Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

I was so prepared when I brought my first baby home from the hospital. The crib had been set up for months, the room was painted and diapers were stacked and ready to use. What I didn’t know was that bringing a baby home can be stressful. 

After my first child I learned a few tricks to help bring a baby home stress-free.

Arrange for Help
Ask someone you trust like a mother or special friend to come in and help the first few days you are home from the hospital. You want to have someone who can help with household chores as well as help with the baby. This will allow you to nap, shower and get adjusted to a new person living in the house.

Prepare the Pets
When I delivered my first daughter a nurse recommended that I take home a blanket or item of clothing the baby had slept in to my pets. She said let the animals smell the blanket and get used to the new smell. Then when I bring home the baby my animals will be familiar with the new smell. She also told me to let someone else hold the baby when I greet my animals. This way the baby is safe and I can give some attention to the animals that have surely missed me.

Keep the House Calm
Let the phone bounce to voice mail. You do not have to answer every call when you are first at home. Keep visitors to a minimum and have older siblings keep as quite as possible in the first few days. You and your new baby will need to adjust to being at home and a calm environment will help.

If you seem to be getting a lot of drop in visitors place a pad of paper by the front door and ask people not to ring the door bell. Simply write we are resting, please leave a note and we will call you when we are ready for a visit.

Track Gifts
You will most likely receive flowers, pre-cooked meals and a host of baby supplies. Keep a pad of paper handy and write down every gift you receive with the name of who sent it. This way in a few weeks when you are ready you can sit down and send thank you notes to all your well wishers.

Can you share your own simple tricks of the trade?