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A Bringing Home Baby Plan
By Joan Swirsky
Today’s woman is quite expert at juggling the demands of home, marriage, career and children. But even the most adept can often be thrown for a loop when it comes to coping with the stresses of bringing her newborn home. Whether it’s your first or your fifth baby, certain tried-and-true strategies can make the experience a lot easier.
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As anyone knows who has watched TLC's series Bringing Home Baby, it’s the unanticipated things that are most disconcerting: a mother’s fatigue after delivery or pain after a c-section; a baby’s crying that can’t be soothed by feeding or rocking; the insecurity that comes with not being sure how to hold, feed, burp, bathe, or diaper the baby; a baby who seems to reject the breast; curious siblings who want your attention; an avalanche of visitors or a pet that “competes” with the baby.
Fortunately with some pre-planning you can avoid some of the unexpected. Take a look at the tips below for some ways to ease the stress.
- To avoid those frantic, last-minute runs to the store or pharmacy, make a list beforehand of everything you’ll need for the baby, then stock your home with two weeks’ worth of supplies. It’s easy to find everything online, from the layette to nursery needs to either breast- or bottle-feeding basics to what you’ll need for baby’s bath to medicine-chest supplies to when you take baby outside or on the road. Make extensive lists of these items and check off each one as it’s purchased, ideally months in advance. If you’re too superstitious to buy the crib or other necessities before the birth, pick them out and tell the shopkeeper you’ll call to order after the baby is born. Make sure the vendor promises quick delivery.
- Enlist the help of reliable friends and family members. Even if it’s to “be there” while you take a nap, their help can be invaluable. But other assistance is equally helpful, from making a meal to running errands to doing some laundry to spending time with older children.
- Keep important phone numbers handy, such as that of your doctor, midwife, pharmacy, trusted friend.
- It’s helpful to plan a get-back-in-shape schedule, including, at first, moderate physical exercise like walking. Attend to your emotional needs by asking for help, setting boundaries and getting enough rest.
- Also establish a financial plan that incorporates the new – and often formidable – needs of your baby, both immediate and for the future.
It’s hard to believe that the entrance of one tiny baby into the world requires months of planning and non-stop activity once the bundle of joy has arrived. If you plan beforehand, the feeling of being overwhelmed can be pretty well avoided.
Joan Swirsky is a psychotherapist, former OB nurse, and the author of Gift of Life: A Spiritual Companion for the Mother-to-Be.
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It’s normal to experience weepiness from “the baby blues,” which can last a couple of weeks. If the weepiness goes past four weeks, you may be experiencing postpartum depression, in which case call your doctor immediately for a reference to a psychiatrist. This is a serious condition that requires medical care and often psychotherapy and medication.
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Resources:
The Post-Pregnancy Handbook: The Only Book That Tells What the First Year after Childbirth is Really All About by Sylvia Brown and Mary Dowd Struck (St. Martin’s Griffin, $6.99).
Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality by Laura A. Jana, MD, and Jennifer Shu, MD (American Academy of Pediatrics, $9.80).
Bringing Baby Home: A New Owner’s Manual for First Time Parents by Laura Zahn (Down to Earth Publications, $9).
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