Postpartum Survival Guide: 10 tips for the first few weeks with baby

The first days as a mother or father can be wonderful. So much love, so much joy. The new family member is finally here. During the postpartum period you recover from the birth and get to know each other: the new family member, each other as parents. And itself.

But the first few weeks after giving birth can also be difficult. Exhausting and exhausting. Suddenly there is someone new in the house who is completely dependent on you. Who wants to be taken care of, despite the lack of sleep and painful birth injuries. The usual everyday life has moved far away and everyone has to learn together how a day works now.

It’s good if you have a few survival strategies up your sleeve that you can use to help yourself a little in the difficult moments of postpartum:

1. There is no right or wrong

Probably the most important and fundamental point first: There is no right or wrong when designing the postpartum bed. For one family, “postpartum” means just that – time spent in bed. Quietly, shielded from the hustle and bustle, mother and child recover from the birth. For others it’s too quiet, they make themselves comfortable on the sofa and look forward to the numerous visitors. And still others are quickly on the road again in world history, prefer to pay a visit to family and friends themselves and do not like peace and seclusion at all.

Some are anxious, some overwhelmed. Some of them have to recover physically from a difficult birth. For others, the emotional transition is more difficult. And then there are certainly families where things just go like in a picture book. Every family has to decide for themselves exactly what the “ideal” postpartum bed looks like. It doesn’t matter what other people say or do. Do what you are comfortable with.

2. Prepare emergency numbers

Look for the important numbers before you need them. The phone numbers of the midwife, paediatrician, gynecologist and hospital or children’s clinic shouldn’t just be stored in mom’s cell phone. It is best to hang a note with all the numbers in case of an emergency on the fridge or near your phone. Ideally, you never need them, but just in case everyone knows how to get help without having to google it.

3. Bottle Mamas, make your life a little easier!

Few things are worse than boiling water and having to sterilize bottles in the middle of the night with a crying newborn in your arms. And then you stand there and cry with the child while you desperately try to somehow bring the hot contents of the bottle up to drinking temperature. You don’t even wish that on your worst enemy.

The thermos is the bottle parent’s best friend. After boiling, let the water cool down to just above drinking temperature and keep it warm in it. If you don’t forget to stock up on supplies in time, you’ll always have made a bottle like this quickly. Some mothers also mix the milk powder with a little fennel tea in order to be one step ahead of the dreaded stomach ache.

For the bottles, it is advisable to have a fixed place for the specimens used. So everyone can see at a glance whether it needs to be rinsed and sterilized again. Sterilization can be done in the classic way in a saucepan, in a steam sterilizer especially for baby bottles or even more conveniently in the microwave. Of course you could also throw the bottles in the dishwasher, but in most households it runs much less often than fresh bottles are needed.

4. The secret stars of postpartum: handy snacks

Having babies makes you hungry and breastfeeding even more. But it takes a little practice to get the hang of eating a civilized meal at the table with a baby in your arms, maybe even with a knife and fork. Of course, hunger can’t wait that long. Sometimes he can’t even wait until the child has finished breastfeeding. When the child has finished breastfeeding. That’s where breastfeeding-friendly snacks come in. The ones you can eat with one hand. The not so great crumble and spill. And they make you feel good as a new mom.

These can be sandwiches, small wraps or muesli bars. The main thing is that it tastes good (also cold) and is always within reach, where mother and child make themselves comfortable while breastfeeding and cuddling. And don’t forget something to drink! Opening water bottles with one hand is possible at some point in your sleep and even as a bottle mom you soon figure out how to bite off the cold pizza when it takes longer to feed it.

5. Compress on it

Painful birth injuries? sore nipples? The first time after giving birth is sometimes just as physically demanding and uncomfortable as the birth itself. Sometimes resting and taking care of yourself is not enough. Compresses have helped quite a few mothers during childbirth. You can buy these ready-made or you can make them yourself (midwives often have great tips for this), both for sore nipples and for the genital area. It’s best to keep them in the fridge, then they do twice as well when you put them on. Just like normal pads, by the way. Cooler is really cooler these days.

