If you’re getting ready to have your first baby, you’re probably going to be in for a surprise when you’re inundated with visitors right after giving birth. Heck, after my second baby I was still kind of shocked by all the people who came out of the woodwork when my little girl made her arrival into the world!
Managing all of these visitors can be difficult. Overwhelming may be a better word for it. About two days after coming home from the hospital and being totally swamped with family, friends, and neighbors, my husband said, “I feel like I have to be as diplomatic as an ambassador.” I reminded him that I felt the same way, except I would be an ambassador who had to sit on a rubber donut while dealing with leaky nipples.
Let me say here that I’m not the world’s most patient person, so it’s kind of miraculous that I managed not to scream at anyone during this period.
I loved this post by Amy of Pregnant Chicken about how to deal with people in these bleary eyed early days. My favorite point is her first one: “Don’t let anyone stay that you can’t cry in front of or tell to shut up.” Ha! We didn’t have any house guests in the first few months (even my mom was smart enough to rent a hotel room so we’d have our own space – she stayed overnight only as needed), luckily, but if we did I would have held that advice dear.
What advice do you have for the first days as a new parent, dear reader?
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