Tips for Getting it Together the first week at home with your newborn baby.
GIT Tip #1:
The first two weeks of your baby’s life he will be very sleepy, he will sleep way more than be awake, don’t freak out, he will wake up when he needs to eat, never ever wake a sleeping baby unless your pediatrician directs you to do so because of low birth weight or jaundice, let that baby sleep, trust me, you’ll get to spend plenty of time with him the rest of his life!
GIT Tip #2:
The first week at home you may easily be full of anxiety and nerves, try to keep the focus on getting yourself organized and settled so you’re calm and collected for your newborn. The better you’re feeling the less your baby’s crying will affect you.
GIT Tip #3:
So your baby wakes up, oh no, what do you do? Your husband will stare at you and shrug his shoulders, maybe he’ll even go hide so you need to take control of the situation and feed your baby.
Feeding your baby is Step 1 in creating a schedule with a newborn.
When you begin feeding him whether by bottle or breast don’t let him stay warm and cozy, no, you do not have time for him to snack and fall right back to sleep. He woke up to eat so make sure he really eats. If he falls asleep in the middle of the feeding it’s totally legal to strip him down to his diaper, blow on his face, scratch the bottom of his foot. You’re in charge of this tiny creature and it starts day 1. Show him who is boss.
GIT Tip #4:
After you feed your baby, Step 2 in creating a schedule with your newborn is “Play”! All play means at this age is:
- Burp
- Change his diaper
- Tummy time
- Talking or Singing to him
Remember your baby will be very drowsy and sleeping 16 hours a day so you may just feed him, burp him, and change him and he’ll be ready to be put right back to sleep, read his mood!
GIT Tip #5:
Step 3 is SLEEP! To recap, you’ve fed & “played” with baby, now it’s time for him to sleep. So your first week at home with your newborn is to keep yourself calm and start creating a routine for you and baby.
*See my blog on 5 Tips to Get Your Baby to Sleep!