6. Ensure supplies

With such a child in the house, not only does the daily routine change, but also the shopping list. Diapers, wet wipes, cream. A few spare bodies, bottles and maybe powdered milk. Then everything mum needs now: extra strong pads, but please only a very special kind. nursing pads. Nipple ointment, compresses. Most of it was probably not part of the usual shopping before.

So that shopping doesn’t take three times as long because you’re exhausted and wandering through the aisles only to find out that the nipple cream you’re looking for that you really urgently need isn’t available in this supermarket, it’s a good idea to get ahead to get an overview of the birth: What do we need in the near future? And where can we get it fastest? And where is the easiest? Some things are better ordered, others you simply need immediately, so it’s good to know where you can find them nearby. This saves you an unnecessary odyssey when suddenly all that special diaper cream that the child tolerates so well is gone.

7. The classic among the tips: Pre-cook and taste

And because good food often saves the day, it can’t be said often enough. Use the last weeks of pregnancy, which are often characterized by impatience, to stock up on supplies. Freeze as much of your favorite food as you can. Get the family pack of your favorite bars. And test yourself through the delivery services in your area! You eat when you are in bed, but ideally you cook somewhere else. And while it’s likely to get cold before you even get to eat, you’ve earned your favorite meal as a new parent.

8. Hands free thanks to the sling

With a baby you learn very, very quickly to do everything with just one hand. You can wash up, get dressed and even go to the toilet while you are asleep and with your child in your arms. But sometimes you need both hands, just as much as said child needs physical contact (but sometimes both arms just fall off after carrying the child around the apartment for hours because otherwise it simply cannot calm down).

Lucky if you have a sling to hand (ha!). Or another carrying option for newborns. Most babies find this just as great as being carried in their arms. And with a little practice, you can even breastfeed the baby in the sling. Sometimes freedom just lies in a few yards of fabric. Even if it’s just hands-free.

9. Night Lights for Everyone!

Getting a night light like this for the children’s room seems almost normal. But in the first few months with a baby you could easily equip the whole house with it. While you’re rocking quietly through the booth with a restless baby at night, you don’t want the big festive lights on. Would be counterproductive in terms of sleep. Of course, you don’t want to stumble or even fall in the dark.

Small, dim light sources are therefore advisable, in strategically important places and of course easy to reach and operate. Especially on stairs. At the changing table. And when you give your child a bottle, you also go into the kitchen where you spend more time at night than usual. Contrary to all the rumours, babies don’t sleep well from the start when they are bottle-fed. In the glow of the night light, however, the hope remains that you can go back to sleep very quickly after the bottle. Maybe…

10. Be your own bouncer

Such a newcomer must of course be welcomed and appraised by everyone. Stupid only if you don’t feel like visiting at first. Even if you have to put up with disappointing one or the other, tell your family and friends honestly that you don’t feel ready for their visit yet. Or ask to keep the visits very short. Postpartum is a time of relaxation and arrival, so visitors can sometimes be quite annoying.

Therefore, a clear request for silence is often better than tired and annoyed and silently cursing the uninvited guests. So that nobody gets too comfortable, maybe just stay in bed or at least in your pajamas. This is uncomfortable for many visitors and they quickly say goodbye. Besides, you probably just have better things to do right now than dressing up for Aunt Erna and making coffee for all the relatives.

Or maybe you just enjoy the company of your loved ones. Then enjoy the time together! You might even be able to take a shower. Or having a coffee before it gets cold. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re happy about the visit or quickly complimented them out the door: As new parents, it’s not impolite of you to ask your visitors for help with the dishes before you leave or to give them a quick helping hand on the way out hand the garbage bag for downstairs. Basically, help is always welcome.

Even with all the tricks and tips in the world, postpartum can be a physically and emotionally draining experience. Be gentle with yourself and with your partner. If you are concerned about anything, talk to your midwife or doctor. When things don’t go the way you’ve imagined throughout your pregnancy, rest assured that many parents feel the same way. And also that between all the changes, the sore nipples and full diapers, the nights awake and the insecurity, there are wonderful moments hidden everywhere that make the postpartum period a very special time.