Going back home with a newborn baby can make you feel scared. No worries, here are 10 tips to help you throughout the first week with your newborn.
1. Ask for help
This is one of the best tips for new parents, it’s okay to ask for help, and more often than not you are surrounded by people who are ready to help but just waiting to be asked. There is nothing wrong with asking for help.
2. Look after you.
Try to go by the 3 for 10 rule. That is at least three blocks of ten minutes every day that you spend focused on you. One lot of 10 minutes for a shower – everything seems better when you are feeling clean and fresh, another ten minutes for a cup of tea or a coffee and perhaps the final ten minutes perhaps take a walk around the block or do something you love.
3. Try to make healthy choices.
Your body, mind and soul are changing, you might feel depleted and over everything and the packet of chips or bar of chocolate look very tempting; however, they won’t help your body or mind. Give yourself the fuel you need by making healthy choices.
4. Look after those boobs!
If you are breastfeeding, this one is for you. It’s very easy to go from ‘managing and okay’ to ‘really sore, cracked and bleeding’. Stock up on some soothing cream, use cold washers and massage to prevent the ‘ouch’ phase as much as possible.
5. Wear your baby
Baby carriers were invented for a reason! They make so much easier for a new mum, you can still have your hands free, and baby can feel safe and secure by being close to you.
6. Stop comparing.
Every baby is different; every family is different. You are running your own race and on your own timeline. Don’t beat yourself up by comparing your first week with another new mum.
7. This too, shall pass.
This might become your silent mantra this week. Every hard moment, every ‘never-ending’ crying at midnight, every struggle will pass. Ride through the waves and remind yourself that it won’t last forever.
8. Be real, be honest and be open.
Being a mum is hard; it doesn’t come with training or a guide book. Acknowledge how you feel and what is going on, accept it for what it is and be open to things being different from how you might have pictured it. Be honest with those around you about how it’s going and how you are feeling.
9. Sleep when you can.
This was one of the best tips I ever got, washing and cleaning can wait. If the baby is resting, take advantage of it and rest as well. You need to rejuvenate and restore your body so sleep when you get the opportunity.
10. Make sure day and night are different
new babies are still learning the difference, and mixing the two into one can make for a very exhausting and never ending week. Help them by making day and night feel different. During the day, open the curtains, play soft music and feel free to talk. When it’s time for a nap or bedtime, close the curtains and make baby’s space as quiet and peaceful as possible.
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