When Panic Strikes: Baby’s First Day Home
How is it possible the staff has let me leave the hospital with such a helpless little creature? Such were my thoughts the day I took my baby home. My newborn seemed so different than those chubby babies I had babysat – and I was totally responsible for her health and well being! The realization hit me all at once – I was the parent and was supposed to have all the answers. Apparently there was no secret “confidence booster switch” which was flipped into the ON position after giving birth. How did my mother do it? How could I even pretend to be as capable as she was? The panic began to set in.
If you are like me, the first problem is placing that tiny body into a car seat. We had bought the best baby travel system we could find. The convenience of having an infant seat that fit perfectly in my car or stroller was wonderful. When initially purchased, the infant seat seemed just right, but with the new baby in it, it seemed to have grown! My heart believed she was as safe if not safer in my arms than alone in a car seat! Logic and my husband managed to convince me to let go. Since they have limited muscle control, newborns end up scrunched down into one corner of their car seat. Until baby is more able to sit unassisted, she will be sliding to one corrner of your car seat. You can purchase additional padded support for your baby for use with the first weeks of “amoeba life”.
Once we were home, I struggled with needing to rest and wanting to be with our baby. Add to that her endless hunger. Finding a place at home for nursing, a process that both of us were still learning, was challenging. It is up to mom to find the position that works best for both herself and her baby. Some people use ring slings, fabric carriers that allow you to carry the baby around with you. Baby can be positioned nicely for nursing with a correctly adjusted ring sling. I preferred to use my ring sling as a convenient hands-free carrier. Both baby and I found we preferred the rocking chair for nursing.
My baby needed changing every time she ate and often times in between her meals. Newborns seem to have an output capacity double their input. I had chosen to use Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers. The adjustable elastic really helped in the learning stage for me and my baby. It is surprising to observe the diapering issues which can result from a diet of only liquids.” The first few days proved to have most of the largest diapering challenges. Frequently, quick changes of clothes are what you need! Fastening cloth diapers was my main challenge. And if you do not fasten them in time…they will not work at all!
Even though the first few days home are challenging, they are the beginning of an entirely new chapter. Constant shifts and changes become the norm. Parents are challenged with every stage their chilfren reach. Frequently pretending to be as in control and capable of child care as my mother, I found myself calling on all my resources. One day I realized she had probably been pretending as well – that day I realized I was a parent too.
