Bringing Home Your First Baby

When you imagine what your delivery will be like or what your baby will look like when they finally arrive, don’t forget to imagine what finally coming home will be like. When your baby is finally in your arms and the nurses bring you over to the Postpartum Wing of the hospital, you can finally breath. Your baby is here. If everyone is healthy, over the next few days, there will be check ins, vital monitoring, tests, and finally the go ahead to head home with your tiny new bundle. During your hospital stay, the postpartum nurses are so helpful, they check in on you and your partner, they bring you your meals, they answer your questions about breastfeeding your newborn, your recovery, holding baby, bathing baby and so on, but when you get home, who do you have?

Expect it to take some time

It is amazing how much extra stuff you accumulate once a baby joins your family, multiply it when you add two or three or more babies! Everyone needs fed, generally at the same time, everyone is crying usually at the same time, so what’s a new family to do? If you are not a fan of eating out, for this special time in your life, get take out for your first dinner home. This means everyone can be fed something filling and nutritious in a timely manner. Sometimes we want to get everything done that day, but as new parents, it is okay to let some things slide so you can be sure everyone is fed, warm, happy, and sleeping. Your first night home might seem kind of quiet. That is okay. Your first night home might be exhausting, that is also okay. With postpartum planning in pregnancy you can have prepared for you food, support and sleeping arrangements before your little one arrives.

Reach out when you need a hand

Friends and family are always asking how they can help or what you need done. Sometimes as new parents we feel guilty saying “ do you mind doing the dishes, or starting some laundry?” don’t be! What is most helpful to new parents isn’t a friend holding the baby when it is asleep, it’s picking up a chore so that you can snuggle with your squish or rest and recover. It is the little things that matter when it comes to adding a new baby to your family. If family and friends are not working out or you don’t have them around, professional help from a  Postpartum& Infant Care Doula could be just what you need.

About the Author:

Tiffany Shank has been a knowledgeable resource and expert in all things

pregnancy, baby and parenting for almost a decade. Her ability to connect people to

resources and information to put them at ease is seen by her work as a Labor andPostpartum Doula.

For more pregnancy and parenting tips visit her website 

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