Holiday Planning With a New Baby
Over the years I’ve seen new parents move through the holidays with varying degrees of success. Some sail through with very little issue while some parents and their babies have difficulty with a disrupted routine and the bustle of people and activities that come with holidays. Sometimes understanding of when things need to shift and when to move forward with your plans. I’m a big fan of the idea that you know your child best and how best to plan around them. Please take into consideration where you are at in recovery from birth and it’s my hope that you can plan your holidays accordingly.
Disrupted Schedules?
Try to keep children on their regular schedule as much as possible. Some children do a-ok with flipping nap schedules around while other children struggle. Some children nap anywhere while some need to be in their own surroundings. I trust that you know your child best (aka you are the expert on YOUR child) and know if they can push naps around or if baby will nap in unfamiliar places.
Bring the Holidays to You
Bring the holidays to you! Some children do better in their natural environment. While this may put more work on your immediate family sometimes it’s easier to be the host and have people come to you. It is completely acceptable to ask people to bring certain foods so you don’t have to do all the work. In fact, there are places where you can order a meal completely made Lucky’s market locally does, as does Whole Foods, Hello Fresh offers delivery boxes with all the things to make a meal. I’m sure there are more I’m missing. These things don’t need to be super difficult to plan and make. Please take into consideration what part of the postpartum journey you are in and only host if you have a lot of support to do so.
New Traditions
It’s ok to start your own traditions with your nuclear family. Often once new baby arrive families decide that it’s time to start their own traditions. Sometimes extended families can be invited into these times or they sometimes celebrate at different times. There are many ways people celebrate various holidays during this time, it’s ok to research and find what works for your family.
Baby Baby Baby
If visiting with family it’s ok to take your baby back from relatives. New moms often feel like their heart is outside of their bodies attached to their babies. If you are feeling the longing to have babe back in your arms it’s a good bet that your baby feels the same. Remember, you are the best advocate for your child and know them better than anyone. You know what they need and when they need to reconnect with you. Remind relatives that with RSV season upon us kissing baby isn’t ideal since people can be contagious before they feel really sick.
Cutting Time Short
Family is so important in helping families settle into new parenting roles and parents want to share their baby with relatives. If you and baby are freshly postpartum or if you have a fussy older baby it’s perfectly acceptable to spend less time at family get togethers.
Feeding Baby
Not all relatives will be aware of early feeding cues, you may need to watch and feed baby before they get to later feeding cue signs (ie frantically crying). You can nurse your baby wherever you are or in a quiet space, especially if your baby is easily distracted or seems to need a quieter place to reconnect with you.
Can I Have a Drink?
A final note on consuming alcohol during this time. While it used to be suggested if you are breastfeeding then you need to pump milk off and dump it out. We now know that alcohol leaves breastmilk the same rate as it leaves your body. If you are ok to drive (aka actually ok to drive, not heeeeyyyyy, I’m good to drive) then you are ok to nurse your baby. For specifics and amounts follow this link to Kelly Mom and the CDC for more information.
Hope your holiday season is a great one full of meaningful time spent with family and loved ones.