New Moms Survival Guide Part One: While you are still in the hospital
After our blog post, "What to expect when you're expecting" we followed Ylva`s (our mommy in charge) advice and created a survival guide for new moms. As we can't squeeze everything you need to know in one single post, we have decided to write a series and create a guide for the different stages after giving birth: "While you are still at the hospital", " Bringing your newborn home" and " What comes next".
So let's get started!
First of all, let us remind you to relax, though bringing a newborn home can be somewhat terrifying, especially if it is your first child, we can assure you that most of the basics of childcare will come naturally with your mother's instinct. So keep calm and follow them! Remember that most of the children were born before a time of overflowing available information on the Internet, in times of wars and crisis and we still survived! You can and will do this just fine!
It is important not to judge yourself either, or measure your actions to perfection, there is no such thing as the perfect mother because we are all perfect in our unique way! There will be times where your heart will feel like it will explode of love and happiness and others were you just want to cry and throw the towel. All of these emotions are perfectly normal. Especially the first weeks will be exhausting and your body will run on almost no sleep and a hormone roller coaster. Though feeling somewhat blue after giving birth, there is also a condition that is called postpartum depression, which has to be taken serious! For more information please read our blog post "The ups and downs of motherhood".
So let's get to the essentials...
While you are still in the hospital
Breastfeed: Start breastfeeding as soon as possible. Inform your nurse that you want to breastfeed straight away, rather than her feeding your baby a bottle. Your baby might not latch straight away, and this is normal, but you can still squeeze the colostrum (a yellowish liquid that comes out of your nipples), that comes before breast milk, directly into your babies mouth.
Colostrum is packed with nutrients that will boost your baby’s immune system, better than any formula out there. If you want further information read our beginners guide to breastfeeding here.
Visitors: Having visitors right after giving birth is inevitable, if you want it or not. And while you most likely can't wait to introduce your bundle of joy to family and friends, the first few days are also a very important bounding stage for you, your partner and your child. Try to keep visitations to no more than 1-2 a day and maximum half an hour. You will need time to recover from giving birth and most importantly have some skin to skin time with your baby in a relaxed and calm environment.
Ask for advice: Take advantage of having a team of nurses to help you out at first, to get enough sleep, you will need to be rested to have enough energy when you take your baby home. Also, make sure to talk to your doctor or nurse openly regarding any issues you might be experiencing after childbirth, such as hemorrhoids, bleedings and stitches.
Learn how to dress your child: Of course, you will want to dress your baby the cutest way possible, when bringing it home, however, keep in mind that your baby cannot regulate its body temperature yet, dress your baby carefully. As a general rule, dress your baby with the same amount of clothes you would wear. Don't overdress him/her, if your baby is sweating too much it can get a cold. Having different kind of layers that can easily be put on or be taken off is always a good idea.
Make sure you know how your car seat works: When leaving the hospital for the first time to bring your baby home, make sure you already know how your car seat works. It can be quite stressful if you don't know what you're doing, so make sure you have had some practice before.
In our next article... " Bringing your newborn home" we will provide you with a guide of what to expect the first days with your baby at home. Stay tuned!
At Organic Baby Food Shop we want to congratulate you on the new addition to your family! We are sure this will be a magical ride you will never forget. Our company is run by real parents which are devoted to helping other parents provide a healthy start for their babies. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us anytime.
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