Hospital/L&D advice (long)

ErinBrooke

Hi ladies, we just got home from the hospital today and I have some words of wisdom I wanted to share after my L&D experience that will hopefully be helpful as you welcome your LO's into the world.

• Take advantage of all the help you can possibly get. Our second night in the hospital was really, really hard - Hailey would not stop crying and we exhausted all options and could not get her to stop. Finally the nurse came in and told us the most important thing at that point was us getting some rest, and they took her to the nurses station for a little while. It was hard letting her go, but it was the best thing for us all at that point in time.
• Along the same lines, be sure to meet with a lactation consultant if you're breastfeeding. We're having a hard time already, and getting their advice and observation is extremely helpful.
• Its all about the cold compresses for down below! My hospital had these oversize pads that are cold perineal compresses, feels SO good, I've lived in them and the mesh panties, make sure you ask for these things and the numbing spray to take home with you.
• Take your pain meds regularly, staying on top of taking the medicine really helps so that it doesn't get too bad. And of course using the cold compress, numbing spray, tucks pads, etc. are so important.
• This one is REALLY important: as much as you want to have visitors, be sure to know your limits and tell people no when needed. On our second day we had visitors all day, she slept most of the time, then that night my DH and I were running on NO sleep and Hailey would not stop crying - not a good combination. We loved having visitors, but in hindsight we probably should have asked people to not stay so long or even wait until we got home. Its really important to have that quiet, alone time with baby and DH.

Okay, I'm sure I'm forgetting some but I wanted to be sure and share these tips while they are still fresh in my mind. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have as well.

I'm not going to lie, the first few days have been WAY harder than I ever thought it would be, but its worth every moment when I look at her beautiful innocent face. And seeing my DH turn into daddy has melted my heart more than I can possibly tell you.

I'll miss you ladies over here, but look forward to seeing you on PAL soon! Best wishes to you all!

mindingpandq

Thanks for all of the advice! I can't wait to see more pics of that sweet little girl!

mindingpandq

Ooops, didn't see post below. Going to look at pics!

jeffrae

I missed your announcement....congrats!!

egankn

Thanks for the advice, and congrats on your baby girl!!

vera1127

Thank you! That's all really helpful. I met with our pediatrician this week and he said that it is easy for babies to get overstimulated with lots of visitors and sometimes what they'll do is close their eyes and look like they are sleeping when really they are just "hiding." Then when it calms down they just let loose! Silly babies...thanks again!

Babs022

Great advice, thanks!

mrstyson03

Congrats and thanks so much for the advice.

kristinem17

Thanks for sharing your tips Erin - I've added some notes to my list

yellowcar

This is excellent advice.  I had the exact same experience after my DS was born on the second night.  He was inconsolable, my MIL would not leave, and I was exhausted, which was not a great combination.  To the new moms: don't be afraid to be honest with visitors and to send the baby to the nursery for a few hours.

Glad you are doing well and congratulations!

MrsGhappilyeverafter

Thanks for the tips! I bookmarked this so I remember to look at it this winter

KateAndMark

Thanks for the tips!

PurpleK26

Can I ask what kind of numbing spray it is? I just googled it and found a few brands, but I want to make sure to have some of this stuff on hand in case they don't have it at our hospital!

myafoo

Congrats to you and thank you so much for the helpful advice!

ErinBrooke

PurpleK26:

Can I ask what kind of numbing spray it is? I just googled it and found a few brands, but I want to make sure to have some of this stuff on hand in case they don't have it at our hospital!

The kind they gave me is called Dermoplast, and the can says its "hospital strength," so I'm not sure whether or not its sold over the counter so I made sure to ask for a brand new can before I went home!

TheEnglishgirl

Great advice, thank you so much for taking the time to write this. Look how gorgeous your little girl is, many congratulations!!!

melisb25

Thanks for the advice, your little girl is beautiful!