After you brought baby home...

[Anonymous]

Oh please. It is FINE to take out a newborn, esp. if you're lucky enough to have a spring/summer baby. It helps keep the baby blues at bay and it good for them to have fresh air. In fact, my ped encourage it.

We had my DD in restaurants within a couple days of being born. We just limited physical contact with her and insisteed that any who wanted to touch her wash their hands first. She is healthy and thriving.

Don't even get me started on the poster who suggested going after parents who have infants in daycare . . . as if some people have a choice. And, if they have a choice, it's reallyl none of your business.

As for crying, expect a lot of it. I cried ALOT for weeks. Not every day. But, some days I cried alot and for no apparent reason. And, I'm not a crier by nature. I felt out of control and also felt like I as doing everything "wrong." I thought I was the only one until almost every friend with children told me that they did the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Arriving home was actually quite strange. My baby ended up being one of those ones that hated to be put down so what I remember is after arriving home, I fed him and he fell asleep in my arms. My husband and I thought how cute and sweet and cooed over him a bit. And then we decided to take the advice of sleep when your baby sleeps so we tried to put him down, he woke up immediately and it was at that point I realized nothing was going to be the same again...

Expect that you might be a bit moody and sad. This is normal (unless you get to the point of finding it hard to function - then make sure you see your doctor).

Try to have stockpiled some easy meals for the first few days.

Sleep as much as you can.

Learn how to nurse lying down if you are breastfeeding. Also, have the number for a lactation consultant handy if you need one (Pat at the Breastfeeding center in DC is wonderful and makes housecalls).

Ensure all baby stuff is set up. The last think you want to do in the first few days is to be studying directions how to set up this or that.

[Anonymous]

Let's see - baby cried the whole way home - way to feel inadequate already!

Got home, nursed, he slept, DH and I went out on the porch for a little fresh air. We lived in an older neighborhood, and our next door neighbors were an older Mexican couple that had lived there since WWII - we were their grandkids age! The old man (Joe) walked (toddled) over to offer congratulations and invited DH over for a beer! According to DH they sat at the kitchen table with a plastic table cloth on it, he pulled out two juice glasses and one Miller High Live, and they proceeded to share the beer! Wish I could have seen it - they were such a cute couple.

Sleep when the baby sleeps, try to eat with you husband if you can because you will ignore him for the rest of the day, and understand that baby doesn't come with a guide book - you both have to feel your way along. It is occasionally frustrating and you will be sleep deprived, but so worth it!

[maynie]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, I'm the previous post that went out to lunch at Chiptoles at 2days old. What is wrong with that? Would it infuriate you even more if I told you that we went for a walk the next morning? It was a warm May morning.

Hec, we were probably more exposed to germs riding in the hospital elevator and waiting in the lobby.

Is this going to turn into a "germ" thread? If you want to gawk about exposure and germs then go after the moms who drop off their infants at daycare.

And FYI - no sickness yet...not even a cough! So obviously it is ok to take a newborn out in public.

Well I'll back you up. Only after reading all the threads about staying home for months with a newborn did I realize this is what a lot of people do. I was out and about within 3 days. We went for walks also. I took her to meet grandma and great grandma. She was fine. Still doesn't get sick and she's 3!

Oh, but you're alone on the daycare comment. I would never say anything that rude.

[Anonymous]

Of course, every parent's situation is different. Let's not get after each other for the choices we make re daycare or anything like that, guys. Really! How many of us have a the REAL choice of staying at home with our children anyway??! If we're talking about trading germs (which I don't think was the intention of this thread), let's move to another forum. Besides, whether it's daycare, the neighbor kid, school or what DH brings home from work because a co-worker had a cold, we're not living in a petri dish and the kid is bound to get sick some day...and we'll be back on this forum trying to figure out how to deal with it.

A big pat on the back to all the mommies!

Happy Holidays!