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!

Dry shampoo is a godsend in the first few weeks.

great advice here - can I add I had a little mantra that got me through the tougher times (when I was really tired & disorientated):

"This is what maternity leave is for"

.... which reminded me all I had to do was look after myself and baby. Everything else can wait. Don't put yourself under pressure. Give yourself permission to lie in bed with your baby for days if that is what you want/need to do.

I got a couple of extra water filter jugs - one for bedroom, one for by sofa & kept them filled. If BF you do need to keep your liquid intake up.

Oh & get yourself sorted with the buggy folding etc BEFORE baby comes. I didn't & it took me forever to figure it out with post baby brain.

Make and freeze as many meals as possible. You will need a hearty, nutritious meal once a day to keep you going but it will be very hard / not good use of your time to make it.
Buy in lots of snacks because sometimes you will be hungry but baby just wants to feed and it is easier to eat one handed while breastfeeding.
Get some DVD box sets in or loads of stuff on series link on Sky Plus for breastfeeding. I found that I got impatient breastfeeding because baby would need to feed for around 40 mins at a time and by 30 mins I was dying to get up and move around / go back to sleep. Knowing that I had a whole episode of something to watch on DVD before the feed ended made it feel more like luxurious leisure time than time spent 'tied' to baby.
And my final piece of advice - LARGE flat cotton wool pads. E.g. Waitrose Baby Large Square Cleansing Pads. They are so so so much better than the pathetic little cotton balls you will be given in hospital. And if you want to make your life really easy with a new baby, invest in a thermos flask and tiny bowl to put next to the changing table. You fill the thermos with warm water in the morning and use it to pour into the little bowl, then you always have warm water for nappy changes without going to the bathroom.

do as little as possible other than feed your baby.

sleep

put your foot down wrt visitors.

Prepare for the fact that you may be in hospital for longer than you think. I was in for a week and it had not even occurred to me that this was going to be a possibility.

Breast milk poo is very explosive and that moment when the dirty nappy is off it tends to come out and squirt across the room. We ended up putting a mat between us and DD's bottom!!

Lastly sleep, sleep, sleep whenever possible.

also, don't feel pressured into going out if you don't feel like it; but don't feel pressured into staying in either! If you WANT to go out, do so but don't try too much. 3 days post-birth I thought I wanted to go to M&S for something; was dressed and almost ready to go when the community MW turned up and saved me from myself (I'd probably have fallen over in the shop from exhaustion).

Entirely up to you how you deal with nappies - I gave up with cotton wool as soon as I left the hospital and switched to having a washing up bowl with warm water - just dunked baby's bum in it and then threw water down the loo (actually started with a 4L ice cream container but graduated to a washing up bowl when he got too big for that). I only used a very mild rice soap for the real stickies - otherwise just water. You do have to use your hand as well, or a flannel of some kind but you get used to that quickly enough. DS had very little nappy rash.

If you WANT to stay in bed all day, DO it.

Ah, good point from eeyore about box sets - Love Film/similar is your friend.

In fact [googles]

LFAWTOYSRUS will get you 1 month free and a £10 Toys R Us voucher if you sign up (if you haven't already)

I forgot to add

don't be alarmed at the size of your feet/ankles just after birth it is normal do your exercises
and take big comfy slippers

If you're normally quite 'house proud' lower your standards.

If anyone asks if you need anything, point them to the hoover, the kettle whatever.

Don't worry about the ironing.

When making meals to freeze, choose things you can eat one handed.

Sleep when the baby sleeps (yes, really you should).

Remember everyone goes around in a sleep deprived fog. It will get easier.

Don't worry about getting into a routine (even if you're quite a routine person, week 1 is not the time to try and instigate a fixed bedtime).

Don't sit down for a cuddle without the remote being nearby. If the baby snuggles in for a snooze enjoy the cuddle and catch up on some tv.

Enjoy those cuddles. You can't beat a scrumptious new born snuggled up asleep on your chest.

many babies are born nocturnal.

If you are breastfeeding, have the number to the NCT, La leche league whoever to call for advice. I found it really useful for both of my DC.

The sleep deprivation is like nothing else (pretty hellish) but it will get better with time. If you are feeling up to it, go out for a short walk as you might feel better getting out of the house and it can help your baby get the idea of day/night.

Accept help but also put a limit on visitors. Also trust your instincts, if you want to hold your baby who is being passed around the whole family, take them. Be with them.

Laugh at your HUGE boobs- you may give Pamela Anderson a run for her money- when your milk comes in.

Sleep whenever you can. If the baby is sleeping, sleep. Don't sit up watching cr*p television- you will always find something useless to watch. Sleeeeeep.

Enjoy the new baby noises

Accept ALL help! I tried to be all independant, DON'T! If people offer help, let them do something, wash dishes, bring round some supplies if they insist on visting etc.

The greatest advice I can give though is always have a clean nappy ready before taking off a dirty one. You do not want to be faffing around trying to get one ready when the nappy is off as this seems to be a favorite time for a little one to do their thing!

Also, try not to get angry with DH/DP because your life has been turned upside down and his appears to be exactly the same.

