The paperwork, in the first month
Five pieces of paperwork have deadlines, and they come first.
- You complete the birth certificate form at the hospital and tick the box requesting a Social Security number.
- You enroll the baby in a health plan. Employer plans generally allow thirty days from the birth and marketplace plans allow sixty, and coverage reaches back to the day of birth.
- You submit a new Form W-4 so that your withholding reflects a dependent.
- You name a guardian in a will, and you update the beneficiaries on retirement accounts and life insurance.
- You price term life insurance on each parent, including one who earns no wage, since that parent's work would be costly to replace.
If you qualify under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, you may take up to twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. Several states add paid leave.
Health, on a schedule
The pediatrician sees a newborn within three to five days of birth, and then at one, two, four, six, nine and twelve months. Those visits carry the vaccine schedule and the growth checks, so keep every one. Newborns feed eight to twelve times in twenty-four hours, which explains how the first six weeks feel. In a baby under three months, a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher means calling the doctor immediately, at any hour.
Sleep and the car
The baby sleeps on the back, on a firm and flat surface, in a crib or bassinet of their own, with nothing else in it, and ideally in your room for at least the first six months. The car seat faces the rear and is installed tightly enough to move less than an inch at the belt path. Many fire departments and hospitals will check the installation free.
Looking after the adults
Split the night into shifts, so that each parent gets one protected stretch of four or five hours. When people offer help, give them a specific task, such as a meal, a load of laundry or two hours with the baby while you sleep. The weepiness of the first two weeks is common and passes. Low mood, dread or numbness that lasts longer may be postpartum depression, which affects about one in eight mothers and some fathers, and it is treatable. Tell your doctor in plain words.
Note You will be told to enjoy every minute. Nobody does, and finding parts of the year hard says nothing about how well you are doing it.
