User:AlonnaPreston143
From Wiki
Pregnancy and childbirth is undoubtedly one of the major milestones in a woman's life. From the time a woman learns that she is pregnant all through to the day of delivery, she is filled with expectant hope. Unfortunately, complications may arise which may prevent her from leaving the hospital as fast as she would have wanted. Some of the reasons for an extended hospital stay after childbirth include:
Premature Birth - your baby may be pre-term in which case he/she may need to be kept in the incubator for a period of time and you can give Kangaroo Mother Care.
Congenital infections - your child may develop a bacterial or viral infection necessitating treatment
Jaundice - your child may be jaundiced
Mother's complications - you may develop complications which force you to spend more time in hospital as you receive treatment
The bottom line is that once it is determined that you will be spending more time in hospital than originally anticipated, you need to find ways and means of creatively connecting with family and friends. You need to be able to interact with your family and friends to avoid boredom and depression. If you have a spouse and other older children, they will miss you greatly and you will therefore need to find a way to interact with them. The following tips will help you stay connected with your family and friends after childbirth:
Practice Open Communication - Keep the communication channels between your family/friends and yourself open. When your family visits you, let them know you are happy to see them. Hold hands with your spouse and have some intimate quiet time where you can catch up. Let your children see their new sibling and watch as you perform Kangaroo mother care if your baby is pre-term. If you are practicing Kangaroo Mother Care, let your partner get involved as well. Keep your family in the loop about everything that is going on and encourage them to ask questions. If you are allowed to have a mobile phone or laptop, post regularly to Twitter and Facebook. Let your friends know what is happening and you will receive lots of encouraging messages which will improve your emotional status.
Establish a Relationship with Your Primary Nurse - The kind of relationship and rapport that you build with your primary nurse will to a large extent determine how pleasant your stay in hospital will be. You can take advantage of a close relationship to schedule extended visits by your family and friends. You can even get away with receiving visitors outside visiting hours. You can also get clearer and more candid explanations of any ongoing treatment.
Seek the Help of Family and Friends - get your family and friends involved by asking for their help with certain things. In most cases they will only be too glad to oblige. Ask them to do some shopping for you. Get them to bring you food, drinks and snacks that are not offered by the hospital (provided you stay within your dietary guidelines). Ask them to bring you a book, get your older children to do your nails and generally get help with anything within reasonable limits, which will increase interaction with your family and friends.
