You’ve just come home from the hospital where doctors, nurses and family members catered to your every whim, answered every concern, and left you alone when you wanted to rest. Now you’re on your way home and asking yourself the question that mothers have asked themselves for years: Now what do I do? Here are some tips that will transform your first week of doubt into one filled with sweet and secure memories.
1. Be patient with feedings. A lactation consultant is only a phone call away if you are breastfeeding and are having difficulty with latch-ons while home alone. It won’t be effortless, say the experts. Be patient and cuddle, cuddle, cuddle. “Hold the baby while feeding her,” advises Marsha Yoder, director of Loving Arms Day Care in Middletown, “and as close to your body as possible.” Feed your baby in a warm and quiet setting, and make sure you’re in a comfortable position while doing so. This closeness is an opportunity to show your bundle of joy that he is loved.
2. Try to get plenty of sleep. Sleep is not only necessary for your baby, but it’s also essential for you. This is the time that you may fully understand the term “sleep deprivation.” But you can do something about it. Newborns tend to sleep up to 16 hours in a 24-hour day. But those 16 hours are comprised of short naps that add up. Make sure you sleep when the baby sleeps. “Babies should sleep on their backs,” warns Richard Blutstein, M.D., a pediatrician with Pennsboro Pediatrics in Enola.
3.Get Dad Involved. "My husband and I alternated night feedings," recalls Yoder about her own experiences as a new mother. "Getting the dad involved is hugely important for the baby to bond with the father. The more the better." That involvement also serves another purpose. It allows mothers to get a much-needed break. You many feel that you're the best and the only one that should be taking care of your newborn. Let go of those feelings and don't be afraid to hand over responsibility of the baby to dad.
4. Limit visitations. Visitors can be helpful, but they can also be a hindrance as you maneuver around the needs of your newborn while other voices around you are giving advice. “Keep visitations short,” says Yoder. “You want as stable a household as possible during that first week. A lot of cuddling, nurturing and stability.”
5. Enlist help with the housework. If you had always taken pride in the fact that your house was pristine and orderly before your baby arrived, you may have to get used to different surroundings. Don’t try to be super-mom during this precious time with your baby. Ask for help. This is another area where you can get dad involved by having him do the laundry or wash dishes while you tend to your baby’s needs. “You can also do housework while your baby sleeps,” Yoder says. “It also helps to take the baby with you if you are picking up around the house.”
6. Communicate with baby. Babies cry. That’s a fact of nature. Fortunately according to Blutstein, babies don’t cry much during the first two to three weeks... but they will still cry because that is how they communicate. “Your job is to figure out what needs to be done,” adds Blutstein. “It may be that you need to feed the baby, hold it, or diaper it.” But communication is a two-way street. Sing and read to your baby. Play games such as tickling or peek-a-boo. Just having them hear your voice helps with their social skills and their ability to speak sooner.
7. Keep watch of baby’s health. Be aware of and watch out for allergic reactions to different foods and materials as you take care of your baby during this first week. “We find that a lot of detergents cause sensitivity,” explains Yoder. “Be aware of reactions to baby wipes as well as reactions to the plastic in disposable diapers.”
Follow the above tips and you’ll think back and treasure the memories. “New mothers tend to be uptight about the details,” adds Yoder. “Relax and enjoy the baby.”
Getting into a Routine
Every baby is an individual... and unpredictable. So it’s important that parents take cues from the baby at this stage of the game. “Some babies sleep through the night and others don’t,” says Blutstein. “Babies haven’t any wants, only needs. But after a while, the setting of limits is important.” Establishing those limits is difficult early on. Parents can start setting up routines such as bathing right before sleep when the baby is around four to six weeks. At about three months old, simple rituals may involve reading to them before bedtime. Blutstein contends that the earliest bed times can be “enforced” is when a child is nine months old. By the time your baby celebrates his first birthday, he should be on an eating and sleeping schedule. For children, routines are calming and become a safe and predictable haven.