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
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