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May 2, 2007 | Print

Postpartum Survival Tips: The First Two Weeks (or Longer)

Between the two of us, we’ve given birth 5 times. Each pregnancy we promise ourselves (and our husbands) that we’ll be better prepared for the postpartum experience.

And each time the first two weeks are inevitably bumpy. At least by now we’ve learned a few things.

Our basic needs around the house for the first few weeks after giving birth:

1. Baby help is essential. You will need breaks, and with newborns you can’t count on naps.

For us, the help we need varies depending on our healing, sanity and the number of other children we have. When looking for your goto person, our experience is that dads also need breaks.

2. Food. You will be very hungry and unable to prepare meals. Even pouring cereal into a bowl can be too much.

Our greatest investment was finding a nice person to cook dinners for our families. Leftovers are lunch. If we were organized and decent cooks, we’d freeze casseroles the last month of pregnancy (but make sure to avoid gassy newborn foods).

3. Long showers are the equivalent of an hour of therapy and two hours of sleep. Thus the need for baby help.

4. Housekeeping becomes a hassle, and we can’t believe how much laundry there is to wash. We (try to) accept the messiness and find an extra helping hand.

5. Errands are important and you can’t do them yourself. Oliver is Kelly’s third child, and she still had essential baby errands those early weeks. Diapers, powders, sleepers that fit better, not to mention going to the market.

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