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.
Sleep when the baby sleeps. This is the biggest piece of advice new parents need to put into practice. Your baby will sleep a lot in the beginning. You should take advantage of this and sleep, too. Your internal time clock may get disrupted, but this is part of having a new baby. Everything gets disrupted! To care for your baby properly, you need to feel as rested as possible.
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.
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.
New mother’s milk does not come in for a day or two after birth. Your baby will still be hungry. To avoid frustration about not being able to fully feed her, have a can of baby formula on hand. You can supplement your nursing with formula until you can feed her 100% on your own.
Have a basinette set up in your bedroom right next to your bed. This will make nursing in the middle of the night much easier. You can just get the baby out of the basinette and nurse right in your bed without having to wake up fully.
Baby’s safety is a huge concern for a new parent. It is important to hear what is going on in baby’s room. Is she asleep or awake? For your own piece of mind, the purchase of a dect baby monitor is wise. With a monitor you will be able to know all of the time whether the baby is asleep or awake. Bathing baby is another big safety concern. Buy a baby bath to use on the counter top or sink. You will have much better control over baby’s body in a small bathtub than you would trying to bathe her in the adult-size tub.
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.