Tell me about your first day/night at home

[Moonrocks6]

ok, so I have read about the pregnancy, the birth and even bits in weaning, routine and milestones but nowhere can I find any information on exactly what to do with this baby when I first get it home!

So, please share your stories with me.
What did you do? Did you put baby to bed before you or all go together? Is there anything you with you'd known/ done?

It's all suddenly becoming very real!

I don't remember what happened with DD2 but with DD1, she slept for 30 hours straight after being born (had to wake her to feed), but when we got home and tried to put her down at our bedtime (about 11) she was having none of it, and we spent about three hours trying to get her to sleep! The next day, exhausted, we let the midwife in at about 10 am and she gave strict instructions to sleep when the baby sleeps and throw away our clocks for a few weeks. A baby doesn't know, at least for the first few days, when is day and when is night, and for a while at least, it's best not to worry too much about it.

DS1 got home at 11pm and straight to bed.
DS2 Homebirth he was born just before 11pm. We all stared at him send DS1 to bed about 1am and we went to bed about 2pm.

Got home at 3pm, DH shoved us and the bags in the house as FIL was dropping him in town to have his hair cut. DC was in the car seat asleep (10 minute journey from the hospital) I went to to the loo as I knew DC was safe! Got her out of the seat as she'd woken up while I was in the loo. Tried to get her latched on. DB & SIL turned up, then MIL & SIL, then the next door neighbours, then DH & FIL returned.

I had a snooze when they'd all gone, kept trying to feed all evening. We went upto bed about 11pm, DC in Moses basket. Woke up at 3am by whimpering. Tried to feed.

Second night and for about a week more we camped in the living room. Once we worked out DC wasn't feeding enough, and got that sorted life fell into a pattern of feeding, changing, eating, washing and popping out, or people visiting us. I had to issue an edict to get friends to visit, they were so conscious of letting us settle in and have family time.

Got home early evening. DH heated up some frozen spag bol that I'd made, we ate that along with a glass of red wine... DS slept / fed at this point I think. Went to bed - I had been in hospital for two nights and had about two hours sleep and remember hallucinating a baby crawling up the stairs Trainspotting style!

DS maybe slept for half an hour then woke up. Needed his nappy changed, tried to wake up DH to do it (I'd had a section) and I couldn't as he was so exhausted (genuinely, he wasn't faking it).I somehow managed to change it. He then didn't go back to sleep until 3am. I was more tired than I thought possible. Woke up again at 7 and just the four hours of straight sleep felt like the best thing ever!

Reading this back it sounds horrid but it wasn't really, which I think was due to hormones.

This is such a great thread, bringing it all back to me now even though it was only 16 months ago!

Our first two weeks together were spent in hospital as DS was born with suspected meningitis and I was recovering from preeclampsia. We couldn't wait to be discharged and when we were, it all hit home that we were parents and that there weren't any midwives or nurses around the corner to get help from!!! Got home c9pm and after introducing the little one to the cat we all went to bed. Didn't sleep v much as no one tells you that some newborns wave their arms and legs about almost constantly when asleep and not swaddled and make farmyard noises almost constantly! Really concerned us (as all things did to do with the baby for the first 3 months at least) but all completely normal. Then spent most days for the next couple of months cuddling our precious DS. Such special times!

Almost 14 years ago now..
It was two weeks before Christmas. DH drove us home and I sat in the back with DS. DH was full of a cold and I was furious he might spread his germs to a newborn. I just remember lots of washing. With hindsight, unnecessary washing. Every muslin, blanket, sheet or baby grow had to be clean, and with every dribble or splash of milk it was stripped and washed. All the photos show radiators groaning with wet stuff. The washing machine was on constantly.
I remember the first night vividly. DH pacing the bedroom with this screaming ball in his arms whilst we were incredulous it was 2am and he just wouldn't go down and sleep. Lots of unnecessary nappy changing too, "just in case!" We used to bag them up and they'd all be there in the morning lined up on the dresser like little bombs.

Both of mine wanted to feed and feed and feed, constantly. I vaguely recall just going with it.

Remember looking at first pooh filled nappy and then at small cotton wool ball and thinking this isnt going to work!

With our first baby I was in hospital for four days, so when I finally got home I was so happy to be back that I got this silly burst of energy. I cooked us a lovely dinner and then we sat in the front room, watching telly and cuddling the baby. Spent the evening in total wonderment that the tiny socked thing was ours to keep.

The rest of the evening I spent in tears - mainly sobbing gratefully that we didn't have twins

With our second baby we were out the next day. Got home, all had cuddles with the new baby, put DD to bed after dinner and then just sat, even more amazed than the first time that we have another baby that looks exactly like his sister did!