Top newborn tips

[Pinkbell123]

Hi all,

So even though my baby is refusing to budge, induction is booked for Monday so all being well, this time next week we will have a newborn. Aaah! It's our first so we are a bit clueless.

What would be your no 1 tip for those first few weeks?

[Seff]

Every day is different, there will be sleepy days and hungry days.

Get as much rest as you can, do try and sleep when baby sleeps, even if it's just a quick nap.

Drink plenty of water, especially if breastfeeding. It's very important to look after yourself as well.

You will get ridiculous amounts of advice (including what I've said!!), some of it will be total opposites of each other. You WILL figure it out and you WILL muddle through somehow. Listen to advice, nod and smile, and ignore anything you like.

[Quinandthem]

My dd is 7 months but I spent yesterday with my friend and her 2 week old dd and it reminded me of the early days.

Most babies just want to sleep and eat in the early days - especially on someone.

Remember they've spent 9 months in a nice warm, snug, womb being with you 24/7 so that's what they really want once they're out in the world. I think it helps to understand this as you can then Understand why they might not be too happy about going into the mosis basket etc.

If you are planning to breast feed I found it helpful attending the weekly breast feeding drop ins for support but also somewhere to meet people, chat, get out of the house and start bf in public. Might be an idea to find out where they are now.

My dd would feed for ages in the early days so get comfy on the sofa/nursing chair. Make sure you have a drink within arms reach (in a bottle on sofa), snacks, phone, tv control etc.

Now she only feeds for 10 mins max and I miss those early feeds where you could relax and watch tv!

Try and get out everyday. Good for you and baby.

If dd fell asleep in the car or pram on the way home I would bring her into the house but leave her in the car seat/pram and have a nap.

You are a lot more able to handle the nights if you can get a break during the day/evening so if family or friend can take baby for a walk or just cuddls whilst you get an hours sleep is also helpful.

Basically enjoy the cuddles on the sofa it doesn't last for ever.

[Quinandthem]

Ps you can't 'break a baby' or 'make a rod for you back' in the early weeks so just do what works for you and your baby.

They are all different so different tricks works for them.

[LlamaLover]

Ooh, how exciting!

I'm pregnant with my second and these are the things I wish I'd know the first time round:

1. the concept of the 4th trimester
   
   
2. don't make life harder for yourself than it needs to be!
   
   
   Good luck - its a fun and exciting time.

[Pinkbell123]

Thanks everybody! We live away from family and most of our friends and are the first in both to have a baby so feel v clueless! Hoping it will come naturally

[cogitosum]

For us a sling was the only thing that enabled me to do anything in the first few weeks.

Second the advice that you can't make a rod for your own back with a newborn. They need lots of cuddling and feeding!

Obviously rest and sleep when baby sleeps when you can but don't stress if you can't get to sleep. I used to waste so much energy trying to get to sleep when he did and get upset when he woke after 10 minutes. I actually relaxed a lot more when I stopped worrying about it.

Oh and sleep now whilst you can! Ds didn't sleep for more than a 40 minute stretch until 2 weeks and I feel I wasted the last part of my pregnancy waiting for him (he was born at 42 + 1) when I should have been relaxing

Good luck!

[StormyBrid]

You're both going to be exhausted. Try to avoid competitive tiredness; it's a game with no winners.

Do what you need to do to stay sane, and try not to panic. Remember it gets easier. Good luck!

[ThePequod]

Set up little stations round the house (eg next to bed, sofa, in front of TV) with snacks, bottles of water, magazines, muslins (for leaking milk/baby burping up milk) and anything else you find essential for yourself! As other posters have said, newborns feed for ages and drift in and out of sleep on you. It's amazing, so enjoy the cuddles and the fact that you can totally legitimately sit on the sofa all day eating cake - you've just had a BABY!

Wishing you luck. Don't worry, I had never even held a baby before having mine, but I figured it all out quick enough - Nature is wonderful!

[hmmmum]

Do lots of cuddling and feeding and don't do much else. Make easy meals or get someone else to cook. If you're breastfeeding you might be really hungry all the time so get lots of easy healthy snacks in.

[EmB1715]

Lots of skin-to-skin in the early weeks, it's invaluable!
Don't feel pressured to have lots of visitors or go and see people in the first few weeks. It's exhausting.
And most of all... Enjoy!

[Nahmate]

Get lots of rest! Especially with your 1st, when I look back I wish I had taken it easy was dc1 now on no.4 not so easy to rest.

just go with the flow don't stress over little things, keep your essentials nearby
So you don't have to move off the sofa at all if you wish :D

[dats]

Brilliant thread, thanks OP! I am equally clueless so this insight is gold-dust!

