Be aware that your baby may be initially unsettled when you first come home. They will also need to adjust to their new surroundings, smells, noises and a new bed!
Saying goodbye to your caregiver
Women who have their own caregiver throughout the pregnancy, labour and birth, and possibly the postnatal period, may find breaking the bond with them a difficult task. The reliance and interaction with the same professional throughout such a significant life event can form a close relationship, and possibly emotional ties. If your caregiver was your local doctor, then the relationship will usually continue, but if you had your own obstetrician, or midwife, the contact with them can end quite abruptly.
For women who take the option of the early discharge program (going home from hospital within 48 hours of the birth), you may feel a little nervous (or anxious) when your caregiver's visits stop. Most women, and their partners, enjoy the daily visits in the postnatal time, often finding them reassuring in the first week or so after the birth. Once these visits stop, you will need to move from contact and reliance from the caregivers at the hospital, to sourcing different caregivers within the community. This is usually the early childhood nurse, support groups, and/or your local doctor.