Don't bother putting your baby into anything other than sleepsuits until they are at least 3 months old.

We have a large family and had a baby welcoming party on the Sunday afternoon after the birth. I got in nibbles and drinks before the birth and sent out an open invitation with the news of her arrival.

This was with DC2 though, I had learnt the hard way with DC1 that people will come and sit on your settee for hours, expect you to play hostess and once they've gone and you've got to sleep the next lot will ring and ask to visit.

I also found out the numbers for all my local bfing counsellors before I went into hospital and packed them in my bag just in case I needed axtra help in hospital or at home after.

Like everyone else has said, don't expect to be going shopping/gym/hairdressers for a bit, just put your baby first and go with the flow.

My advice is have no expectations and we all have completely different experiences. In my ignorance I imagined I would be pushing out the pram after a few days and going out for lunch. Some are but if you're not don't worry. I was sore and could barely walk, I struggled with breastfeeding and my baby cried all night (and I mean all night! We couldn't put her down she was hysterical) so we got no sleep. And no sleep does make you feel like crap!

You won't need to worry about not bothering to tidy and clean cos frankly you will neither care nor notice. A clean house with a new baby is just wrong!

Agree with lots of meals in the freezer (even if just means M&S ready meals!)

Also about the baby books. If you do read them read lots and pick bits you like. No one book was suitable for my DD - I could have written one just for her but that would never work for another baby. They are all different and so are you. You're the mum, you know what's best in your heart so don't think the experts always know best.

Set up a home delivery service with a supermarket. Invaluable!

If you are breastfeeding still get things in like bottles. In an emergency (in the middle of the night when your baby is screaming and won't take your breast) you may want to give it some expressed. (or heaven forbid formula - I'd get some cartons in of the ready made stuff just in case).Yes the shops are open but sometimes neither your nor your partner/husband may want to leave the house.

And savour every moment! It's amazing gazing at this little thing knowing it's come from within you and the love is completely overwheleming.

Gosh I could go on forever. Sleep when baby does. Or try. We spent the night time awake with crying baby and stressed and in the day just staring at her sleeping v content. We'd have felt so much better if we slept when she did.

Your hormones will be everywhere. Don't worry if you are laughing one minute and burst into tears the next. It will pass. Nor should you make any apologies. If you don't want anyone in the house - your choice, you had to give birth and are a hormonal minefield so everyone has to work around you.

Oh and last thing - there is the magic 12 weeks (or 8 as some say) that things will fall into place and you will start to know what you are doing!

BTW DD was breastfed and we never had one explosive poo!! Lots of poos yes (several a day) but never explosive. So not all babies will do the exploding poo

oh & get some of the sleeping nighties - long with loose elastic at the bottom rather than legs with all the bloody domes. You will change so many nightime nappies those domes are a nightmare & unnecessary.

Feed the top, clean the bottom and cuddle the middle !
Def with whoever said only accept useful visitors .
Don't expect too much of yourself, DP or your baby. Good luck X

Stock up on paracetamol, chocolate, all favourite foods.
Surround yourselves with comfort and DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PLEASE ANYONE ELSE!

Enjoy those first precious days. They will never return. Whereas there will always be housework etc etc.
Good luck.
Oh, and come on here anytime if anything worries you.

'bout time someone posted this, isn't it :)

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For children grow up we've learned to our sorrow.
Quiet down cobwebs, dust, go to sleep,
I'm rocking my baby and babies won't keep.

Trust your partner with the baby very early on even if it is just for short periods of time and don't automatically run back if the baby starts crying. Even better if you can convince them that changing nappies is a good way for them to bond with the baby.

My cousin had a list of three things to do that would mean her day was a success. Her things were: get dressed, put on make up and get out of the house. Mine were: put in my contact lenses, get out of the house and have a shower. Sometimes I got all three done, sometimes none.

Read lots of parenting books before the baby comes and then throw them all away when you go into labour. Ask any questions you have here and you'll get sensible real world advice from people who understand what you are going through.

Allow yourself all the emotional space you need. Go easy on yourself if you find yourself resenting the new status quo, or the baby itself. It WILL pass. It's all homones and culture shock.

Have nobody in the house who won't be there primarily to help. If you so much as suspect that your parents/PIL want to be there in the first few days to take cute photos to show their friends and to have cups of tea made for them, lay down some ground rules NOW. Get your DH to do gatekeeping for you. Tell them your HV/MW/GP said you needed a babymoon to bond and rest. If necessary, restrict visits to 20 mins at a time - enough for a cuddle and quick photo, and out again. You really need that special time together, but it's not something that our parents' generation was made to understand, so they often just don't get it. Don't worry about hurting their feelings initially - later on they can make up for lost time, and tiny babies cure all manner of ills!

Stock up your fridge with nice food (biscits, fruit, things you can grab without cooking/effort), keep your camera close by so you can take lots of pics and don't make any plans.

get help from supportive friends / family if you feel too tired to tackle housework/cooking.

You'll be tired and emotional. Chill out.

lansinoh

and I shall say it again
lansinoh

good for cracked heels too:)

oh
and if you dont have caller dispaly on your landline phone,you need it

:)
ignore phone calls at will