Leaving the house with a newborn

[Maya212]

My baby girl is 10 days old and I’m so scared to leave the house. I want too. I really want too and I NEED too! For my own sanity. I’m going crazy staying in staring at the same walls day in day out. Doing the same things day in day out. I feel so lonely and every day is just the same and I just sit and cry all day long because of this. I feel great within myself. I feel perfectly capable to go out but I just can’t bring myself to go out on my own.

For a start, getting out the house is a full blown military operation. I find it really difficult to get myself ready, get her ready and get all her things packed. I’m scared incase I forget to pack something essential for her. I get scared incase we’re out and she cries and I don’t know why. Stupidly, I’m scared of what others are going to think when I’m out with her and if she does cry, what will I do? I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous as I’m her mother but for a FTM this has been really scaring me! I’m scared incase I can’t get her pram set up or fold it down and I’m stuck. I’m scared incase I can’t get her car seat in the isofix base (as it’s quite fidly) how do you mums do it? Am I being absolutely ridiculous or is this reasonable? Please tell me all first time mums feel this way! How do I get over this fear? It’s bringing me down and I remember the days when I could just go out with myself, purse and phone and I miss that. Now I have such a huge responsibility and staying indoors seems like the easiest thing to do but for my own mental health I need to do this! I need some reassurance and some friendly advice ...

Oh I've been there!

Dont panic and dont over complicate it!

Get a freezer bag and keep a half empty pack of wipes and a couple of nappys in the bottom of the bag for emergencies.

For the bag I have another freezer bag with a couple of rompers and vests for emergencies that stay in there all the time.

I have a handful of nappies and wipes that i top up once a week or so unless needed.

I keep two or three bibs and muslins that stay in there and I wash/switch a couple of times a week.

On the day all I need is the bottles and formula. If bottle feeding you can keep a bottle of ready made and a bottle for emergencies.

My advice is seriously dont overthink it.... babies dont need alot. A wet nappy can stay wet for hours so change it when you get there (a dirty nappy is different!). Just get out the door and get on with it (in a nice way!).

You will be fine... bite the bullet.

The first few times I did:
A walk - shouldn't need anything as you wont be far from home
Starbucks in a shopping centre - changing facilities on hand and a boots to buy anything if we really needed it.
Local coffee shop for breakfast - never eaten so fast in my life

It's all quite routine now but I can get out the house quite quickly. If possible I make the bag the night before.... that helps too

I didn't even think about a bag at first.
I was amazed the just getting 1 baby ready took until 11am.
My first trip were to supermarkets where you can put the car seat on the trolley.
No one minds crying when they're very little,you may have to send people off cooing at them.
I whittled thing down to a bag that opened into a good sized changing mat with room for acouple of nappies and disposal bags.Baby wipes are kept in you handbag for years!

yep...DD is 4 I still have wipes in my bag, and in the boot of the car.... pretty much everywhere to be honest!