nothing else, or some other arrangement if you are feeling up to it. You just need to do what feels right to you.
On the note of baby, if you do end up going, you could always leave your baby in his/her car seat with a cover and have your SO take care of him/her. If you feed right before things get going, baby might sleep through the whole ceremony. And if people ask to see baby, just a tell them they are sleeping or a flat no. Most will understand. Family may be pushy about it and if you don't think you will be able to say no (if you don't feel comfortable with people seeing baby) then definitely consider not bringing baby/not going.
Overall, it is possible to make it work but do what feels right to you and take things at your own pace. You are doing an amazing thing!

honkytonk_kid

I could have done it after either kid, but I couldn't have predicted that. There is really NO way to know now how you will feel after giving birth. You could have a one month old or a one week old, you could feel awesome and be out and about or still be in bed. 

What I would do: any maid of honor duties would be out of the question. Tentatively plan to be at the wedding (keep baby in a sling!) but be open to leaving early and/or changing your mind last minute. I know that's crappy wedding etiquette, but maybe a SIL would understand?  If the wedding is out of town, you're not close with SIL, or if she would be upset by changes of plan I would send your husband and plan on not going.

goldmang

Like the other mommies have said there is no way to know how you'll be feeling after the baby is born. Personally, I had an extremely hard pregnancy and labor (36 hours), so by the time the baby was born I actually felt the best I had in 9 months! Within the first week I was up and doing small errands. I don't think there's anything wrong with bringing the baby to the wedding, just be vigilant that only you or your spouse hold the baby, and take it easy yourself. There's no reason you couldn't sit in a chair and just relax. I think maid of honor duties would probably be a lot to take on though. Whatever you choose, it's ok if you change your mind at the last minute, I'm sure you're family will understand.

2Swanns

I had the baby out at 2 weeks, but for quick trips to target or out to lunch just to get myself out of the house. I had a vaginal birth with a 2nd degree tear, so I was still walking slowly at that point. I still had vaginal pain and I was bleeding, not to mention I had a pinched sciatic nerve issue that slowed me down. It will really depend on how your labor goes and there is no way to predict that!

aprilk86

It's only right that she know far in advance that you might not make it so she can have a back up plan (without a back up maid of honor feeling as such). If you can attend the wedding, that's great, but to plan on being in it you could easily pass out standing up there from normal post partum blood loss and then you could be stealing the show. The due date definitely means nothing, birth plans either. It will happen when and how it wants to happen the same with recovery. Sorry :-(

Chicacruz24

To be safe, you could ask your sister-in-law to seek out another maid of honor. She has plenty of time. This way you can concentrate and take care of the little one you're growing. I agree with everyone about the due date, especially if you are a first time mother. You should allow yourself and your sister flexibility.

soxgurl

It's totally gonna depend on your labor I was in labor for 26 hours and ended up having an emergency c section. I remember absolutely dreading going to the baby's 2 week appointment and her doctors is litteraly across the street. I couldn't imagine having to put makeup on and stand up in front of people. Good luck!