Baby is almost here and you have prepped for your little bundles’ arrival but have prepped for when you come home? Things to think about are meals, healing yourself, and being up all hours of the night getting yourself and your baby adjusted to being in the world.
Meals are the #1 most important thing to have prepped for. You will have a baby attached to you 24-7 and depending on how your delivery was, you might not have a ton of mobility. Here are a few ideas on how to keep your family fed until you can get into a good routine postpartum. It truly takes a village to raise kids, so have a friend set up a food train for you or go to your local store and get premade meals and freeze them before the baby arrives. Make sure to stock up on one-handed foods and snacks when you have time to eat it maybe when you are feeding the baby. In the age of Uber, we love that you can order from a variety of restaurants and also DoorDash from pretty much any grocery store and Costco. Although these two options can add up cost-wise, the convenience outweighs the extra cost for the first couple weeks of getting settled with your new baby.
Secondly- taking care of yourself is of utmost importance as well once you arrive home. Even if you did not have a rough delivery, taking the pressure off yourself by hiring a housekeeper or a babysitter to help with siblings can take the pressure off the adjustment of having your new baby. When visitors come, do not feel bad about setting expectations via text or post outside your door. It is okay to ask friends and family to wash their hands upon entering, limit visit time and to help with one of several things like putting dishes away, heating up food, moving the laundry along, etc. This is a clever way of reminding visitors about your needs, setting limits on their stay, and asking for help!
Lastly, your TV will become your best friend for a while. Until you get the baby into a routine, you could be up at the wackiest hours of the night. Make sure to prior to bringing the baby home scope out some shows on Netflix and stock up with your favorite regular programs on your DVR. If TV is not your thing, there are thousands of audiobooks and podcasts out there to get you through long nights.
Bringing home a baby does not have to be stressful if you plan in advance. If you are not a planner, there are lots of useful apps out there to service your daily needs! Just don’t forget that you and your new addition are #1 during postpartum and it is important to set boundaries with friends and family and nurture your little one as much as possible as you both get used to being in the world together!
