Making Baby’s Homecoming Tension Free
It is so exciting to bring your brand new baby home from the hospital! You want every thing to go just perfectly. Here are a few ways to make the transition into your new life with baby tension-free.
Rule number one is sleep when baby sleeps. New parents often think to themselves that they will do the laundry or make dinner while the baby naps. For the first two weeks after you come home from the hospital, you need to sleep when baby does. There is no two ways about it. To be a good parent, you need to feel well rested.
Come home to a clean house. In other words, clean the house before you go to the hospital if having a clean house is something you must have. Before labor starts you will probably go through a kind of nesting energy spurt. If you do not mind a slightly messy home, then you do not need to worry about cleaning before labor. If the temptation to squeeze in a few chores is too much to ignore, consider hiring a housekeeper for a month or so after baby comes home.
Your newborn will go through so many diapers you might consider buying stock in the diaper company! Whether you are using disposable diapers or a cloth diaper service, you must have these pre-purchased and in the house when your baby comes home. You will definitely be using them shortly after baby’s arrival.
If you are nursing, your milk may not have come in enough to completely feed the baby the first two or three days. Your baby will still be hungry. Having a little formula on hand will save you and your baby from being frustrated at her not being able to get enough to eat. (Do nurse her each time she is hungry, but supplement with a little formula until your milk is established.)
During the night, in order to increase the amount of sleep you get, it is easy to bring the baby into your bed to nurse. Some families with sleep with the baby in the parents’ bed, others are not comfortable with this. If this is the case for you, purchasing a small crib or basinette and letting the baby sleep right next to you will make night nursing easier. Just reach over and bring the baby into your bed. When you are finished, put the baby back in his basinette.
A new parent often worries about the baby’s safety. Purchasing a new dect baby monitor prior to bringing the baby home will enable you to hear the baby sleeping or when she wakes up. Another way to make sure she is safe is to purchase a baby bath that fits easily into the sink instead of trying to bathe her in a large bathtub. You will be able to keep her slippery little body safely in your hands with a small baby bathtub.
Make sure you spend time with your baby. Even though having a newborn is difficult, you will look back fondly to the time you spent with your baby at the beginning of her life. Babies grow up very fast. Your chores will always be there.
