To ask you how long you waited before visitors

I was on such a high after having dd, I wanted to share her with family straight away! I had my in-laws in to see her within the hour and my parents followed an hour later.
I thought I wouldn't want this when I was pregnant but then couldn't help myself! I'm the very opposite of a control freak though and am always into a bit of spontaneity. I recognise others can be quite different.

My siblings saw our kids a month later at Christmas, my mother came within a couple of days, father was Christmas too I think. Mum may have brought nieces who were more excited than rest of the family after a couple of weeks IIRC. No hurry, when they're ready, you rightly identify that it used to be, boundaries have changed. Sit pretty, they will call when they are ready.

I don’t think I knew what I was, or wasn’t, up for until I’d had the baby.

My first was a long, traumatic birth with significant injury to me. I was in shock, pain, bleeding a lot, breastfeeding was agony etc etc. I really would have preferred to be left alone for a week then - that didn’t happen, I had a lot of visitors and I had to sit smiling and nodding along at how fabulous it all was while in physical and mental turmoil.

My second birth was really easy, and I felt fine to come home the same day and return to my usual routine - including seeing people.

So - you just can’t know, everyone (and their births) are so different.

I found all the ‘help’ offered by relatives largely involved me having to host them and listen to chat about all sorts of crap when I really just wanted to be focused on my baby. There is also something v bizarre about having to learn to breastfeed (agony!) with an audience…!

The moment we got home for my parents and the next day for in laws (not favouritism just logistics). Wouldn't have wanted them in the hospital personally but made an exception for my brother in law as he was a doctor there!

I allowed visitors to the hospital a few hrs after birth. Not because I really wanted to, but I knew everyone was keen to meet the baby and I thought if I allowed a hospital visit it got it out the way and was time limited on visiting hours 😅
We then visited my in laws a few days later at their house, again as it allowed us to leave when we wanted instead of being stuck with visitors in our home for hours. Mil also made dinner for us anytime we visited which was a godsend when we couldn't be bothered with cooking and cleaning up. So they got baby cuddles, and we got fed. It was a good deal 😅

We allowed visits immediately for parents and siblings

Our parents and our siblings have visited as soon as I was up to it.

It has been same day or the day after but I really think it can be fair to wait until mum and baby (and maybe siblings) are up to it. Our youngst is in secondary school now.

Next Day … my brother & his wife came to to hospital, me & SIL were pregnant at the same time, so it was really nice to see them and my tiny nephew. Called in to see MIL on way back from the hospital.

Grandparents visited in hospital with DD1, and at 2 days old at home with DD2. (And itveas good they did, as DD2 was admitted back to hospital so they took over care of DD1)