Some suggestions about when after arriving home you might address a few of the common situations for new parents with a child adopted internationally.
After you first come home, when to:
See the pediatrician:
After you first come home, when to:
See the pediatrician:
- Within the first week after coming home, for routine physical
- Sooner, at any time, if you have any concerns you feel can’t wait or might be an emergency.
- If possible, limit this in number and in time spent out. Your child can become easily over-stimulated and overwhelmed.
- Avoid taking your child out if he or she is running a fever has a cold or running nose or with other health issues. (Check with your pediatrician if you are concerned.)
- If it’s adults only, with the baby asleep, go ahead and schedule it for a time when you’re over jet lag.
- If your child will be included, wait several weeks until your child feels more familiar with you and the new environment.
- Try for at least one parent to stay close to home with your child for the first few weeks, if at all possible.
- But do find ways to take time out and time away: taking turns with your spouse for childcare; having a person familiar to your child come after he or she is tucked in for the night; saving naptime as time you spend just for yourself, not chores or work.
- When you do have a sitter, introduce this person and have the person sitting spend some time with your child before the day will need the sitter. Take it gradually.
- If possible, delay this until at least two weeks after you return to recover from travel fatigue. This may be too soon for your child.
- If you will leave your child with a sitter, some parents find it’s helpful to schedule this after your child’s bedtime and with a person your child has become familiar with over many days of interaction. Delay until after the first two weeks, if possible, since you will all be recovering
- If your child is included, wait until after the first month, longer if your child needs more time to be comfortable with strangers, new places, crowds.
- Some children seem to resent new moms for replacing their previous caretakers, others latch onto to new mothers for dear life and ignore Dads; many children who have never seen men (or only a few) can react with suspicion or rejection or think Dads are a wonderful new novelty.
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