How to Prepare for Visitors After Baby's Arrival
The birth of your baby will be one of the happiest moments of your life, whether it's your very first baby or your sixth. Labor and delivery can be very tiring, both mentally and physically, so you'll need sufficient time to rest and recover after the big event. As much as you can't wait to share your new bundle of joy with your family and friends, you don't want to have visitors too soon. The right time for visitors can vary from mom to mom, depending on how her birth went, how she's feeling and the health of her baby. When it comes time to welcome visitors, you'll want to be prepared.
Instructions
Visitors at the Hospital
Ask in advance what your hospital's policy is on visitors. Find out how many visitors are allowed in at one time, if there is a minimum age requirement for visitors and what the visiting hours are. Talk to your family and friends well before it's time for you to give birth about your feelings regarding visitors at the hospital. If your family and friends have taken over the hospital waiting room in anticipation of your baby's birth, don't feel obligated to let them stream in immediately after you've given birth. This is a special time for you and your partner to spend with your new baby. You may need some time to rest from all the energy labor and delivery has taken out of you. Ask your spouse to announce to everyone that your baby has arrived, but you need some time alone: to nap, start breastfeeding, shower or have something to eat. You could even request that your nurse prohibit or limit visitors for a predetermined amount of time after you've given birth, to take the burden out of your hands. Decide whom you'd like to see first, once you're ready to allow visitors in. If you have older children, you may want to bring them in first to meet their new sibling. Then, choose who gets to visit next, whether it's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or close family friends. If you start to become overwhelmed by having to entertain so many visitors, tell everyone you need to get some rest. Don't feel bad; they'll completely understand and should give you the privacy you need. Bringing Baby Home
Be prepared for visitors when you come home from the hospital too. Transitioning to your new life at home with a newborn can be anything but easy. Adding a house full of visitors may be the last thing you need, and it can be bad for your baby too, since too many visitors can overstimulate her, according to Kids Health. Talk with your partner in the months prior to delivery about how you want to handle visitors at home after you have the baby. Decide when the right time will be and share your plans with your family and friends. Spread your visitors out in the weeks after you come home to avoid becoming too overwhelmed by a crowd. Make you and your baby the top priority, putting yours and your baby's needs above everyone else's. You'll likely be faced with the baby blues the first week or so, notes Kids Health. So, don't have visitors you aren't comfortable weeping a bit around. These feelings are completely normal, because of all the hormonal changes. Your baby will require lots of attention and probably won't be sleeping much at first, which means you won't be either, causing you to become even more emotional. Accept help when it's offered. If your best friend or mother offers to come help you with household chores while you're recovering, take her up on it. Then, when visitors drop by you won't be stressing about having a clean house. Allow your family and friends to bring meals when they drop by. During the first few weeks after delivery, the last thing you'll feel like doing is preparing dinner. When someone calls before a visit and asks what they can bring, don't be shy; ask them to bring lunch or dinner. Call and cancel a visit if someone is scheduled to come by but you're just not up for it. If you've been up all night with your newborn and desperately need some sleep, enjoy a nap while your baby is sleeping instead of spending that time playing hostess. You can reschedule your family member's or friend's visit for another day, when it's best for you.
