Things no one tells you about the first 2 weeks with your newborn

Life with a newborn, Life with baby
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It’s a complete blur! Yes, it’s true, you hardly sleep, you have loads of visitors, so, you just can’t sleep when baby sleeps as she sleeps when your visitors come or when your going to see someone. That’s just the way it is.


1. The 3rd Day/Night

These are the worst, expect no sleep and a very grumpy screaming baby. Don’t have any visitors the next day if you can help it, just have recovery time. This also coincides with the time your colostrum changes to milk and during this time you may actually have very little milk…, hence you have an increasingly hungry baby and not as much milk as they’d like. It just nature and don’t worry, your milk quickly ch ages to the proper milk they need. I also imagine they’re grump because they’ve had a lot to get used to in the previous few days! (Note. I’m no expert in any of this, it’s just my opinion based on things I’ve read, been told about! and mostly my own personal experiences with a newborn!)

Tip: get as much recovery time in as possible before baby is 3 days old! It’s a hard couple of days/nights, but it gets much easier.?


2. Having a bath

The midwife WILL turn up when you’re getting in he bath, then tell you to have 2-3 baths a day to help you heal! I had no idea when to have a bath as H fed almost constantly, we slept when we could (it’s almost impossible to sleep when baby does, she wakes every hour for a feed!), we had visitors to meet H, we ate when she slept. So, having a bath fitted in in the morning (and made sense then too), and without exception the midwife always turned up when I was stepping into it or had just sat down. It didn’t matter if my bath was at 9am or 11am, she knew!

Tip: try to have a bath if you can, it really does help! Use a few drops of lavender oil is brilliant and supposedly helps healing too.


3. Interruptions (aka the midwife)

The midwife will want to come to catch up, weigh lo and possibly check your stitches either every day or every other day for 10 days, perhaps 2 weeks, and if lo was not gaining weight the way the chart said (what baby sticks to a chart!!!!), she might come for 3 weeks, and possibly longer, lo is not up to their birth weight by then. It’s a pain, as there are so many firsts you want to do in those 2 weeks (especially if hubby has 2 weeks off).

Tip: take it all with a pinch of salt! Unfortunately it’s just the way it is, and if your area is different then I’m sorry if it’s worse, and glad if it’s better! Also, a chart is a statistics (out of date stats from what I’ve read!), not a real life baby!


4. Mission: Leaving the house

It take at least an hour, usually 1.5 hours to leave the house. You think, right I’ve just fed her, we can go! No, you need to get dressed/have a shower/dry your hair/find which clothes fit/check you have the changing back stocked correctly/oh no you’ve fallen asleep! Then she’s awake again and it’s nappy change time, so now it’s time to leave…. “Yay we left the house”!

We wanted to go for our first walk with lo, so after having the midwife in the morning, going thought the nappy, feed, sleep (get ready) routine countless times we finally made it out the door. We tried to go out for lunch, thinking it’s fine I can just feed her if she wants it. She’s just had a clean nappy she’ll be fine for an house. No, you can’t go out for lunch, it was 4pm by he time we left the house, and lo just started screaming when we did so we walked in a circle back home to feed her again and figure out why she was so unhappy. I don’t think we figured it out, she just calmed down after some milk and a cuddle and nappy change.

Tip: just go with the flow, make flexible plans only and you will get out at some point, even if it’s the next day 🙂


5. Nappies and wee-ing

You can change a nappy and 2 minutes later you have to change it again. The line turns blue and baby is crying again! Oh, and the aim of the game is to change a nappy without lo wee-ing everywhere when you undo the old nappy or are in the process of removing it. Or, just as annoyingly, as you’re putting on the new one. There is a trick we didn’t discover though – slide the new nappy under the old one before undoing it, then undo (old), ?wipe, slide out (old) and do up the new one. It’s a much quicker method and means the changing mat *might* not get soaked. If the changing mat gets wee’d on, it WILL cover baby from head to toes as it’ll just run everywhere! So then it’s bath time!

