This e-book will help you to make the most out of your baby’s first year by giving you some basic guidelines and milestones to measure against.  There is so much information out there for new parents that sometimes less information is better.  You will have to determine what works best for you and your baby.

First Days at Home

          The first few days home from the hospital are just as important to you as they are to your baby.  As new parents you will have gone through an exciting birth that will have left you breathless and exhilarated.  As a new mother you will be emotionally and physically exhausted.  As a new father you will be overwhelmed by your new responsibilities.  The first days at home are a time to take a deep breath, sit back and relax, and take some time just for you. 

          During your first days at home it may be wise to limit the amount of visitors that you welcome into your home.  Other than your immediate family and good friends you might want to ask other friends to wait a week or two before they descend on you with gifts and wanting to hold the new baby.  You need time to recuperate and settle into the routine that a sleeping, feeding, and often crying baby brings into your life. 

          As a new mother you will need to pay particular attention to the way that you are feeling so that those “baby blues” don’t creep up and surprise you unexpectedly.  It is normal to feel a bit out of sorts and sad for the first couple of weeks after giving birth.  Your body is going through some major physical changes after the birth of your baby. Your hormones will be changing and you likely will be feeling a lack of sleep.  All of this can affect the way that you feel.  You should be patient with yourself, understand that all these feelings are normal, and that in a couple of weeks things will feel better for you.  If you find that you are feeling more and more depressed, and find it difficult to care for yourself and your family, you should consult your doctor so that he/she can determine if you are suffering from a condition called postpartum depression.  Symptoms of postpartum depression include: