The first thing you did when you brought your baby home?

[Harry26]

So curious and excited!

We were in hospital for 7 days after birth due to traumatic birth and skin sepsis in baby.

I remember plonking baby onto dining table (in her car seat) saying to DH "what do we do now then?". He went off to cook dinner (steak, chips and salad) and I opened all the mail that had built up including loads of birth congratulations cards - it wouldn't happen now because not as many friends and acquaintances would have bothered to send cards, and they wouldn't have been delivered as quickly either.

DC1 - Had a party with my parents, grandparents, brother and our good friends and toasted her with pink champagne. It was glorious.

DC2 - staggered into bed. I lost a lot of blood during delivery and was pretty out of it for ages.

With my second , 2 days post ELCS , I asked my husband what the hell he was thinking by not letting me know that our entire area had no running water when we could have just gone to my mums .

Sat down on the sofa, put a box set on and ordered a pizza. We'd been in hospital over a week and it was such a relief

Sat down on the sofa holding her, then 2 mins later MIL arrived with a giant latte and slice of Chocolate Brownie so I swapped and enjoyed my cake. I had GD so had been a chocolate free zone for months. 😀

Dd1, came home and had visitors. When I was there, a health visitor came and we were sat there with champagne.

Dd2, dh put the bbq on and got me some wine. It was a lovely warm evening too.

Baby 1 - Born during Covid lockdowns so I’d been on my own in hospital aside from an hour or so when they were actually born. I’d been awake for over 60h, had an major haemorrhage, and left hospital in the blood-stained PJs I’d given birth in as I hadn’t dared leave the baby alone whilst I went to the bathroom. I think I was a bit shell shocked, had started having some quite weird delusions and thoughts. Basically had a cup of tea and collapsed in bed.

Baby 2 - Made me realise that my experience with number 1 was quite brutal! Had a much quicker and easier labour, pushed baby to the postnatal ward, had a lovely shower and was visited by my mum. Was discharged after eldest had gone to bed so snuck in for a hug with them then had a cup of tea and some food made by my MIL. Introduced the new siblings the next morning and then we all went out for a coffee in the sunshine. Bliss.

I remember that feeling very well.

And my mum said she found it weird realising she was the grandma now too.

Went to bed. She came too and snuggled in for a lie down boob session while I slept.

I didn’t have a bringing home moment because all my dc were born at home, but in the hours post birth what we did varied.

DC1 various family were round within an hour of the birth, we ordered pizza, had lots of tea.
DC2 I called family and DH cooked dinner.
DC3 I did the school run and walked the dog.

I think DH probably put the kettle on. I, inevitably, fed the baby... The cats had a pitched battle about who the baby belonged to, realised he was no-one's territory, and then went to sleep!

This is lovely! I have a 3 year gap between my DDs and they get on brilliantly so far (currently 4 and 17)

4 and 7, obviously

Shower and a nap while DH stared at the baby, it was covid so he'd not got much time at the hospital

Turned the heating on- it was snowing and we'd been in hospital for four days, so our house was 11 degrees Celsius when got home. Then wrapped baby in about 12 blankets until the house warmed up considerably!

Breastfed! She was absolutely famished after our 10 min car journey.

Then I can't really remember, maybe had cheese on toast and a cup of tea. There was a lot of cheese of toast cut into soldiers to eat while feeding in the early weeks.

Ditto and wondered where their manual was!!!

Sadly I can't remember, at all, although I have evidence that I took photos of DH with them at the front door. Different doors each time, as we were serial house movers and renovators in those days. Wish I'd written it down - but pretty sure it will have involved tea, toast and (the first time anyway) having absolutely no idea what to do next! Our first was born (pre-congestion charge) in central London, and I do remember that we got a parking ticket outside the hospital - unsurprising as we'd overstayed by about 10 hours!

I hadn’t slept in about 4 days so I honestly can’t remember, it was all a blur! Although I remember crying on the toilet a lot, which was unexpected considering it was the only place I could sit comfortably.

DH had bought an apple tart so we had that with a cup of tea. We know how to live.

I can't remember what I did. My husband gave her a bottle while watching the Champions League final.
So technically first night home and she watched the telly 😂

I dropped him in his car seat in the nursery room, got changed and went to my big Tesco to do a food shop.

I was totally a fight or flight situation after 3 days of him not feeding, and me being spoken to like shit by midwives I went and stocked up on all the formula I could buy!! He was 2 weeks early I had no milk and I was being forced to breastfeed 🥴

Came home from the shops and he was all snuggled up on the sofa with my DH and my dog was curled up next to them, I unloaded the shopping went for a long sleep and then started being a mum on my terms and it felt amazing.

Put him in his car seat on the rug in the middle of the living room and thought "what the fuck do we do now?"

My DH took LO on a guided tour of the house…
“this your bedroom and this is the x y z.” So lovely.
second DC…eventually told DM that, actually I needed to lie down now post C-section and take LO who was sleeping upstairs with me . She was hanging out for hours for a cuddle but DC2 was a screamer and no way was I waking him by passing him around. It took 6 hours to get discharged home (Sunday, one consultant on duty for large mat unit). I had dressed and packed for home, sat with my bags from 11am waiting for meds. DC2 had screamed his way through the majority of that and most of the journey home.

First baby - sat on the couch feeling astonished at how spring had literally sprung during the day and night I had been in the hospital and realising that my world would never be the same again.

Last baby - rolled up sleeves and got caught up with all the laundry.