What do you do with the baby when you bring it home?!

kcam

What do you do with your newborn baby when you bring it home and there's no nurses, doctors, or midwives to help you? How do you know when to feed it, change it, cuddle it, etc?? 

 

Don't worry, I'm still researching everything and I have some time, but this worry had to be aired! Surely I'm not the only one who has no experience with infants and has no idea what to do with my baby once we're alone together! 

kcam

Oops, this posted twice. Sorry!

jkeyros

Your motherly instincts will surely kick in! People refer to the first three months of a  baby's life out of the womb as the 4th trimester. Your baby will need to feel you and learn that they can trust you. You should feed your baby every 2-3 hours and with that, usually comes dirty diapers as babies usually dirty their diapers shortly after a feeding. Cuddles should be done often! If you've fed and diapered baby and he/she stills seems fussy, it's probably just because they want you to hold them close. That's been my experience. HTH. 

ChrMoo

Everyone feels like that but the moment you see your LO you'll never want to put him/her down. The feeding is every 2-3 hours and as far as the dirty diapers you'll know newborns have a gift for blowing out their diapers. Don't worry babies don't come with a manual but it will feel all natural once you have them in your arms.

Feathah

Thank you for posting this! I'm 4 days from my due date and had the same OH NO! kind of feeling! I have zero experience with babies but I'm really excited. I think my instincts will kick in. And my mom and mother in law are only a phone call away

SaraTF

Baby will cry when he needs something. Before that, he'll probably give you signals (like rooting or sucking on his hands when he's hungry). Just pay attention and try your best!

OUKap

feed = every 2-3 hours. Baby will usually give cues like rooting, smacking lips, etc. Crying is a late sign of hunger.

change = when wet or dirty. Usually after every feeding since she would poop while eating. 

cuddle = all the time. Grab a book/netflix/ipad and just relax. 

Bride2b2004

I think every new parent has the moment with their first baby when driving away from the hospital thinking "I can't believe they just let me leave with this..."

Expect that the baby will sleep a ton at first, which will allow you to rest and read up of things you have questions about.  The staff at the hospital will give you tips and help you feel more comfortable. 

MommynTeacher

You should call your hospital and see if they have classes

MrsT2008

you'll be amazed at how quickly you figure your baby out.  And those first couple of nights/days in the hospital are actually pretty helpful in learning what your baby is like and how you'll know what to do when.

babies cry for one of 4 reasons - hungry, dirty diaper, gassy, or want cuddles.  So when baby cries, you'll run down the mental checklist of what it could be.