Although it's been a month since I brought home our little boy, I remember the first week at home like it was yesterday. Tough didn't even begin to describe it. I want all the new moms out there to not feel like they are losing it or alone. So, I will tell you what I felt, and went through and give you some recommendations to get through it:
Alright, so you just walked through the door with your newborn. And you're thinking "no nurses, or medical staff. Now it's up to us. What the heck do we do next?"All of these emotions run through you and the anxiety kicks in. You're exhausted and everyone is coming over to spend time with the baby and help. But, you're just not in the mood for entertaining. I know I sure wasn't. My exhaustion and raging hormones made me a wreck. Not to mention the anxiety I felt with each minute that went by knowing I was going to have to feed him from my torn up breasts. All of my family and my husbands family were here. It was overwhelming. People all over the house, passing Aiden around, hearing him cry, and trying to just get a few minutes of peace to pull myself together. As I had posted earlier, breast feeding was not going well and it took my moral to a low. I had these thoughts of whether or not I was really ready for all of this and how was I going to deal with no sleep. I even had thoughts of just putting him in his crib, letting him cry while I put ear pugs in and getting the much needed sleep I craved. Am I a bad mom/person? No. It's completely normal to have these types of thoughts. However, if you have some serious concerns about you possibly hurting yourself or your baby you need to tell your spouse or significant other right away and speak with your doctor. Here are some tips to making it through your first week at home with baby and all of your family:
-If you have a large family, let them come over and have them come in shifts. That way you're not overwhelmed and can possibly relax. Take advantage of the help you do have. Take a nice warm shower. You'll be amazed how good you'll feel afterwards. Get dressed, blow dry your hair and take some "me time."
-Have your meals prepped and ready for someone to throw in the oven. You need to eat good, full meals that have protein and carbs. You are supposed to eat about 500 more calories while breastfeeding. This will also help you heal and feel better overall. (hopefully you did this before baby was born. If not, have ingredients ready for easy to make meals like lasagna)
-HYDRATE! I cannot stress this enough. If you aren't eating or drinking properly it will greatly hinder your milk production.
-Have your spouse or significant other help you as much as possible. Obviously he can't help with the feeding part but when your baby cries and needs to be changed, have him do it for you. This will allow you a minute to wake up, and get yourself comfortable. You'll be surprised how much this will help. Also, a clean diaper can calm your baby a bit and help with getting him/her to latch and not be in such a frenzy.
-Swaddling, this will be your best friend. Have a nurse or doctor from the hospital show you how to get a nice and tight swaddle. After he/she has been changed, fed, burped and changed again go ahead and swaddle him. They love the feeling of being swaddled and will doze off to sleep giving you another 2 hours of sleep.
-Burping. VERY important. Make sure after you finish feeding, you get a few good burps. Gas will upset your babys tummy and make him/her very fussy and cry. You'll be ready to rip your hair out. Trust me.
-If you've done everything and your baby is still crying uncontrollably, have gas drops ready. You can get them anywhere. I really like the one made by "little remedies" and it's safe for newborns. We use them quite a bit.
-Sleep when your baby sleeps. You'll hear everyone say this a thousand times. But, for the first few weeks, this is a great rule to follow. Your body has to learn to adjust to a lot less sleep. Put your baby in a dark room, and you go into another room. Have the monitor by your bed and just relax.
I hope these recommendations help you and your sanity. The first few weeks are the toughest. But you and your spouse/significant other will get through it. I promise. Have any questions? feel free to comment on here and I'll get back with you asap. Enjoy your little one!
xoxo,
Alex
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