I know in the past I've written about my pregnancy journey but I'd love to start sharing tips about motherhood! I never imagined that such a little being could bring me such joy. Yes, she does tire me at times but her smiles are so worth it.
So here are my tips for surviving the first week with a newborn.
1. Have your car seat ready to go. Oh my, it was so hectic bringing Belle home from the hospital. The weather had just began to drop in Houston and our car seat wasn't properly installed. So the whole time we were out there I was worried that she was cold and all the nurse did was tell us that she can not touch the baby or help with the car seat. I was so frustrated!!
2. Have your mom or Mother in Law stay and help. I know this sounds ridiculous but trust me, your body is still healing and any help you can get will be much needed. If they can help you cook or do laundry, that is one less chore and you can concentrate on baby and sleep when baby is sleeping. I mostly ate hot soups and rice since I was pretty much banned from eating anything cold or sour. It's really important that you eat right during this time period because your body has been through so much.
recipe here: Pork Hock Soup
3. Sleep in shifts. The first night home, my hubs and I pretty much stayed up the whole night to feed little Belle every 2 hours. After the first night, we learned our lesson and took shifts. He took the early night from 10pm - 2am and I took over the rest of the night/early morning. It was really helpful that he had that week off as well. It was really great having him home and having that time to bond as a family is really important in my opinion.
4. SWADDLE. You will become a master at swaddling. Babies love to be swaddles at this young age because it feels like they are still in the womb. I found that the swaddle blankets with the Velcro was really helpful. We received some for our baby shower and wow they worked like magic!
Link here: Swaddleme (non-affiliate)
Look at how happy she is!
Well until next time and please let me know if you have any questions!