Really it’s all a cycle of feed, possible sleep, change, possible bath depending on how chaining went, possible sleep, feed, possibly sleep, change…

Tip: do the new-nappy-under-old-nappy trick. And also use an old towel over the changing mat to make it warmer and soak up wee, it can save baby being covered! And, try to make sure the room you change in is warm – baby might be more likely to wee (and scream, kick, punch), if they get cold.


6. Vests

Babies hate being naked, or getting dressed/undressed. She will scream the house down. Though, even though any parent of an older child will tell you, “that’s not screaming”, it certainly feels like it at the time!

So, use this trick, make sure there is wiggle room in the vests, a slightly larger vest is MUCH easier to out on and take off. Also use the pull it up technique instead of over the head if baby’s arms go better that way. When taking them off do the same pull it down, this is easier and also if you’ve had a poo-nami or wee-leak it’s not going over baby’s head.

Tip: pull vests down the way! It’s much easier!
I hope this helps and also the tips on how to survive the first couple weeks with a newborn also help. Make sure to take lots and lots of photos and sleep whenever you can.

Lynne x

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32 Comments

  • Reply
    Min
    August 25, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    Totally true about the third night. I was still in hospital at that point and was calling the nurses over constantly as I was convinced there was something wrong, as the baby was screaming constantly and throwing up colostrum. The next day my milk came in so I’m pretty certain it was related to that.
    Min recently posted…The Wrongness of Most Nursery RhymesMy Profile

  • Reply
    Lara @ MommyKazam
    August 25, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    Lol oh yes, there are so many things that I wish people had told me about the first few weeks with my little man. Trying to leave the house was definitely a nightmare (sometimes still is!), he definitely peed on me more times than I care to admit to, and the old “sleep when he sleeps advice” is the worst (I’ll be sure to cook when he cooks, or clean when he cleans as well!)! Congrats on your new little one, and as much as you’ve probably heard it a million times: savour this time (it really does slip by so fast).
    Lara @ MommyKazam recently posted…The Top 5 Housekeeping CrimesMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      August 26, 2015 at 8:00 am

      Glad it’s not just me these things happened to 🙂 Haha, yes, some days I wonder if the train of things going wrong will end so we can get out!

  • Reply
    Sugar&Rhubarb
    August 25, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    that hideous third night!!! Oh I remember it so well! I was stuck in hospital and spent the whole time walking the corridors, all too worried about waking the resting new mums in my ward! I have never wished to be at home more than at the moment! x
    Sugar&Rhubarb recently posted…DrusillasMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      August 26, 2015 at 7:58 am

      Oh poor you, I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like to be in hospital for it… At least I had hubby to help. X

  • Reply
    Renee @PeonieandMe
    August 26, 2015 at 8:07 am

    Is it bad that 5 months (oh to the day) it still takes my 1 and a half hours to leave the house?

    Great post, I’ve just forwarded this to my sister in law who is currently 7 days overdue. You quickly forget all these things so thanks for sharing. Peonie and Me x #bestandworst
    Renee @PeonieandMe recently posted…#BestAndWorst…Little Monkey Outtakes…xMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      August 26, 2015 at 10:20 am

      Glad you found it useful and I hope your sister in law does too 🙂 It’s funny, I started writing this a few weeks back and as I wrote one thing, another thing would pop into my head.
      I know what you meant, almost 9 months on sometimes it still takes ages, and other times I can be out in 5 minutes! X

  • Reply
    helen gandy
    August 28, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    Great post and all of this is true, having a baby the first time round is such a huge shock to the system!! Thanks for linking up to the #bestandworst 🙂
    helen gandy recently posted…If I Could…………My Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      August 28, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      Thank you! And thank you for hosting #bestandworst

  • Reply
    Becky Pink
    August 29, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    Ah I remember it so well! Such a shock, and one that none can really prepare you for! Becky x #bestandworst
    Becky Pink recently posted…Five things I love right now: AugustMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      September 4, 2015 at 1:09 pm

      Very true!

