2 Tips for Tackling Your First Week at Home with a Newborn
Bringing home your very first baby can lead to a mix of exciting and nerve-wracking emotions. Newborns are wonderful and perfect, but they will definitely change the way that you live your life forever. You will need to do daily tasks much differently than you ever have before, and they will rely on you for everything at first. In order to have success when you first bring your newborn home, there are certain things that you can do. This article will discuss 2 tips for tackling your first week at home with a newborn.
Sleep When They Sleep
This is perhaps one of the most basic pieces of advice that new moms are given after having a baby, but it is so essential to recovering after giving birth. Your body has been through a huge ordeal, and it needs rest to be able to heal. Sleeping is also great for you emotionally, because it will rejuvenate you and help to restore your energy levels so that you aren't too exhausted when taking care of your little one. Your little one will likely be doing very little sleeping at night, and a lot of sleeping during the day, so you will need to temporarily adjust your sleep clock as well. You can nap right by the baby's crib or bassinet so you will hear them when they wake up and be able to sleep without worrying about your newborn. Since adults are supposed to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, it will be crucial that you try and get in more sleeping during the day if you are not getting this many hours of sleep at night.
Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Being a mom for the very first time is a huge learning experience, and it is okay to ask for as much help as you need. If you have a mom, sister, or close friend nearby who has had kids of her own, you can ask her for help. You can ask advice on bathing, feeding, sleep schedules, and more. Your helper can even come over and show you how to perform these tasks so you feel more confident doing them yourself. This will help you feel more confident as a new mom and will get you off to a great start. Your husband can also help you whenever you need a break. You can even visit a lactation consultant if you are having a hard time breastfeeding your baby, and they will help both you and baby succeed. They will be able to show you how to open your baby's mouth and help them to latch onto your nipple, as well as different ways to hold your baby while nursing. They can also show you how to use a nipple shield, a pillow for nursing, and a breast pump.
Newborn care may seem to be a lot to learn at first, but soon you should be able to handle it on your own.