Bringing Baby Home: My Top Tips For New Moms When Bringing Baby Home For The First Time
Bringing your first baby home as a new parent can seem like one of the scariest, most overwhelming things ever. Atleast it was for me. In all honesty though, it wasn’t as big of a deal as I anticipated. After successfully getting through the “bringing baby home” stage, I’ve complied some of my top tips and things I did and would do again, or lessons I learned and would change next time.
This post is all about tips for new moms when bringing baby home for the first time.
Best Tips For New Moms When Bringing Baby Home For The First Time
Have Someone Watch the Dogs for a Few Days
We have large dogs, so we arranged for a family member to watch them for 5 days or so, and I would definitely do this again. It was so overwhelming bringing such a tiny baby home and having hyper dogs barking and running around was just way too much. Let alone, trying to get the hang of things with the baby, and having to remember to feed the dogs or let them out. They were much better off in the care of someone else who had the capacity to give them the attention they deserved. It was so nice for mama and dad to be able to put all the focus on baby. I would definitely recommend having a friend or family member watch your dogs or boarding them, just to buy yourself some sanity and breathing space as you adjust to your new little family.
Have A Helper Stay for a Couple Weeks
I am fortunate to have a great relationship with my mom, and was able to have her come stay with us for two weeks when baby was born. This was a major help. Not only did she help reassure me that I was doing things right, but she helped so much with making me food, keeping up with the dishes and laundry and even hanging with baby while I showered. Becoming a mom for the first time is a lot. Your hormones are all over the place after the birth, and it is truly so helpful to have the support of someone you’re close with as a security blanket during those first couple of weeks.
Having someone stay with you is definitely up to you and depends on your situation and relationships, but for us, it was a lifesaver and I would definitely do it again.
Snuggle With Baby All Day
During those first few weeks, I remember being exhausted. The hormones are coming down, your body just went through an insane amount of stress and you’re also getting a lack of sleep. Combine those three things and you’re bound to be tired all day long. There’s no better time than now to snuggle with your baby. All. Day. Long. The dishes can wait. The laundry can wait (maybe). The bed being made can wait. Just enjoy your baby and get rest.
I really didn’t do too many tasks during the first couple of weeks. I was fortunate to have a lot of help, which helped keep things somewhat in order. Overall though, I understood that I would never get these first weeks with baby back again, so I really just tried to soak it all in. Baby was tired and so was I, and all she wanted was to sleep on me. So we pretty much kept the lights low, the house calm and baby just slept on me all day every day for the first couple of weeks. I watched cooking shows and Real Housewives of New Jersey (lol). It was worth every second.
I would high recommend any new mama to focus solely on resting and bonding with baby all day long. The skin-to-skin is amazing for baby’s health (helps with regulating baby’s heart rate and temperature) and the bonding for you two is gold, and your body also just needs to rest and recover.
Meal Prep Freezer Meals
Having meal-prepped freezer meals for the early weeks is a lifesaver, and I would HIGHLY recommend this! We did it and I would do it again. I LOVE The Family Freezer for great recipes that are super simple, healthy and delicious. It’s so helpful for nights when you are dad are super tired or just want to be with baby and dont want to worry about cooking. Or even if you’re home with baby during the day you can just toss one of the freezer meals in a slow cooker and feel like a boss having spent all day with baby AND “cooked” dinner. It’s truly a win-win.
During the last 2 months of your pregnancy, try to focus on building up your freezer meal supply so you can be prepared and save you and dad a ton of headache and stress during the early weeks with baby.
Delay Visitors As Much as Possible
Friends and family are so excited when a new baby is born because it is truly the most beautiful miracle they all get to witness. However, it is extremely overwhelming for the baby and the parents to have too many people visiting too soon. The germs and just the stimulus can be alot. People’s good intentions can also include opinions which can be stressful for mom. My best advice is to try to delay visitors as much as possible. Ensure that baby will still be here in a few weeks and that everyone can meet baby then.
It’s really hard because everyone is so excited and it’s hard to tell people no. Typically the husband is the gatekeeper and helps to manage guests while mom and baby get rest. This is a great book for first time dads which explains this concept along with many other tips. My husband loved it and has bought it for his friends who are new dads as a gift.
Hire a House Cleaner
Okay, I’m all for saving a buck and doing things yourself, but honestly just get the house cleaner before and after baby. Atleast for a few cleanings. It was so nice to have a housekeeper come pre-baby to get everything sanitized and tidy in advance. It was so hard for me to do the last month because I was SO. PREGNANT. I would highly recommend hiring someone to clean the house atleast every other week for a few months.
If you were due June 1, this would mean having someone come like May 15 and May 30 ish. Then we had her come a few times afterward to keep the dust and germs at bay. I think she came maybe 3 more times after baby was born, then we cleaned on our own. 1000% recommend. You can join a mom’s facebook group for the area you live in and ask other moms for a great recommendation. You want to make sure you know the person is good in advance, hence the suggestion to have her come a few times before baby.
Having someone help clean the house during the early weeks is a great idea because it gives you one less thing to worry about so you can focus on you and baby’s health and bonding. This is such a sacred time for you both that anything you can do to conserve energy is crucial while you are healing and adjusting.
See a Lactation Consultant
Nursing for the first time is overwhelming. There is so many different types of advice out there that even just leaning into your natural instinct can be hard. I highly recommend seeing a lactation consultant. They are typically covered by insurance (or you can submit to insurance afterward), and help so much. I had one come to my house one week after baby was born. I actually set a reminder on my phone for a few days after my due date to remind myself to book one.
Lactation consultants are great because they are so reassuring and give you tips and tricks to help you produce more milk. They help you learn how to get a proper latch, prevent mastitis and so much more. I really enjoyed working with mine. She made me feel so comfortable and really helped me get to a great place with milk production so I could ensure baby was getting enough milk and nutrients.
Get Some Rest
As I’ve mentioned in this post, having a baby is an absolutely, unimaginable exhausting experience. Your body literally goes through one of the hardest things known to man, and it takes a toll on you physically, mentally and emotionally. You must get rest. If you have the ability to take a nap in while dad or grandma watches baby, you really should try to do it. Or even better, just snuggle and sleep with the baby, that has mutual benefits for both you and baby. All in all though, I highly encourage you to let some things around the house go, and just focus on resting and healing and recovering. You will be so grateful you were intentional about this, I promise.
Give Yourself Grace
Like anything new, it can be scary at first. One of the things that’s different though about becoming a mom for the first time is that your natural instinct really does kick in. Something just naturally comes over you and you just have this instinct that tells you when to feed baby, when to change baby, when baby is tired or overstimulated. It really is the most amazing phenomenon.
I highly encourage you to take ALL of the advice (oh trust me, you’ll get a lot) with a grain of salt. Know that people’s intentions are always good and they really are just trying to help. But at the end of the day, lean into your own intuition and instincts. They will certainly be there. Give yourself grace and trust that you have everything it takes to be this baby’s mama and you are trying your best and that’s the best thing you can do. Above all the nitty gritty details, the number one thing your baby needs is your love and presence. Everything else is just a bonus!
Cheers to the miracle of life and the excitement that comes for your family as you get to bring your little one home soon! I hope this post gives you some great tips and ideas for things you can do to make your transition as a new family a bit smoother. Sending much love and positive vibes your way!
