Mom-Tales.com

The day has finally arrived. You've given birth to your sweet little baby and you're ready to take him home. You can't wait to show him his cute nursery you spent weeks decorating. You can't wait to lay him down on his adorable crib with the lullaby mobile you chose with such care. You know he'll be impressed, happy and will sleep well - like a baby. But what's this? The first night home he fusses and cries like a banshee all through the night. It doesn't get much better the second night either. What happened?

Actually, your baby is probably a bit bewildered. If you birthed your newborn in a hospital, keep in mind that he or she was expelled from the warm, soothing environment of the womb into a large, bright, noisy atmosphere. It has been my experience that many babies have difficulty adjusting to the first night home. I usually hear comments such as, "He slept great at the hospital and now that we're home he's not sleeping very well." No wonder yours is not the happy, sleepy baby you expected him to be that first night home. He's had to endure three dramatic transitions!

Transition number one: your infant had been enjoying having his every need automatically supplied in the womb, then suddenly pushed out into life on the outside, having to breathe on his own and exert effort to feed himself.

Transition number two: your baby was essentially jolted from a soft, dark environment, and a loud, bright, noisy hospital.

Transition number three: he or she is now in a strange new place and, most likely, sleeping in a crib apart from Mommy.

What to do? Practice bonding activities. Your job that first night home is to soothe, hold, walk with, rock, talk, and/or sing to your newborn. Try to be patient as he or she attempts to adjust to yet another transition. Understanding how traumatic it must be for the little tike will give you the courage and composure to help make the transition as gentle as possible.

And I promise, each day will get better as your baby adapts to his new home.

© 2002, Jollie Bernier. All right reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotation in a review.