Anonymous wrote:We waited 2 1/2 years, until my child was up to date on vaccines and I was fully healed from childbirth and emotionally ready to be around other individuals. I cannot fathom the selfishness of parents rushing to just show their child off to the unvaccinated world in just a few weeks or months.

So did your child never leave your home until they were 2.5 years old?

My son was in the NICU for a week after he was born. My mom visited while he was still in the hospital (2-3 days old). My MIL met him a week after he came home (2 weeks old). My FIL met him at 4 weeks old, and my dad met him at 6 weeks old. We had some very very close friends and siblings meet him between 2-6 weeks, but kept it really limited due to it being flu and cold season.

I had a lot of people come to the hospital with my first, which I really liked. Then lots of visitors in the few days after we got home, then it died down. Once my husband went back to work (two weeks after birth) I found having visitors much more taxing, and limited to one every other day MAX, and at the time of my choosing (generally afternoon for an hour or two).

My daughter was born summer 2021, and visitors weren't allowed in the hospital because of covid, and I found I really missed that. We still had a bunch of visitors in the few days after we got home, also fine. Way smaller demand for visitors the second time, never found it a big issue.

My biggest thing both times: NO HOUSEGUESTS. That was a hard line for me. To me, there's such a huge difference between someone who is staying at a hotel nearby and comes and goes on my schedule vs. someone in my home. No one in my house until after sleep training (right at 4 months both times). You can stay in my house when I'm getting a full nights sleep, not before.

Also, maybe I'm rude, but to me, if you're coming to see a newborn, you're not getting any "guest" treatment. I'm in my jammies and a nursing top. You might see a nipple. I may or may not have showered or brushed my teeth. House looks like what it looks like - if you're bummed by that, you're welcome to clean the kitchen! I will be serving nothing besides water and whatever soda/coffee I'm drinking. If it's not going well and baby is crying, I'll just basically ask you to leave. I mean, nicely. But still. Highly recommend this approach.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In college, I had a roommate yell at me because I wasn't excited enough when she came to visit me at the hospital.

All you people calling PP selfish for not wanting visitors sound like her. Which is to say, unhinged.

Why were you in college with a roommate while having a baby?

No, appendicitis. But much like a baby, it isn't about you (the visitor).