The moment finally arrives; you are now officially a mother. All of that morning sickness, pain, and anxiety of giving birth is finally over. Your baby is in your arms and is looking right into your eyes. I bet you never thought you could love someone so much. You are in such awe and amazement of how cute and precious your little bundle of joy is. You don't want to ever let go of your baby, but you know the nurses need to do their job. You get your rest, while your baby is gone and wait for the moment that your baby can be snuggling back in your arms. All has been well in the hospital and you feel confident to take you and your new love one home.



Now, that you are at home with your baby, you will be able to rest more without the nurses being in your room all day long and you get full 100 percent personal time with your baby. Until, what? The baby won't stop crying, you have tried to feed her, give her a pacifier, rock her, sing to her, nothing is working. And on top of it, she won't stop spitting up and pooping.

You are now realizing that coming home was probably not the right choice to make and that you are tempted to pack up your stuff and take you and the baby back to the hospital for a few more nights of rest. And we as little girls thought that all of the years as a child playing with baby dolls would pay off. Wrong! That was nothing like what you are now experiencing.

This article is not intended to scare the pregnant moms away. It is about encouraging moms to get the help they need when they most definitely can use it. It is about recommending to pregnant moms that staying in the hospital for two days is worth it. Don't get jumpy and want to jump head first into your new role as a mom. Your hormones are still out of whack, you just gave birth to a baby the size of a bolling ball, and you are literally worn out!

By taking on too much in the beginning, you will make yourself sick and then won't have anytime to spend taking care of your precious baby. You may have post-partum depression and not even realize it. By trying to play a "super mommy" you will stress yourself out and in the long run it will catch up with you. Trust me, I know! I am the mother of four and I have gone through what you are getting ready to experience. These are my tips for once you are released from the hospital:

Tip #1

Sleep, sleep, sleep

Tip #2

Don't have visitors to your house the first week or you will just want to clean

Tip #3

Take the help, actually, recruit the help! For example, have your friend run to the grocery store for you.

Tip #4

Don't try to do to much the first few weeks. Only do what you have to do.

Tip #5

If you have a partner, have the partner help you with as much as possible. For instance, rotate nights on feeding and calming baby.

Tip #6

Long before your due date, prepare your younger children on what to expect with having a new baby sister or brother. One good idea is to allow them to go pick out a gift for the baby to bring up to the hospital or for when you come home with baby.

Please take these tips seriously! You will be glad you did and you will recover a lot quicker and have much more time to enjoy your new baby.