Our Struggles Before Confinement Nanny
Disclaimer: Every baby is different. Here’s my experience as a first-time parent.
Background:
During pregnancy, both sides of our family were excited to welcome their first grandson! We wanted the best confinement arrangement for recovery and baby care, considering:
- Convenience for family visits 🏡
- Costs 💰
- Caregiving support 👩👩👦
Initially, we planned to split our stay between both families. But after hearing from friends how challenging newborn care can be, we decided that hiring a confinement nanny was the best choice.
---
Our First Week:
Our nanny wasn’t available immediately, so we spent the first week caring for the baby ourselves, with some help from my in-laws.
Challenges included:
1. Sleepless nights 🌙
My newborn was a “night owl” 🦉, waking almost every hour at night. Each round of feeding, diaper changes, and soothing him back to sleep took about an hour. Basically, we’d sleep an hour, then wake an hour for baby care, over and over all night.
Even though my hubby did his best, we were both new to baby care and learning together. We tried different ways to soothe our baby, and it was stressful whenever he cried non-stop in the middle of the night. We often felt clueless and didn’t want to disturb other family members.
On top of that, I also had to pump milk, which took another 30 minutes.
This left us with almost no quality rest.
Tip: A hands-free pump makes life so much easier 🙂
2. Intense tailbone & wound pain 😣
Tailbone pain was probably caused by pushing during labour, making sitting, rolling in bed, or getting up very painful.
Besides that, my wound restricted many movements.
Even simple baby care tasks became a real struggle for me.
---
As first-time parents, we realized that:
- There would be many unknowns in baby care
- Babies need constant comfort, attention, and care
- We couldn’t expect our parents to wake up in the middle of the night
- I needed time to recover from labour
Newborn life was nothing like we expected!
---
Teaser for Part 2:
Next, I’ll share how our nanny changed everything 🤍
From my personal journey, I found that the early days after childbirth bring more challenges than I anticipated. Sleepless nights were relentless, especially when my newborn woke up almost hourly. It felt like a never-ending cycle of feeding, diaper changes, and soothing with barely any time to rest. I quickly realized the importance of efficient tools, such as a hands-free breast pump, which significantly eased my pumping routine and allowed me to multitask more easily. Additionally, the physical recovery from labor was tough. Tailbone pain and wound discomfort limited my mobility and made even simple tasks like holding and changing the baby difficult. This experience highlighted how crucial a proper support system is during postpartum recovery. For anyone considering arrangements after childbirth, I recommend carefully weighing the benefits of hiring a confinement nanny. Beyond just assistance, they bring valuable expertise in newborn care—helping first-time parents navigate the myriad unknowns and providing much-needed rest and recovery time for the mother. This support was a game changer for us in adjusting to parenthood—and helped restore balance in our household during those challenging first weeks. Finally, it’s important to recognize every baby and situation is unique. While some parents manage without extra help, for us, the decision to finally have a confinement nanny made all the difference in easing daily pressures, improving the baby’s comfort, and supporting my own healing process after delivery.
Hello thanks for sharing! I have a newborn, I'm wondering what if baby poops/pees on train and cries? do I have to Tahan the cry till we find a nursing room in nearby mall (what if there isn't a mall at the station)? 🥹 thank you!