How to Survive the First Night Home With Your Newborn
How do I survive the first night home with my newborn?
After the potentially long hours of labor or surgery and giving birth, you are finally out of the hospital! I was THRILLED when I was finally able to leave the hospital with my newborn. That first night home with your newborn can be extremely intimidating. How do you survive the first night home with your newborn? Continue reading for my tips and insights into my personal experience with my baby on that first night home.
Understanding Sleep During First Night Home with Your Newborn
A newborn sleeps a lot! They can sleep more than 16 hours in an entire 24 hour period. It’s not unusual for those early days to be all about sleeping and eating. It’s nice to say that a newborn sleeps a lot, but it’s broken sleep. That first night should be more relaxing than being at the hospital. You won’t be woken up nearly as much (hopefully). I was woken up around every hour or two to check on my baby, do glucose testing, and get my antibiotics.
Your baby might sleep better because the environment is simply better than being poked, prodded, and woken up frequently at the hospital. That first night home with your newborn is tiring, exciting, and overwhelming. Realize that you might wake up every 2 hours. This is a realistic view on newborns, even when they co-sleep with you.
Breastfeeding During Your First Night Home
From personal experience, this was the most difficult part of my first night home with my newborn. I was trying to latch a baby that was difficult to latch. She would take around 20-30 minutes to finish and then would need to stay upright for another 15-20 minutes to prevent reflux. It was extremely tiring to have a little baby latching onto me, needing me for her nutrients, while navigating this experience for the first time.
People assume that because breastfeeding is natural that it is easy. WRONG. That statement is extremely damaging to a new mom who is struggling with many emotions and doing her best to latch. In the beginning it might be painful and you might experience clogged ducts. Continue doing your best to breastfeed and get a lactation consultant to help if you are really wanting to experience everything breastfeeding has to offer. It can get better and it should be more or less painless.
Other Types of Feeding
Just because you aren’t breastfeeding, doesn’t mean you aren’t ‘putting in the work’. That first night home with your newborn is tiring and you might want to use formula to make sure you are well enough to take care of your baby as best as you can. Look into the different types of formula because they are not all made with the same quality. Figuring out how much your baby drinks, the bottle warmer settings, and the never ending bottle cleanings can be overwhelming.
Or maybe you decided that you want to pump or pump and supplement with formula. There are many ways to feed your baby during those early stages when you are so deprived of sleep. No matter what you choose, a baby needs to eat frequently and you are doing your best!
Accepting Help With Your Newborn
If you have relatives or friends who are willing to help you with your first night home with your newborn – TAKE IT. If your partner decides to take the majority of the night so you can heal, take it. Take all the help you are able to get and do not feel guilty. That first night home with your newborn is truly so tiring for some, especially if you are a first time mom. You might not be used to all the commotion or can’t take the constant crying. You might be overwhelmed with trying to heal and your partner might need to work. There are so many different experiences with motherhood and a new mom should accept the help if she feels overwhelmed.