Rules for visitors after having birth at birth center?
ahcantrell90
member
I'm planning to give birth at a birth center. After about 4 hours I'll get to go home. After reading a post on the "6 week" rule, it had me thinking about receiving visitors after I give birth. I know I'm not going to wait 6 weeks. But I don't really want my house flooded with people. I don't care if my parents are there afterward, but I have a niece and nephew that are young (7 and 9), that I really don't want to hold the baby until the baby is at least a week. And I would prefer my brother and his wife wait 24-28 hours to visit. Plus, before anyone holds the baby I would like if they washed their hands and if you've been sick or feeling under the weather, not to come until you're 100%.
Is this asking too much? And what rules did you set?
Re: Rules for visitors after having birth at birth center?
I wish I had waited a little longer to have visitors. I had people at my house the next day and I was totally out of it and feeling really gross and sore. It's not like where you're at the hospital for 3 days and people come and visit and don't expect anything from you. When people see you at home they figure you're totally fine and up for visitors and entertaining.
I would ask people to give you at least 3 days to recover and get used to life with LO around. And it's definitely ok to ask people to wash their hands and not come over if they are sick.
I don't think it's asking too much at all! I wish I had waited longer before having visitors. I definitely think it's not too much to ask to have people only come around if they're healthy and after they wash their hands. Heck my kid is 9 months old now and I still don't let people come over if they're sick!
I did appreciate having my immediate family around (mom/dad, MIL/FIL, SIL) because I had a really bad tear and had a hard time doing pretty much everything including sitting up to nurse. They were here when we got home from the hospital and we had someone with us day and night the whole first week. However, we have a very close family and I couldn't imagine them not being there. For the next baby we will hopefully be having a birth center birth and will probably have our immediate family waiting at the birth center and coming home with us. That's just what works for our family.
I really wish we would have waited to have other family and friends over. We felt a lot of pressure...everyone wanted to see the baby of course. We gave in and I think our first week at home would have been a lot less stressful if we had just said NO VISITORS.
More Green For Less Green
I won't be calling anyone from the birthing center.
My friends and I set up care calendars for each other for meals. This is a GREAT way to spread out visitors. Meals sign-ups are for Tues and Thurs. Most people will wait to meet the baby until they are dropping off their scheduled meal.
Yeah, I'd just say you guys want a few days alone to recover as a family and bond. I can't imagine anyone would question that or feel hurt by it. We live next door to SIL and when she had her baby we visited when they were in the hospital, but once they came home we didn't go over there for at least a week.
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
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I don't think you will hurt anyone's feelings. In regards to ur sibling visit just have it mentioned when the are informed of the labor/birth. Such as hey I hope you guys can come on...(earliest day u want them there) it will be so nice to meet the LO when we are settled. Won't upset any feelings then.
As for other children holding don't worry about it just let them know hey maybe in a few weeks when they are bigger.
I love what my BF did when her baby was born. We came to visit and on the door wears a typed little to *note ) from the new arrival stating how she can't wait to meet anyone but please wash your hands because my mommy and daddy are so busy with me they might forget to tell you. It was so cute.