  • Reply
    Julie S.
    August 29, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    Those first few weeks are an absolute blur but all I remember is poonami.
    Julie S. recently posted…Gratitude and Goals August 28, 2015 #GratitudeGoalsMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      August 30, 2015 at 10:09 pm

      Haha yes to both!! X

    • Reply
      newmummy
      September 4, 2015 at 1:10 pm

      Oh yes! Unbelievable!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    August 29, 2015 at 8:51 pm

    Expecting baby no 3 and had conveniently forgotten this. Memories are coming flooding back ???

    • Reply
      newmummy
      September 4, 2015 at 1:10 pm

      Hope I’ve not freaked you out!

  • Reply
    Lisa (mummascribbles)
    August 29, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    Brilliant post with so many helpful tips – it brings it back so well and yet it was almost three years again now. Those first two weeks were blooming hard!! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
    Lisa (mummascribbles) recently posted…The if and when of baby number twoMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      August 30, 2015 at 10:09 pm

      Thank you, and thanks for hosting! X

  • Reply
    Wicked Wednesday - 26.09.15 - New Mummy Blog
    September 2, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    […] had many lovely comments on my new posts, reviewing the Munchkin 360 spill proof cup and my post on the first 2 weeks with a newborn baby. Thank you lovely followers! And thank you to everyone who has shared them […]

  • Reply
    August Review, September Bucket List - New Mummy Blog
    September 2, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    […] 6 Things No one Tells You About The First 2 Weeks With A Newborn […]

  • Reply
    Leigh Goldsmith
    December 14, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Yes, the first 2 weeks were a a total blur, and I just remember struggling with the whole visitor thing!!

    • Reply
      newmummy
      December 18, 2015 at 8:30 am

      Thanks for commenting and linking up x

  • Reply
    Crummy Mummy
    December 14, 2015 at 11:30 am

    I’d forgotten how annoying the midwife/health visitor visits are in the first few days – they always come at the most inconvenient time! #TheBabyFormula
    Crummy Mummy recently posted…What your Christmas cards say about youMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      December 18, 2015 at 8:29 am

      It was soooo irritating! Hanks for linking up x

  • Reply
    Sarah
    December 14, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    Oh my goodness I swear waiting around for the health visitor or midwife was the bain of our lives. Even if I had felt like going out (which I didn’t) they would just arrive “at some point” and definitely always at the most inconvenient time. What happened to booking people in with a time slot?

    Everybody said to me that I’d end up being wee’d on loads of times as I have a little boy…but we’ve only ever had one or two occasions when he’s decided to wee when we’ve taken his nappy off….lucky us 😉
    Sarah recently posted…10 Days Till Xmas: My Blog CountdownMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      December 18, 2015 at 8:27 am

      Well done of the wee-ing luck! We have a girl and and have a few more incidents than that! X

  • Reply
    Maestro mummy
    December 14, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    Ahh this brings it all back! I’m expecting my second in 9 weeks so will soon be used to this again! Thanks for sharing #thebabyformula
    Maestro mummy recently posted…Three Penguin Craft ActivitiesMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      December 18, 2015 at 8:26 am

      Good luck, and make the most of it if you can hehehe

  • Reply
    Laura
    December 14, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    Useful tips. The first week at home with our son was a complete blur I must say! I had no idea how delirious you could become from lack of sleep and general new mum anxiety. Getting out of the house, even for a short walk, was a real relief x #thebabyformula
    Laura recently posted…Five Tips For Managing Anxiety & Depression During The Holiday PeriodMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      December 18, 2015 at 8:25 am

      Thank you and yes! A blur like no other hehehe. And getting out he house is vital, but oh so hard! X

  • Reply
    Elizabeth Williams
    February 7, 2016 at 5:14 pm

    These are all completely true for myself except for number 3. The midwife came to see me the day after we were released from hospital and then a week later and then they discharged me. Luckily our health visitor is really good and always turns up on the date and time she says she will so we can plan anything we need to do around her. Our third night was absolutely horrendous. I didn’t even manage two hours sleep on that night. I’ll definetly be telling these to anyone I know who is going to be a first time mum as nobody ever said them to me til I was actually going through them haha.

  • Reply
    Tall Mum In Manchester
    May 12, 2016 at 7:24 am

    With all this ahead, what a useful & realistic sounding post. The nappy changing tips sound particularly helpful.

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