Getting home after Discharge..

Once you are home it's a whole new ball game!

You have to get used to travelling with baby, feeding, burping, bathing, dressing, play time and still attend to yourself and the rest of your family.

We were blessed after the birth of our first baby to have alot of family support at home as I stayed with my mum. It takes alot of getting used to attending to a new baby and caring for yourself. Your body also goes through many changes during and after pregnancy as well. For the Dad's it is also an adjustment. The sleepless nights and all these extra duties , how does one keep up?!

We had duties that each person had to attend to, made it much easier for us to cope. My husband did the washing and preparing the bottles, I attended to baby for feeding and my Mum attended to all of us and baby as well!

If you are breastfeeding it is very important that whatever you eat also filters through to your baby as well. Try as far as possible to eat healthy, balanced meals and to drink plenty of water. Your doctor or dietitian can assist with more specific advice depending on your dietary needs and requirements.

At this stage, newborns generally sleep for most of the day and night as well. It is very important to try and get into a routine of your own so that it makes life much easier for you all. Try to have timelines in place, like getting ready in the morning between 7 and 7.30 am and then times for baby's feeds and bath, massage and playtime.

Please remember to try to pay attention to baby's signs.

Usually if a baby is tired he/she will yawn and tug at their ears some times. Some babies also do cry a lot if they are very tired and sometimes rocking your baby helps in this case. I know you are probably tired yourself and hungry sometimes when this happens and it can be difficult to stay calm but counting helps and also getting someone else to help even if it is for a short while. We used the basinette in the cot and sometimes we even sat on an exercise ball and bounced on it to get baby to sleep. I used to also play music and at times I would sing to baby as well. In time you will see what works for you and your baby. I used to encourage people talking and doing the usual duties so that baby does not need ultimate silence to sleep, which is sometimes very difficult. Swaddling can also be beneficial.

Hunger signs - you will usually have an idea of the estimate time baby gets hungry. For our first born it was every 2-3 hours. He used to get a bit irritable and put his fists in his mouth. Depending on how extreme the cry is you will know how hungry your baby is. If he/she is crying a lot, please try to calm baby down first by rocking baby or talking to baby until they are calm then try to feed afterwards.

If they are still uneasy some times they need to be burped and kept up for a while until the milk settles.

Playtime - Yes, even newborns can be stimulated. You can use a play gym for babies or even just chat to baby , show him/ her a stimulating toy or even a colourful book. Early stimulation can be very helpful for baby.

Too hot/ cold - If baby is too hot, you may see little beads of sweat on his/ her nose or forehead. Feel behind baby's neck or under baby's neck if he/she is too hot. Too cold- you can judge by the climate and the temperature in your home and dress baby in as many layers as you need and add 1 to 2 more. Some babies just feel more hot than others and vice versa, just pay attention to the signs and climate off course.

It does take some time to figure it out but you will get there! Be kind to yourself and your partner, you just had a baby. Life will never be the same again :)