- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Houston Babies
almostjones
member
Mamas: Give me your best advice. :-)
almostjones
member
What's your best advice for those first few days/first week after bringing LO home from the hospital?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Mamas: Give me your best advice. :-)
Sleep when the baby sleeps. Accept any help that's offered. Let chores go by the wayside and sleep instead. You can get back to a routine and cleaning once your baby starts sleeping more. Know that it will be hard. I never imagined how hard it actually would be. But, at the same time, it's the most incredible thing ever and try to just sit back and soak it in as the newborn phase passes so quickly.
BFP with no treatment!
Do not feel like you have to do everything!
Even if you have dishes in the sink and laundry to do - sleep when the baby sleeps. It will make for a happier home.
Take help if offered, and don't be afraid to ask for it if it isn't.
Collin Thayne 10.11.2010
Remember that it is ALL about the two of you!
Keep a list by the phone of things that people can do for you ranging from the easy (put laundry away) to the more difficult (pick up prescriptions from the pharm). When people say 'if there is anything I can do' say, 'why yes, there is' and use something off your list.
Sleep when baby sleeps, drink/eat when baby drinks/eats.
You have strength and stamina to take care of yourself and baby, that is your goal - let others take care of you.
Don't overdo it - if you are in your PJs and a friend calls to say she is stopping over to say hi, stay in your PJs, leave the house the way it is - she is coming to see baby and you, not to have you play hostess.
If you can, start preparing and freezing meals now for your babymoon. That, combined with friends and family bringing meals, should make it easy on you for the first few weeks.
And above all else - ENJOY your new family unit!
I wasn't able to sleep when the baby slept because he would only sleep while being held. If you have this same issue, have someone else hold the baby so you can sleep. I didn't do this and really wish I would have.
Freezer meals! I didn't do this either and really wish we would have. We ate fastfood for more than a month because we had no time or desire to cook. Heck, we didn't really eat normal meals until I went back to work.
Accept help when offered. When people ask if there is anything they can do for you, let them help.
Enjoy your time and take tons of pictures. They change faster than you can imagine.
Dx: PCOS and short luteal phase
18 cycles (3 with our RE) - Metformin + Clomid + HCG booster did the trick!
BFP #1 6/22/09 EDD: 3/2/10 DS born: 3/8/10
TTC #2 since Dec 2011
BFP #2 7/8/12 EDD: 3/18/12 M/C @ 9w1d: 8/16/12
I'm going to put a clause on the accept help when offered. Only accept it when it's from someone that will actually help out! MIL kept on wanting to come over to "help", which I said no to because with DD1, she came over for an hour and all she wanted to do was chit chat about her life. I had no time for that crap and could care less about what's going on with her life. I don't have time to babysit grown-ups on top of a newborn.
Make sure you capture moments on video too, because the sound they make changes over time and it's great to go back and listen to them when they're little babies.
I agree with everyone else, but also make sure daddy helps out as equally as you. DH has been a big help with our DD. I made sure he was active in everything from the day we brought her home and it is very comforting to know he will take good care of her if I want to get away for an hour or two to go to the grocery store or mall for ME time.
All excellent pieces of advice!
I am pretty much on board with everything, especially not trying to do it all. My mother-in-law would have helped every day if I had let her, but I had it in my head that I HAD to do it all myself. It was my job, so I didn't need or want any help. Well I see now that there's no reason to be a martyr. I should have let her come over and do the dishes or let me take a good nap. My son's naps were so short in the beginning that I hardly ever slept when he did because he would be up just as soon as I drifted off.
Also, expect that you might cry for no good reason. My friend told me this beforehand, and I was so grateful. I am not a crier. But the hormones must have been coarsing through my veins because my husband would ask, "How was your day?" and I would break down in tears. Nothing bad happened. I was just emotional. I would laugh at myself, knowing it was normal. I cried when I sang "You Are My Sunshine" at the "Please don't take my sunshine away" part.
I never napped, so that didn't work. But we did stay in bed until 10ish every day. I loved it and for a short time felt lazy, but I cherish those mornings. It was cold outside so the house was cold. I really enjoyed getting to snuggle with DS and then while he slept I would check email, etc.
My best advice is to not get that guilty feeling! Enjoy it all and take a LOT of photos. And don't feel bad if you cry over stupid stuff (mine was this book "On the day you were born")
OMG...I have this book. My mom gave it to me at the hospital. It was at least a month before I could get through the first page without immediately crying. Even now, I get teary eyed reading it. Best.Book.EVER!
We have it, too! We randomly bought it for her 6-month "birthday" as a present, and she LOVES it. I also get teary-eyed reading it to her. It's kind of existential, which I normally am not wild about, but I really love reading her that book about how the earth "prepared" for her arrival. SO SWEET!
Ask for and accept help from anyone and every one.
Dishes, laundry, everything at the house can wait. Heal your body, your mind and love your baby. If you are going back to work, remember this: you are on maternity leave, not chore leave. Your job while you are away from your paying job is to be with your baby. Find $100 in your budget and have someone else clean your house if you can.
Thanks so much for all of these great words of wisdom. Getting out of the "must do it all" mentality will be hard for me, but it's something I have already been thinking about and preparing myself for. Thankfully, we do have some people bringing us food for the first week or so and I fully intend to stock up on some paper plates & plastic cups so there are minimal dishes to look at.
We are actually having someone come tomorrow. I'm just too exhausted after being at work all day and the house needs a deep clean badly. I think we will have family in & out a lot shortly after we bring the baby home but if we don't, I am definitely going to lobby for wiggling the budget to accommodate having some help in those first few weeks.
Ditto on the crying about nothing part. It happened to me and I'm not much of a crier at all, I cried about nothing. Don't be alarmed--it goes away.
I agree with everything everyone else said. I especially agree about sleeping when they sleep if you're breastfeeding, those middle of the night feedings are tough and you are the only one that can do them.
You've been given some great advice! I wanted to add that once you're feeling up to it you should try and get out of the house at least once a day....even if it's just a walk to the mailbox. I got out every single day since DS was 4 days old and it was really great for my mental state. Not everyday was a grand outing but at least I was soaking up some natural light.
Also, the crying is insane. I'm not a crier either and when people warned me about the emotions after the baby was born I would laugh to myself thinking that would *never* be me. Um, it hit me like a rock the day we left the hospital...it was baaaaad. Luckily, it does go away before you know it!
I don't think I ever successfully executed "Sleep when the baby sleeps" but it's awesome, in theory.
Don't be afraid to say no if you don't feel like entertaining people.
Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle. They outgrow the cuddly stage so fast - enjoy it!