Returning Home with Baby after Birth – Things to Know

Returning home from the hospital with your baby in your arms is an exciting moment. Now you can relax and enjoy your baby. In the cosy comfort of your own home you can in your own way do everything you want and satisfy your baby’s needs leisurely rather than fitting them in with the hospital routine.

You are recovering from hard work i.e. an exhausting labour and your baby is adapting and changing. You have a new baby to care for and get to know. Many women feel euphoric and quite energetic but also feel sore, tired, battered and bruised.

What are the immediate concerns after I bring my baby home and how do I deal with them?

Everything will feel different for you and your baby, once you are home. The first few days and weeks can be exciting but would be tinged with nervousness and tiredness. Your baby may wake up frequently, want to be fed often, need her diaper changed frequently and need to be comforted, clothed, bathed and cared for. Responsibility, caring for your baby and getting to know her can feel hard to cope up with. However, you will learn about each other as the baby grows.In the early weeks the behaviour of most babies is highly erratic. It is impossible to predict how long the baby would sleep, how often feed or when she would settle to some routine and hence planning ahead is difficult.

By 6 weeks to 3 months, the majority of babies are predictable in their routines though some babies may get into a routine sooner.

If you have other children at home, the baby tends to go into the routine sooner, because she has to fit into a pre-existing routine of the family.

Having a small baby in the home means usual household work just does not get done. For the present, you only need to look after those tasks that matter and ignore some of the mess around. Take care to balance this so that you do not make more work for yourself sorting out things and making things more difficult for yourself.

How does the lifestyle change after the birth of the baby?

Both of you may have fears and apprehensions about whether you will cope with bringing up a child, the economics involved and whether your child will eventually be happy with your parenting. There are couples everywhere who feel guilty that they are not “good” parents. They feel their parents were more adept and skillful in parenting than they themselves are now. However, children do not need superhuman and perfect parents. They have always managed with “good enough parents” – the parents that they happened to have!

A baby turns a couple into a three some, which invariably affects how you and your partner get along together. In addition your freedom gets curtailed and so do simple pleasures like holidaying or partying. For you as the mother of the infant, one of the foremost thoughts if you are working would be whether to and also when to return to your job. All these fears are natural, but bear in mind they settle with time. Your baby’s responses and your reactions are both natural; the only thing to remember in all these matters is that your family as a unit is dynamic in which the only thing constant is change and with changes all factors get reigned in and harnessed to bring about harmony.

The first baby turns people into parents and you have to learn while on the job. She is there on your mind every moment because when you are not doing things for her, you are watching and waiting over her and giving her your undivided attention. Looking after the baby is a full time job. If and when you have your second baby, you will of course need to take care that you do not deprive the first in any way.

How do I manage visitors during this period?

It gives great pleasure to show off your bundle of joy to family and friends but make sure this does not come in the way of rest and sleep of both you and your baby.

Increasing number of visitors and their handling the baby may lead to more chances of infection to the baby. Tell prospective guests tactfully that they need not come or that the doctor has advised against having too many visitors in the first 2-3 weeks. This is particularly so if the baby is born pre-term, underweight or had an illness after birth. If people (particularly immediate relatives and close friends) are visiting, make use of them to get other routine household work done such as getting some groceries and making their own tea or coffee. If you are tired and exhausted get them to look after the baby while you sleep for a while. After 2-3 weeks people assume that you are “back to normal” and you are left on your own.