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.
If you cannot stand a slightly messy house, you have two choices. You can either hire a housekeeper or get used to things not being perfectly cleaned like they were before baby. It is extremely tempting to try and do all of your chores when the baby is asleep. If you find yourself doing this, please remember that you need to sleep as much as you can. Your main purpose in life at this moment is to care for your newborn.
Have plenty of diapers on hand. If you are using a cloth diaper service, make sure they have delivered the first order before you come home. It is always a good idea to have some disposable diapers on hand even if you are using cloth diapers. If you are using disposable diapers, make sure you have plenty on hand – three or four bags at least – because babies go through a lot of diapers when they are tiny.
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.
Most of all, when you bring your new baby home, enjoy him or her. It will not be too long until your baby is grown and having babies of his or her own.