Your baby’s needs

Check your basic progressive exercise programme with your caregiver.

Parent-infant interaction

Interaction with your baby begins before she is born. You usually feel life at about 20 weeks into pregnancy as light, fluttering sensations.

Getting enough sleep during the first months of your baby’s life means adjusting to your own new sleep habits and those of your baby. Here are a few things that might help with getting baby to sleep and to help you get sleep:

An action plan for your family and friends.

Your feelings about the birth

Your feelings about the birth can range vastly, from euphoria to depression, from fulfilment to a sense of loss or indifference, from disappointment to extreme gratitude. You will relive the birth many times and may feel disappointment if, in your eyes, any factors were a failure.

A general physical and gynaecological examination is advised 4–6 weeks after delivery to assess your recovery and the return of your body to its non-pregnant state.

After the birth your body undergoes rapid physical and hormonal changes. Your caregivers will carefully check on your temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and blood pressure during the first hours and days after the birth. They will monitor the amount and character of bleeding, the position of the fundus and uterus, and the functioning of your bladder and bowel.

The average stay in hospital is about three days, if there are no complications. Use the time to rest and gather as much information as possible. Alternatively, you may want to consider early discharge.