Your Home, Now What?

Bringing your new baby home is exciting, thrilling, and scary!  For the first few days after your birth, many people are around helping you and your new bundle of joy.  Once home though, many realize that taking care of your new baby is 24 hour work and the help you had is no longer there.  In addition, between days 3-6 your milk starts to come in more and managing breastfeeding can become a challenge.  Most women know that their milk will begin to come in more fully, but many do not realize to the extent that it can increase.  This can lead to engorgement if the breasts are not properly drained via breastfeeding.  On the other hand, if a mother's milk does not come in as fully as needed, she may not realize that her baby is not getting enough milk at each feeding. ​This can lead to a baby that does not gain weight appropriately and can be more sleepy than normal.  In addition to breastfeeding, women are also dealing with hormonal changes and less sleep and many try to take on more tasks than are needed (i.e. cleaning, washing, emailing, cooking, engaging with guests that stop by, etc.).

So…how can a new mother try and make coming home the best experience she and her baby can possibly have?

 Here are a few tips:

• Limit the number of visitors you welcome into your home.  Everyone will understand that you need some time alone with your baby to bond and connect.  Asking them to wait a week or two is not being rude. 
• Allow for lots of skin-to-skin time with your baby for the first few weeks.  This means baby is on your chest with just a diaper and a light blanket on top.  Baby takes in your scent, hears your heartbeat, is close to your breast making it easy to nurse, and helps baby become centered and calm.
• Allow baby to breastfeed often!  New babies will breastfeed every 1-2 hours for the first few weeks. This is normal.  Breast milk is easily digested, thus the need for more frequent feeds.  Breast milk provides all the nutrients, minerals, and antibodies your baby needs.  Newborns should be breastfeeding 8 or more times in a 24 hour period and many breastfeed 12+ times or more.
• Secure a good milk supply by allowing baby to breastfeed often.  Breastfeeding is a symbiotic relationship.  When milk is expressed your body signals itself to produce more milk.  The first few weeks are important in establishing a good milk supply.  Thus, frequent milk removal is key.
• Watch for pees and poops.  Your baby should have at least one wet diaper and one soiled diaper each day up to day 5.  After that, your baby should have many wet diapers (6-8+) and at least one soiled diaper each day moving forward.  If your baby does not produce several wet diapers each day, you need to contact your primary care physician immediately.  
• Rest.  When your baby sleeps, this is when you rest.  Everything else in your home can wait.  You need to rest so that you can keep going.  Remember, this time in your life will go by quickly, so slow down and enjoy it as much as you can.
• Ask for help.  If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, tired, or sad, please ask for help.  Whether that help comes from your partner, other family members, or a good friend, it doesn't matter.  Although a lot of your time and energy is needed for your baby, you still need to take of yourself.  Moms don't realize when they are pregnant that the simple activity of taking a shower becomes a luxury once baby comes home.  Sometimes, having an extra hand to either hold the baby or help around the house is exactly what is needed to feel human again. 
• Lactation support.  If breastfeeding is not going as planned, is painful or stressful, or if your milk supply does not increase or increases too much, seeking lactation support is key.  Attending a breastfeeding support group can help many mothers by giving them an outlet where they can ask questions, make friendships, and seek advice from peers as well as a lactation consultant.  If you need one-on-one help, contacting an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for a private consultation will give you the information and tools you need to correct any breastfeeding issues as well as give you a plan on what to do moving forward.     

 These tips along with the advice of your primary care physician will help you and your new baby get on a positive path.  For those of you that have different words of advice, please feel free to share in the comment section.  Best of luck to all the new mothers out there!
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~ Heather Shabestari, IBCLC