After the birth when you are released from hospital, those first few days at home are important for both baby and parents. First time parents can easily feel overwhelmed. Parents having just gone through the intense process of childbirth can be emotionally and physically drained. Fathers can feel a huge burden of responsibility and mothers are often exhausted and have huge hormonal changes occurring in their bodies which can affect there mood and general outlook. It is important in those first few days that you try and limit the amount of visitors and well wishers, it will take some time for you to establish a new routine and to prepare for your new lives together.
First time mothers should pay particular attention to their feelings, some “baby blues” is to be expected with the hormone changes and it is important to realise that these feelings are quite normal and will fade over the first few weeks. However, if you feel that you are more depressed than you expected and these feelings persist for more than a few weeks you should discuss this with your doctor as you may be suffering from “postpartum depression” (sometimes called postnatal depression). Symptoms to be on the look out for include:
- Overwhelming feelings of sadness, depression and isolation.
- Feelings of guilt and worthlessness, thinking you don’t deserve a baby.
- Having extreme feelings towards your baby, ranging from lack of interest to obsession.
Coping with a newborn baby can be hard work, especially for first time mothers in the first few days at home. It takes time adjusting to your baby’s sleep routine. Having a baby is a wonderful and life changing experience, but it can also be a challenging one. To avoid or reduce the “baby blues”, try and get as much rest as possible, take a nap every time baby is asleep. Get friends and family to help with housework. Take advantage of any visitors by letting them look after baby for a little while why you take a bath or have a little personal time. Take it easy on yourself, don’t try and rush to get your life back to normal as quickly as possible. However don’t completely neglect exercise, when you feel up to it, start taking gentle walks with your baby, exercise, fresh air and simply getting out of the house will work wonders for both of you. Try to eat healthily, you need lots of nourishment as a new mother, especially if breastfeeding. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables along with plenty of water is recommended. You may also find it helpful to meet up with other mothers and discuss how you are feeling, you may find that you are not alone and many of them also struggled to cope in those first few weeks.
