Your best tips for the first week with new baby??

[BananaMuffin]

I'm currently 37+3 with my first baby... just wondering if the experienced mums out there have any particularly useful tips for the first couple of weeks/ things you wish people had told you? I am extremely excited but also don't know what to expect at all!

Oh and if you buy a sling, get a black one or at least a dark one. If like you eat a number of meals with a baby strapped to you you will drop food on it (tries to hide the chocolate stains)

Familiarise your DH/DP with Mothercare/the baby aisle in Boots/Tesco/wherever. So when you send him out for more maternity pads/breast pads/Lansinoh/nipple shields he has an outside chance of knowing what you're talking about. Yes I know men aren't stupid etc etc but when he's on a mercy dash because you need something and he's ringing you every 5 minutes saying "do you mean cotton wool pads?" you'll be pleased you did.

bump! more tips please!

I'm ttc atm but I was birth partner for my best friend and stayed with her for the first couple of weeks when her DD was born.

She says her best tip is to buy loads of yoga/trackie bottoms and tops from primark/asda/tesco so you can get out of the house/answer the door to the postman, etc without being in your pjs but you don't have to worry about getting into "proper" clothes...and buy the yoga pants in black! You can also sleep in them & if they are elastiacted they will accommodate your changing size (hopefully you will be starting to shrink!)

Pre-arrange grocery deliveries for every few days for at least 2 weeks after the birth. Stock the freezer or sign up to a meal delivery service so no one has to cook a thing for a few weeks. You won't have time.

Buy a steriliser, bottles and formula and learn how to prepare a bottle of formula - even if you are planning to breast feed exclusively - as the worst thing is to try to learn to do something new when you are a sleep deprived and on the virge of collapse. Just saying.

Take up your mother's offer to move in and help out.

Hmm my DS is 2 now, so hoping this comes in handy! ;) Sleep when baby sleeps, i know everyone says this but not everyone does, dont be tempted to use that time to do washing or tidy. Unless you are down to a minimun on the baby clothing front lol! Don't get dressed unless you need to and when you do try to get a little walk or a trip out when you feel like it, cause there nothing worse then being trapped in!!
Oo and yes prepare for the screams, when you're changing clothes or nappies, they can't abide being changed for some reason
And don't feel bad, for wanting a break, or screaming because you can't work out what's up with them...it WILL come to you eventually and that's what your parents and partners are for!!

I would get a large water bottle of squash and a thermal cup with a lid (less spills that way when in a sleep deprived blur) and make sure you drink plenty.

If breast feeding I found that it was difficult at first (painful) but I tried nipple shields and oh the relief!!! It got me through the pain and I ended up bf ing for 10 months!

Really don't try to do anything apart from sleep and look after baby. If you are sore 'down there' I found alternating an ice pop in my pants then a handful of dry microwaved (hot)rice wrapped in kitchen roll, really helped.

After 2 weeks I gave DS a dummy and went to 4 hourly feeds for my sanity. It felt like heaven. Find your own way with all the advice out there. Do what feels right for you. If it gets tough, put your well being (sleep) first so you don't crumble and ask for some help.

Best of luck it is a great but difficult time and it goes so fast!!

When you are trying to breastfeed (BF), ask the midwives to talk you through it, rather than them doing the hands-on bit to help you, at least then you learn how to position you and your baby properly without help (I wish I'd done that)

Also put baby's nose to your nipple and then sit upright to latch the baby on, then once latched assume a more comfy position. (This was the best advice ever and it clicked with me after trying that)

Persevere with BF, it can hurt until you get it right, but don't give up, it just takes time to get it right.

Have a note book and write down feeds and sleeps. Especially if you are breastfeeding, and write down which side you started on. You will be absolutely adament you will remember but with hormonal fog you will forget.When it is written down and you can see when you last fed etc it makes it easier to know why they are crying and helps to not get into the trap of feeding them every time they cry because you're not sure what is the right thing to do.With my first i ended up feeding for about 45 minutes nearly every hour just because we got into a crazy vicious circle of feeding and wind.
I am due number four now but when number 2 was about 2/3 weeks old and I was terrified I was going to get into a similar situation as with no.1 I read a book by the baby whisperer. I am NOT a baby book reader and there was a lot I didnt agree with and ignored but it just made things which were foggy seem so obvious and helped to get a bit of a more sensible routine going.Number three (maybe just a fluke, I will know in May) settled into a mainly 4 hour routine like a dream.

It's been nearly three months since my original question but I wanted to report back to everyone who provided such great advice (and for the other new mums who are looking at this!). The tips on here really helped me to stay sane in those first few weeks!! I stayed in my PJs for the first few days, and made no effort to do anything other than look after my baby until I felt capable... I started getting out for fresh air and a proper walk every day in the third week, and I actually started meeting friends for lunch in the 4th or 5th week! We had a very strict visitors policy - i.e. visits were short, I didn't wait on anybody, and we weren't afraid to just say no! The BF tips were also excellent. I kept a log for the first couple of weeks as there was no way I would have remembered which side/ how long I had last fed for (by the way, there;s actually a very helpful iphone app for this...)
It has taken me until 12 weeks to feel that I'm 'totally' (sort of!) on top of everything again, but I'm still accepting lots of help from family.
Thanks again - it has been amazing, and so much more enjoyable knowing i shouldn't feel guilty for not getting dressed!!

I am really going to go against the grain here, but my advice is to get back to 'normal' asap ie. get up showered, dressed at normal time and definitely ddo not sit around for days in your PJs as IMO, this makes getting into any sort of routine impossible.

Congratulations BananaMuffin and good on you for reporting back.

I'm due in seven weeks so have been paying close attention to these tips!!

(a bit late, but I used to move my wedding ring from one hand to another to remind me which breast to use next, think I read in the baby whisperer to use a safety pin but that could go wrong, ESP if sleep deprived )

I would agree with the dont read any baby guide books !

look into your babies eyes as much as you want !

let people help you with the boring stuff - cooking and cleaning !

Oh it's all coming back to me! Love your synopsis headfairy! Agree with all of above. Accept any and all help offered, even if it's not how you'd do it, always have the phone, remote control, burp cloths and water close to hand when sitting down to feed, shower every morning even if u have to leave baby crying for a few minutes (amazing how much better you feel for it), close blinds and ignore doorbell if unexpected visitors are likely to be unwelcome, eat quick prepared food, shower any other kids u have with unusual love and attention, let your DP help out and enjoy! it really doesn't last long.

Oh it's all coming back to me! Love your synopsis headfairy! Agree with all of above. Accept any and all help offered, even if it's not how you'd do it, always have the phone, remote control, burp cloths and water close to hand when sitting down to feed, shower every morning even if u have to leave baby crying for a few minutes (amazing how much better you feel for it), close blinds and ignore doorbell if unexpected visitors are likely to be unwelcome, eat quick prepared food, shower any other kids u have with unusual love and attention, let your DP help out and enjoy! it really doesn't last long.