We understand how much you want to support your wife when she is bringing home a newborn {whether its the first or the fifth}. You certainly wouldn’t want to seem unhelpful with all those hormones raging through the new mums body…along with the teary baby blues. You would NEVER live it down. So here’s our tips to you for that first week of Daddy & the Newborn and how to make yourself the stellar husband/dad!
1. Comfort. Bring her pillows, blankets, tissues, panadols, cups of tea…anything so she doesn’t have to get up and down herself. Mum needs to save her energy for the baby.
2. Nutrition. Make healthy snacks and meals, fresh juice and water with meals if you can too. Breastfeeding mums particularly need to eat well, keep hydrated and well rested. Think salmon, lean meat, vegetables, eggs etc. It’s very tiring recovering from birth and making milk to nourish your little baby. Order healthy delivery if cooking is not your forte.
3. Visitors. Keep these to a minimum the first month. Put mum and bub first, they need the rest, they need to bond and so do you.
4. Relax. Keep mum and bub relaxed, don’t stress her out if the chores aren’t done properly, the laundry is piling up or the car needs a service. It can all wait till next week or when you can get some trusted help.
5. Sssshhhh. Don’t turn the TV or the docking station on full volume because you need to watch/hear something. Give your home some peace and quiet for a little while…you might actually enjoy the serenity.
6. Shopping. Stock up the pantry, fridge, washing liquids, toilet paper, nappies, wipes, creams, especially if you are going back to work. The less things she has to carry and the less times she has to go the shops the better for you in the long run. All the other mums will hear how fab you’ve been, she will recover quicker and she will show her appreciation in a million other ways later.
7. Indulge mum. If you can go beyond the basic help above, consider buying her trashy magazines or movies to watch while feeding, have a masseuse or beautician come to the house for a little pampering, call in a cleaner, order prepared gourmet home cuisine for the freezer, give mum and bub a special little present!
8. Bond with baby. There is nothing sweeter than watching dad take an interest in the new baby (and helping out with the siblings!). So give mum a break and offer to do the burping, change a nappy or bath the baby.
9. Home chores. Check if the nappy bin has rubbish in it, the bathroom needs fresh towels, the beds need making or the dishwasher is ready to be unstacked. Don’t tell us you can’t see what needs to be done! {ask ‘what else can I do to help’, then you’ve covered all the bases!}
10. Look after yourself. Get your own breakfast, take your shirts to the cleaners, put your dirty clothes in the basket, hang up your wet towels!
To sustain your motivation, keep in mind your lovely wife not only JUST had a baby, but grew your bundle of joy in her tummy for nine months, giving up her favourite sushi, coffee, alcohol etc.
This is the best time to help out and show your appreciation, even if you don’t feel like it!!
Any other tips for Daddy & the Newborn?
