Everyone is different, and everyone has their own plans about how they want their baby to come into the world, but if you’re planning a hospital birth, then at some point, you’ll have to leave the medical team and the familiar surroundings and go back home, and although it’s great to be in your own place again, it’s also a time when new mothers can feel at least a little anxious.
That’s because they’ll be on their own – even with a partner, friends, and family around it can still be a daunting prospect – and they’ll have to do things by themselves for the first time. In order to stop feeling quite so stressed, it’s wise to ask as many questions as you can before you leave hospital, and in that way, you’ll feel a lot more confident when it comes to taking care of your baby. With that in mind, here are some of the questions you can ask.
Feeding
Perhaps the most important question (or rather questions) of all will be linked to feeding your baby – after all, if you can feed them what they need, everything else tends to tall into place in the end. Proper feeding means your baby will be healthy and much happier, and they’ll grow how they’re meant to, so it’s an important thing to understand.
You can ask your healthcare provider all kinds of questions about feeding, such as how often to do it, how much to feed at a time, whether to breastfeed or use formula, how to increase milk supply fast, and anything else that comes to mind. It’s often feeding that poses the biggest issues for a new mom, so getting all the information you can will definitely make things easier.
Diapers
What comes next? Well, a newborn doesn’t really do a lot other than eat, sleep (which we’ll get to), and fill their diapers, so knowing what to do when that inevitably happens so you don’t panic is crucial. It might seem like a simple issue, but it’s one that can catch new parents unawares at times, and if you’ve never changed a diaper before, it can be unnerving.
Find out typically how many diapers a baby will get through in a 24-hour period (if it’s a lot more or less, there could be an underlying cause, and speaking to a doctor is a good idea), and find out the best way to keep your baby’s delicate areas clean so they don’t get a skin infection. If that happens, they’ll be cranky and you’ll feel guilty (even though you won’t have intended it to happen) so bypassing that makes sense.
Sleep
Sleep is something a lot of new parents worry about, mainly because they’ve been told the horror stories about not getting any. However, although your sleep will be broken, it might not be as bad as you think, and getting advice and guidance from a professional before you go home can help you prepare.
Find out about the best baby sleep positions, how to set up the sleep environment, and what to do to prevent your baby from being injured or getting sick – you’ll feel much better when you’ve got the information.