Your Newborn Baby's First Few Days at Home - What You
Should Expect
The first few days home from the hospital are important
for both baby and parents. As parents you will have gone
through intense birth process that is unlike anything else
you have ever experienced. As a new mother you will be
drained - both emotionally and physically. The father can
often have feelings of being overwhelmed by the huge
responsibility he now faces. There probably is not much
anyone can say or do to help you to fully prepare for what
you are about to experience.
During your first days at home it may be wise to limit the
amount of visitors that you welcome into your home because
you'll need a lot of time to recover from the birth
process. Other than your immediate family and good friends
you might want to ask other friends to wait a week or two
before they descend on you with gifts and wanting to hold
the new baby.
New mothers will want to pay attention to the way that
they feel so that those "baby blues" don't creep up and
surprise you unexpectedly. It is normal to feel a bit out
of sorts and sad for the first couple of weeks after
giving birth. Your body is going through some major
physical changes after the birth of your baby. Your
hormones will be changing and you likely will be feeling a
lack of sleep. It is important to remember that this is
natural and to allow yourself a good amount of time to
recover from this. If you find yourself feeling more and
more depressed it is advised that you
should discuss it with your doctor to see if you are
suffering from "postpartum depression". Symptoms of
postpartum depression include:
. Overwhelming feelings of sadness and depression
accompanied by crying.
. Having little or no energy.
. Feelings of guilt and worthlessness.
. Having no interest in your baby or being overly
concerned and worried about your baby.
. Weight gain accompanied with overeating or Weight loss
accompanied by not eating.
. Insomnia or oversleeping.
If you do have postpartum depression then there are a few
ways that you can try to beat it:
. Try and get as much rest and relaxation as possible.
When the baby is asleep use this quiet time to get some
rest yourself.
. Be more understanding with yourself and do not put
yourself under too much pressure to "get back to normal".
Ensure that your family is aware that you need help with
housework and so on.
. Try to limit the time that you spend just alone - keep
your mind and body relatively active (for example by
taking short pleasant walks).
. Get professional help if the depression seems to be
ongoing.
. Discuss with other mothers their experiences after
birth. You may find that your friends and family members
also went through the same issues as you.
During the first few days at home your family will be
adjusting to the additional member of your family. If you
have other children at home you may be dealing with
feelings of jealousy as the new baby takes centre stage.
Make sure that you include your other children in the
day-to-day activities that are part of the new baby's
routine. Remember that you are trying to
adjust to some huge changes in your life so allow yourself
the understanding and care that you would give to family
and friends in your situation.
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