When experiencing motherhood, it’s impossible not to think about every detail, worry about every care, and try to plan each step before the baby arrives, getting everything ready to welcome them. But once the baby is born, what will those first days at home be like? How will the family adapt? How do you handle the new routine and live this moment with as much peace of mind as possible?
Even if everything has been meticulously planned, we only know what will happen and how things will be when the moment arrives. After all, we don’t know if the baby will be restless or calm. If you already have other children, how will the siblings react to the new family member and how will you face this new routine, which, with a newborn at home, ends up doubling the work. All this comes on top of physical exhaustion. But let’s start from the beginning! When you arrive from the maternity, the first thing that happens is the visits, which are not always wanted or expected. After all, some moms feel too exhausted and unwell to receive friends and family in the very first days. However, some visits are unavoidable, especially with close family.
Everyone is anxious to meet the new family member and welcome the little one. At this moment, don’t forget to make a bathroom available to your visitors so they can wash their hands before holding the baby. If any of them forget, you should remind them—the baby’s health is at stake. In the case of sick visitors with colds or any kind of viral illness, it is not advised for them to have contact with the baby; preferably, only visit when fully recovered. A newborn baby’s immunity is still very low, and contact with sick people—even if it’s “just a cold” for us—can be very risky for them.
Once you get through the phase of visits, it’s time to face your new daily routine because you have a newborn who needs 24-hour care. Between feedings, diaper changes, baths, and hygiene, you also have the rest of the house and obligations to handle. Unless you have someone to help you in your baby’s first days at home, which is a huge relief. But if you don’t, you’ll need to manage your time very well to balance all your tasks, especially if you have other children.
Usually, siblings end up feeling jealous with the arrival of the new member and with all the extra care and attention—not just from the parents, but from the whole family and friends. This is a challenging situation to handle and minimize, because the newborn does need a lot of care and full attention. The best tactic to reduce jealousy between older siblings is to get them involved in as many aspects and routines as possible. Letting them help makes them feel useful and responsible for helping take care of this new life, and also makes them feel extremely important.
Mom vs. Woman – After Giving Birth
The more help mom gets—from dad, the grandmas, older kids—the better. In the baby’s first days, it’s not just the new routine that’s difficult, but also the woman’s recovery. After spending nine months carrying a baby, gaining weight, bearing a heavier load than usual as well as swelling, nausea, and all the transformations pregnancy brings, women also need care.
We women have to learn to balance our time not just for taking care of the house and kids, but for our appearance too. Learn to manage your time and ensure at least a few minutes each day to get ready, take care of yourself and feel alive. Trust me, a woman and mom who feels good, with her self-esteem in check, will have a better relationship with her family and make everything flow more easily—after all, you are happy with yourself. Ask dad for help when he gets home from work and take the opportunity to do your nails, fix your hair, or maybe go for a walk to lose those extra pregnancy pounds even faster? Being a mom is wonderful, and being a happy, fulfilled woman and mom is even better!!
Also read: Visits to the Newborn – Basic Etiquette Guide
Photos: rafaelgenu, Cambridge Brewing Co.