[Parsnipcake]

Have some very easy meals available - fresh pasta and sauce for example. Also, make a little packed lunch in the morning so you are sorted at lunchtime.

Have box sets at the ready and a small box which you can put the remote controls and phone in, next to you. Also keep drinks close at hand.

It's worth having a checklist for crying - hunger, nappy, tired, windy etc. when they are screaming and you are exhausted, it's easy to forget the obvious.

[StillPukin]

Be prepared for the extreme emotions..

If you're happy, you'll be on top of the world. If you're fed up, you'll be heartbroken/devastated. If you're tired, you're utterly exhausted.

Its all normal :)

[Tex111]

Some of the best advice I was given was to buy a few outfits that were comfortable enough to sleep in and wear in public. I went with tracksuit bottoms and tshirts with a cardi. There's no schedule with a newborn. You shower when you can, sleep when you can and getting out of the house can be a nightmare if you have to go through the shower & dress process. Getting out of the house is important though so wearing something multi-functional can make the difference.

[WillSingForCake]

Try to enjoy it, it really does go so quickly. With my first baby I was so anxious about doing everything the "right" way. DC2 due soon, am hoping I'll be a bit more chilled!

You will probably grieve for your old life a little bit. This is normal. Try to remember you will get to go out for dinner/read the newspaper/have a lie-in again - just not right now!

Newborn stage is really hard. It gets SO much better/easier, just wait for those first smiles & giggles!

[Shroomboom]

Ooh how exciting Pinkbell
DD is now three weeks old, and it's been 7 years since ds so I had forgotten everything! All the tips on this thread so far are spot on - I would say just go with your instinct and do what you feel is best for you and your baby.
We don't have any schedule at all. DD is fed when she seems hungry, and sleeps when she's tired. DH and I have just enabled her to do/have whatever she needs at whatever time.
I would wholeheartedly second Tex's advice - on the few occasions I have been out I have worn exactly the same thing which is actually my maternity jeans (they make me feel thin now ) and a breast feeding top. I don't have the time or the inclination to think about anything else to wear, so have grabbed the closest thing at hand!
Just go easy on yourself, you will get tired, and probably emotional, but know that it is completely normal and that things will ease up as you go along. Cherish every moment you can too - the time will disappear so fast. It seems like yesterday that dd was born, three weeks has gone in the blink of an eye!

[BakingBunty]

If you have the energy and inclination between now and Monday, cook some easy meals for the freezer. Preferably stuff that isn't too messy to eat with one hand .

It's fine to say no to visitors if you don't feel up to it. But stock up on teabags and biscuits in case you do!

[Pascha]

Get a thermal mug. This is important.

[Shroomboom]

Not newborn tips as such but still important - apparently my midwife said you shouldn't use Always pads if you end up having stitches as they don't let the area breathe. Stick with proper maternity pads.
Also, if you're planning to breast feed get some Lansinoh cream, it's fabulous stuff!

[purplebaubles]

Enjoy only having the one, and cuddle, cuddle cuddle! Newborns are easy! I wish all first time mums could know this (but of course, you can't until you've been through it, and then you don't get the chance again!) they just sleep, make little grunty noises and feed. And people coo over them. Ahhhh.

I'm due no 2, and god knows how I will be able to just cuddle up with her, with a 17month old tearing around and needing attention!! Won't even be able to sleep when the newborn sleeps! (that is good advice by the way!)

Practical for you, if you've had stitches, get tena ladies. They are fab. Yes, they're huge, but my god you feel protected!

[cathpip]

As my mother said, babies only go one way up and enjoy every moment even at 3 am as they don't stay that little for long, she was right! And also about forgetting the housework for a few weeks :)

[wowsaidtheowl]

If you choose to bf, it can be hard but it doesn't mean you can't! Get lots of help, visit bf cafes and ask friends who have made it. When you've mastered it - when the baby cries, stick a boob in it!

[Inglori0us]

SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS. I resisted this and tried to do stuff, tidying round, washing etc. Let that all pile up and sleep or you do actually go insane. I did. Sleep deprivation is truly evil.

[StuckOnARollercoaster]

You may feel amazing in the first few days, excited to meet your baby, chuffed to be home with them, happy to show them off to family and everyone will think you are superwoman - it's the hormones
They pass and it can feel like a huge crash, you cry all the time, can't make a decision, feeding is tricky, finally feel the exhaustion of giving birth and those sleepless nights you've been having - baby blues.
All this is normal (I didn't realise!) and make sure your DP knows to expect this as well (he thought I'd gone insane after having coped so well for first few days!)