Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

The first couple of days after you have your little bundle are pretty wonderful. Your time is spent bonding with your new baby, introducing them to family and friends, and then sending them to the nursery to sleep. It’s actually pretty amazing all the way around. And then, just when you feel like you’re getting the hang of this whole parenting bit, your doctor walks in and says that it’s time for you to go home.

Well, I don’t know about you, but for me (and most other new parents that I know) those words incited a tight ball of panic to form in the pit of my stomach. I mean, the hospital is safe! So, if I mess up, or my husband doesn’t know what to do, the nurse is just one quick button push away. It’s the ultimate safety net, and I for one, wasn’t ready to give it up.  But apparently they were ready for me to go, because in no time at all they had a wheelchair pulled up by my bed and my little girl all buckled into her car seat. Ready or not, we were going home.

I remember sitting in the car with my husband that night as we drove home. He said something that has stuck with me, and I honestly don’t think that I’ll ever forget it. He said, “They made me take a test, and get a license to drive this car, but they are just going to give me that child to raise.” And it’s so true. Throughout your whole pregnancy it’s like you have someone holding your hand every step of the way. And then…..nothing. You have the baby and you’re on your own sister.

But you know what, when I managed to push through the panic, things really weren’t that bad. And I’m betting that they won’t be for you either. Why? Because you have me! We are going to take a close look at those first few days home and see what you can do to make your life easier. You’ll be amazed at how just a little bit of planning will go a very long way. That being said, let’s get started!

1. Feeding Yourself
Remember what happened when you were pregnant and didn’t eat? You got dizzy, cranky, and tired very fast. Well, that’s nothing when you compare it to not eating right after you’ve had the baby. (Especially if you are breast-feeding!)  Your body is doing some serious healing right now, and it needs fuel to do it. On top of that, you have this tiny little being that depends on you for everything, and your baby doesn’t really care if you’re tired or not.

Now, even though you need to eat and you probably want to eat, that doesn’t mean that you are going to feel like cooking. So here’s the plan. First, try to get a few things fixed ahead of time that you can freeze. Think easy, like spaghetti sauce, something that you can just thaw out and eat. The second trick is to stock your pantry with things that you can eat right off the shelf and with one hand. Stick with things that are healthy and aren’t just empty calories. In other words, stay AWAY from the chips! I swear to you that I lived for a month on dried fruit, Slim Jims, and string cheese.

2. Visitor Parade
There is just something about a new baby that fascinates people. And I have to admit that I am one of them. So when you have your own new baby it should come as no surprise that you have a steady stream of visitors for the first few weeks. Everyone wants to meet the new addition, and who could blame them! But it can get tiring for both you and the baby.

Don’t be afraid to set some ground rules. There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting up “visiting hours.” If you don’t want to tell people no, then just don’t answer your phone. Trust me, they will leave a message and they will understand if you choose to call them back later. Just tell them that you we’re napping with the baby. It’s an excuse that’s made even more believable because it’s probably true. Then you can “invite” them to stop by at a time the fits better with your schedule.

The other great thing about visitors is that they love to feel useful. These are people that care about you and they truly want to help in any way that they can. So, if someone makes an offer that sounds good to you, then take them up on it. It will make them feel good and make your life easier, so it’s a win/win situation all the way around!

3. The Family Pet
This is probably going to be the most controversial of my suggestions to you.  The first week home with a new baby is crazy. You don’t feel great, you’re tired, you’re learning how to be a Mom, and you have endless amounts of people stopping by your house. Because of this, I think that you should seriously consider boarding your pets for that first week.

Now, I’m not telling you to get rid of Fluffy, just send him to puppy camp (or grandma’s which ever you prefer!) for a few days. This way when you bring him back home you’re actually happy to see him rather than just pushing him out of the way.

We have three large dogs. I love them and I enjoy having them around, but they are a lot of work. And just like any family pet they require attention and care each and every day. So what we did was show them the baby when we brought her home. They stayed the night with us that night and then they went to our wonderful kennel for the week. It worked beautifully and we had NO problems with the transition. They got a good whiff of her before they left, and then by the time they got home, her scent was everywhere. Plus, they love the kennel, so it was like a little vacation for everyone.

4. Sleeping Arrangements
What I mean by this is not necessarily where everyone is sleeping, but rather having everything together before you lay down. Most new Mom’s go for the bassinet or the cradle beside the bed. This is a great choice and one that I heartily endorse. Newborns sleep a lot, but they also wake up often. And since they need to be fed every 3 hours for those first few weeks, you know that you’re going to be getting up a lot.

So, why not make it as easy as possible on yourself and set things up so that you don’t even have to get out of the bed. My bassinet had this great basket on the bottom, so I filled it up with everything that I could possibly need. I had diapers, wipes, breast pads, Lanolin, lotion, Tylenol, clean clothes, clean blankets, a thermometer, and everything else that I could think of.  If yours doesn’t have a basket like this, then just buy a basket or use one that you already have. It doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to hold stuff! This way once you lay down you don’t have to get back up 27 times before morning rolls around again. You’ll get more rest and feel better the next day because of it.

The main thing that you need to do is just try to think ahead. The more things that you can take care of before hand the easier it will be on you when the time comes. The list that I have given you here is really just to get you started. Once you start putting things in order, more will come to you. Before you know it you’ll not only be ready to bring home your baby, you’ll be excited about it. And I’m sure that you’ll do an awesome job, because if you’re reading this then your hearts in the right place. And that’s half the battle right there!