The First Week with Your Baby

All has paid off and your baby is finally here. As you approach the end of your pregnancy you are likely to find that your longing to hold, hug and kiss your baby is stronger than ever. Suddenly you have the urge to have everything clean and ready for the little bunting baby.

Then it happens, you go into labor. At the time you may feel like it is never going to end but finally your baby arrives. Emotions are unlike anything you have experienced, with a mixture of relief that your baby is okay, joy that you finally have them in your arms, scared because of what you have just been through. Sometimes there is just a feeling of shock.

Now you may find that the time that you have with your baby is getting swept away by so much. A week at the office can seem to go on forever but if you blink your eyes you will miss the first week with your baby. The reason that it is so hard to make sure that you are enjoying this time to its fullest potential is because of everything else that is going on.

First of all, if you had your baby at a hospital it is likely that you will have to be there a good portion of the next day with your baby. Some recovery time is longer depending on how your birth was. If you have a c-section doctors want you to stay an extra day minimum. That is a third of the week.

Once you are home though it isn't just you and the baby. As great as it is to have family while you are adjusting to motherhood it is important to make sure when they are absent to really take that time to be with your baby. That can be very hard because you are likely to have people visiting regularly through the first couple of weeks. Take that time that you have where it is just you and the baby and enjoy.

If you are getting your baby through adoption it is just as important to spend that mommy and me time with them. Your new baby may not be seconds old when you first get to hold them but your bond as mother and child begins all the same. No matter the situation, it is always important to enjoy the time that you have with your baby. They are only babies for a little while so while that time is around it is best to take advantage of it.

If you can, try and take lots of pictures. If you have a video camera filming your little bundle of joy is always a good thing to do. However first and foremost, take in those moments because a new baby has a certain kind of glow that they share with us for only those first couples of weeks.