When baby arrives, it’s only natural for your friends and family to want to pay a visit and spend some quality time with the new arrival. However, as well-meaning as they are, these visits can quickly become overwhelming.
The phone just doesn’t seem to stop ringing, you’re exhausted, and you’ve already forgotten what sleep is. So, how can you tell your loved ones you’re just not up to visitor right now? Here, we’ll look at some of the best ways to handle visitors after giving birth.
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Send A Text
Once baby has arrived and everyone’s doing OK, it’s a great idea to send a mass text to friends and family who you think will want to come and visit. Include a photo as well as details of your baby and then use it as an opportunity to say you’ll let them know when you’re accepting visitors.
This way, you’ve provided them with an update, given them a cute photo and left it down to you to choose when people can start visiting. It limits those unexpected drop-ins and gives helps you to set boundaries early on. Of course, it may not totally eliminate those unexpected visitors, but it will greatly reduce them.
Have An Outfit Ready To Go
When you’re expecting visitors at home, it can help to have an outfit all ready to go. After you’ve spent what feels like forever with no sleep, hectically rushing around caring for baby, you’re definitely not going to look or feel your best. This can add to your stress levels when you know visitors are arriving soon.
So, have an outfit on hand that’s clean and stain-free which you can easily throw on at short notice.
Set Your Own Visiting Hours
If you’re in hospital, the visiting hours can be pretty long, leaving visitors the opportunity to pop and see you whenever it’s convenient for them. However, you can get around this by letting everyone know what specific hours you’re available from.
The same applies when you’re at home. You don’t want people to just turn up whenever they please, so set your own visiting hours. This will also help moms who are trying to get into a breastfeeding routine, as they won’t need to worry about whether they are going to be interrupted when the time comes.
Don’t Be Afraid To Say No
This is probably the hardest tip to follow. Saying no doesn’t come naturally to some people. However, when you’ve not long given birth and you’re trying to get into a new routine with baby, saying no becomes essential.
If a friend wants to stop by and it isn’t a good time, tell them. They’ll totally understand. You could also recommend an alternative time just so they know you do want to see them, but right now isn’t convenient.
Spread Out The Visits Over The Same Day
This may seem like a bad idea but accepting visitors all on the same day can work out really well. It means you’ll get through them together, leaving the rest of the week free for just you and baby. Just be sure to space the visits out a little. That way, you’ll be able to have a quick breather before the next set of visitors arrive.
Use One Room For Visitors
Another great tip is to only use one room for visitors. That way, you can focus on just cleaning that one room in time for when they arrive, rather than the entire house. It can save you so much time and stress as trying to clean up when you’ve got a baby to look after isn’t easy!
There’s also the benefit that you can take baby into a different room in private if you do need to change them or feed them during the visit.
Consider Taking Baby To See Visitors Who May Be Difficult To Get Rid Of
If you know that certain friends and family can be quite hard to get rid of, it may be a better option to go visit them. That way, you’re in control of when you leave. It’s a simple tip, but it can save you a lot of stress.
Going to their house instead also gives you the opportunity to get outdoors. If they don’t live too far away, consider walking just so you can enjoy the fresh air with baby. Getting out of the house is important as it’s easy to spend the majority of your time cooped up indoors. Getting out into the fresh air will make you feel so much better, leaving you feeling more relaxed and refreshed by the time you get home.
Getting Them To Leave
OK, so we’ve come to the tricky bit – how to get your visitors to leave. If you really need to get on with your day, the best excuse to give them is that baby needs to be fed. Most people understand that breastfeeding can be difficult at the beginning, so they’ll usually take the hint and leave you to it. If they don’t, you could always say how lovely it’s been to see them and you’ll be in touch soon to arrange another visit.
Conclusion
Overall, while it’s great to have visitors who want to come and see you and baby, it can become more than a little overwhelming. Unless managed properly, you could end up with visitors popping around what feels like every two minutes. The tips above will help you to better-handle visitors without coming across as rude.
Did you have trouble with visitors after your baby arrived? Share your stories in the comments below.
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