Once your hospital stay is over, it’s time to bring your sweet bundle home!
Bringing baby home is such a wonderful, significant time. The moment you’ve been waiting for for the last 9 months (or much longer!) has finally arrived, and you get to begin life as a family that has grown by 1 (or more!).
There is so much to be joyful about. It’s amazing how fun it can be to “show baby around the house” even though you know they can’t really can’t even see. It’s pure magic.
But it can also be overwhelming.
The first step is to ask ALL the questions at the hospital. These people know babies. However, anything you forget to ask you can call the nurses hotline to get an answer, or write them down so you can ask your pediatrician on your first visit.
The second step will be to ask for help. There’s nobody like new grandparents to help! An arm to hold a baby while you eat the first hot meal in days is priceless. And a shower? Life-changing. Be sure to think ahead and ask/prepare to have them help in ways other than just baby- laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. will be an AMAZING help to you! It’s so important for you to just focus on nothing but baby for the first few weeks. If grandparents aren’t available, you can ask the same of a hired caregiver. Hush Hush Little Baby offers around the clock help with baby, and will even perform household tasks related to baby.
You should also make boundaries and plans for visitors- depending on your personality, you may not want people in and out every day. Be upfront with your friends and family. Consider allowing a few people in the same circle to come at once, so it’s a shorter time that you are having company. Make sure to get on the same page as your significant other. While one may be wanting to show baby off to any and everybody, the other may prefer to lay low and keep it to mainly the most immediate friends and family.
Finally, its a great idea to keep a log of baby’s activities. You’ll be sleep deprived and nervous about this new endeavor, so having solid data can help you if you are wondering if baby is eating or pooping enough.
A few things to keep in mind after bringing baby home:
- Breastfed newborns should nurse 10-12 times per day (24 hour period)
- Formula fed newborns should eat about 8-11 times per day- about 1.5 to 3 oz at a time
- Most babies lose weight in the first 5 days
- Aim for at least 4 wet diapers and at least 1 poopy diaper a day
- Baby will sleep about 15-17 hours per day
- Babies need to be kept warm because their internal thermometer isn’t working perfectly- keep baby dressed warm and wrapped up
- Don’t bathe baby until his/her umbilical cord falls off (stick to sponge baths)