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Planning Ahead for after the Birth
And as the time draws close to the arrival of your little bundle of joy it is again time for you to start planning how you will cope when you arrive home.
You have to keep in mind that you will possibly be in hospital for only a matter of 24 hours or so and no matter what anybody tells you you will be tired and worn out by the time you arrive home.
If you are extremely lucky your husband may have been on organized a week or two off work to give your hand ,but even so you need to plan ahead as much as possible.
During the first few weeks particularly if you are breast-feeding you are going to be up every 2 to 3 hours during the night so the amount of sleep you get is going to be minimal.
The last thing you need to be doing is worry about Shopping & Meals and if 
your husband is home with you it is a great time for you to bond as an Family and not have him stuck in the kitchen.
Prepare ahead of time as many of the evening meals as you can hold in your freezer, this way you are have to worry about breakfast and lunch which can be managed quite easily.
Most important you need to keep in mind if you are breast-feeding is that there a many food you eat today could and will proberly upset the baby so be carefull what you prepare. You can refresh your memory about which foods to avoid by checking our previous article about breast-feeding.
Make sure that everything you need for the baby’s first few weeks have already been washed and foldaway, that the nursery is up and running with everything within easy reach so you don’t have to go searching for things when your tired.
How long it takes you to recover from your baby’s birth is a very individual process so don’t be bothered by people who say “I was on my feet and doing the washing within two days because truthfully they probably never did”
The secrets to surviving the first couple of months are
- When you’re tired does not matter what time of day laid down and have a rest .
- By yourself a breast pump express a couple of feeds a day for the baby,share one or two of the night feeds with your partner don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are not coping.
Remember there is no shame in asking your Family, Friends or Medical support for help. This is NOT the sign of a bad mother,rather it is the sign of a sensible woman who knows her limitations. There is no such thing in my books as a natural born Mother, some of us just fluke it.