Pregnancy & Baby Index: Baby Newborn: Bringing baby home: Surviving the first month postpartum
Bringing baby home: Surviving the first month postpartum
Ann Douglas
Feeling exhausted by the demands of caring for your new
baby? Having difficulty remembering why you wanted to become a parent
in the first place? Here are some tips on surviving this wonderful yet
challenging period in your baby's life.
Seven tips
Learn to cut corners
Let the dishes accumulate in the sink and leave the carpets unvacuumed
for as long as possible. Give yourself permission to set aside as much
time as possible for rest and relaxation. After all, your top
priorities at this stage in your life should be taking care of your
baby and yourself!
Stay connected
Keep in touch with the other new parents you met at prenatal class,
and take advantage of the opportunity to compare notes on your babies'
sleeping, eating, and crying patterns.
Accept the realities of parenting a newborn
You might not be happy about the fact that you haven't had a decent
night's sleep since before your baby's arrival, but you'll do yourself
and your baby a favour if you learn to accept the fact that your life
is going to be topsy-turvy for at least the foreseeable future. Rather
than trying to force your new baby into adopting sleeping patterns for
which he or she simply isn't ready, focus your energies on enjoying
this special time in your lives.
Get out of the house
Nothing can add to your stress level more than being housebound day
after day with a new baby - particularly if he or she is fussy!
Whether you decide to take the baby for a brisk winter walk or for a
leisurely stroll through the mall, it's important to do whatever it
takes to avoid getting cabin fever.
Don't worry about spoiling your baby
Ignore any well-meaning relatives who warn you against the evils of
"spoiling" your baby. It simply isn't possible to spoil a newborn.
Responding quickly to his cries simply teaches him to trust the world
around him - something that will ultimately lead to a much happier
baby! In fact, a study at Johns Hopkins University during the early
1970s revealed that those babies whose cries were responded to quickly
cried less at age one than those babies whose cries were not responded
to quite so promptly.
Discover your baby's likes - and dislikes
If your baby tends to be fussy at a particular time of the day, try to
discover what works best to soothe her. Since no two babies are
exactly alike, you'll be engaged in some heavy-duty detective work
until you discover the techniques that work best for your baby.
Accept any and all offers of help
This is no time to be a martyr! If friends and family members express
a willingness to pitch in, take them up on their offers to help. Put
them to work taking care of domestic chores like cooking and cleaning
so that you will have more time to relax and enjoy your new baby.