HOME

BOOKMARK

NEWSLETTER

Join our newsletter to receive news of offers and discounts

Search

AS FEATURED IN...


Lucy Siegle On Eithical Living: Sunday March 5, 2006 The Observer

Weight Watchers®.co.uk. Now with an online plan.

Navigation


Parening Books

Search Now:
Amazon Logo


Your Newborn Baby's First Few Days at Home - What You Should Expect


The first few days home from the hospital are important for both baby and parents. As parents you will have gone through intense birth process that is unlike anything else you have ever experienced. As a new mother you will be drained - both emotionally and physically. The father can often have feelings of being overwhelmed by the huge responsibility he now faces. There probably is not much anyone can say or do to help you to fully prepare for what you are about to experience.

During your first days at home it may be wise to limit the amount of visitors that you welcome into your home because you'll need a lot of time to recover from the birth process. Other than your immediate family and good friends you might want to ask other friends to wait a week or two before they descend on you with gifts and wanting to hold the new baby.

New mothers will want to pay attention to the way that they feel so that those "baby blues" don't creep up and surprise you unexpectedly. It is normal to feel a bit out of sorts and sad for the first couple of weeks after giving birth. Your body is going through some major physical changes after the birth of your baby. Your hormones will be changing and you likely will be feeling a lack of sleep. It is important to remember that this is natural and to allow yourself a good amount of time to recover from this. If you find yourself feeling more and more depressed it is advised that you should discuss it with your doctor to see if you are suffering from "postpartum depression". Symptoms of postpartum depression include:

· Overwhelming feelings of sadness and depression accompanied by crying.

· Having little or no energy.

· Feelings of guilt and worthlessness.

· Having no interest in your baby or being overly concerned and worried about your baby.

· Weight gain accompanied with overeating or Weight loss accompanied by not eating.

· Insomnia or oversleeping.

If you do have postpartum depression then there are a few ways that you can try to beat it: · Try and get as much rest and relaxation as possible. When the baby is asleep use this quiet time to get some rest yourself.

· Be more understanding with yourself and do not put yourself under too much pressure to "get back to normal". Ensure that your family is aware that you need help with housework and so on.

· Try to limit the time that you spend just alone - keep your mind and body relatively active (for example by taking short pleasant walks).

· Get professional help if the depression seems to be ongoing.

· Discuss with other mothers their experiences after birth. You may find that your friends and family members also went through the same issues as you.

During the first few days at home your family will be adjusting to the additional member of your family. If you have other children at home you may be dealing with feelings of jealousy as the new baby takes centre stage. Make sure that you include your other children in the day-to-day activities that are part of the new baby's routine. Remember that you are trying to adjust to some huge changes in your life so allow yourself the understanding and care that you would give to family and friends in your situation.

Keziah Engineer is the author of the best selling ebook "THE BABY CARE BOOK" - a resource that teaches new parents absolutely everything they need to know about their newborn babies: http://www.global-ebooks.com/babybook.htm


MORE RESOURCES:

E! Online

Twin babies for Lisa Marie Presley
The Press Association - 8 hours ago
The 40-year-old singer gave birth on Tuesday to twin girls, whose names have not yet been released. One baby weighed 5lb 15oz (2.7kg) and the other 5lb 2oz ...
Lisa Marie Presley gives birth to twin girls Fametastic
LISA MARIE PRESLEY - TWIN GIRLS FOR PRESLEY Contactmusic.com
Lisa Marie Presley has twins United Press International
People Magazine - Cleveland Leader
all 686 news articles


Two Babies Killed in Memphis This Weekend
Eyewitness News Memphis,  USA - 1 hour ago
Two babies killed in Memphis - within fifteen minutes of one another. Police have taken one person into custody in the death of a 13 month-old boy. ...
Homicide Investigators are investigaing two overnight homicides MyFox Memphis
all 2 news articles


Breast pumps, baby monitors reported stolen from Babies R Us store ...
TCPalm, FL - 9 hours ago
LUCIE — Police charged two Coral Springs men with grand theft Saturday for stealing breast pumps and baby monitors from the Babies R Us store in The Landing ...


Blood test to find infections in babies
The Canberra Times, Australia - 9 hours ago
The researchers used a novel procalcitonin test, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in 234 feverish babies under three months of age, ...


The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com

Northeast Ohio Health and Medical Consumer News
The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com, OH - 46 minutes ago
The American Academy of Pediatrics, citing mounting evidence that the sunshine vitamin may help prevent serious disease, is recommending 400 units to babies ...
Pediatricians double vitamin D recommendations The Associated Press
Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged New York Times
all 44 news articles


Remembering Our Babies
KTKA.com, KS - 10 hours ago
Description: National Day of Remembrance for infants lost, we are hosting three special services honoring those tiny lives and those they touched even for ...


The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com

Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be Saints fans
The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com, LA - 11 hours ago
Michael Democker / The Times-PicayuneA young fan watches as the losing Saints leave the field. Sometimes I wonder: Haven't the children suffered enough? ...


Mangini babies 'Brett'
Newsday, NY - Oct 11, 2008
BY ANTHONY RIEBER | anthony.rieber@newsday.com FLORHAM PARK, NJ - Jets coach Eric Mangini's third son was delivered at 7:43 am Friday. ...


Families gather to remember lost babies
Deseret News, UT - 22 hours ago
By Clayton Norlen The balloons floated away from the families gathered at the Larkin Sunset Lawn Cemetery Saturday, yet the names and faces of those lost ...


Examiner.com

Use found for babies
Examiner.com - 37 minutes ago
by Dr. Max Von Monster, Denver Halloween Examiner Babies have finally been proven to be useful for something other than crying and stinking. ...

babies - Google News