Bringing home your newborn is an incredibly exciting time - but what do you do next? There's no hospital buzzer to press for help and advice; no midwife standing by to encourage you and teach you new skills - it's time to discover your own parenting journey.
As a new parent you now discover a depth to the swirling emotions of anxiety, excitement, fear, joy, uncertainty and disbelief that you have never experienced before.
Your baby is thriving and settled but you find yourself checking on her every few minutes.
You have a loving partner and a healthy baby but you just can't seem to control the tears.
Your body won't rest despite having recently completed the equivalent of a marathon, and your breasts leak - but don't worry, it's all normal.
You may be used to being in control - but now is not the time.
Just relax and go with what your heart and instincts are telling you.
The first few weeks is not the time to put newborns in a routine, worry about spoiling them or worry they will form bad habits.
Don't be a martyr - accept any help offered from close friends and family.
Accepting help is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength.
It's all about surviving the madness.
Have visitors cook, clean, iron, shop and wash...
but leave the cuddling or caring for your newborn to you and your partner.
As Michael Odent is quoted as saying in the book "Primal Health", "This period formed the foundation on which the rest of a person's life was built.
" Dads may not be able to breast feed but they can burp, settle, change a nappy and bathe newborns.
"Maternal- Infant Bonding", by Dr Marshall H.
Klaus and Dr John H.
Kennell shows the bonding period in the weeks following birth is vital for foundations of human attachment and relationships.
But don't fret - not all parents have warm fuzzy feelings towards their baby at birth; it can take time.
The birthing experience and your parenting expectations play a significant part in how you feel and cope as a new parent.
You may have formulated ideas of what living with a newborn will be like; well, here is a realistic one.
Newborns cry - it's their first form of communication.
One reason babies cry is hunger.
Newborns with jaundice are usually sleepy, so wake them for regular feeds as they may not cry for them.
Breastfed-newborns feed every two to three hours during the day and often longer stretches at night.
Don't worry if it feels like you are always feeding - that's normal.
It gets better when lactation is established - this could take six to ten weeks, but it's worth it.
Make sure you seek professional support early if feeding isn't going well.
Newborns who are fed infant formula do not need to be fed this often, in fact overfeeding with formula can o harm.
Four hourly feeding (timed from the beginning of one feed to the beginning of the next) is sufficient for most brands.
Always seek professional advice before commencing infant formula.
What goes in is utilised or expelled in one form or another - vomit, wee or poo.
During the first week it is important for newborns to poo at least daily - some poo in every nappy.
Breast-fed poo is mustard yellow with white seedy bits and liquid in texture.
Formula fed poo is usually a thicker, pasty green shade with an odour, so thankfully it doesn't happen as often - but it needs to be every day or two to avoid constipation.
Poo or wee left in contact with delicate skin can cause burning and nappy rash.
Change nappy regularly and give them air time without their nappy.
And use a non perfumed barrier cream for skin protection.
Newborns will not sleep for much longer than stretches of an hour or two during the day but may go for longer at night - by that I mean three or four hours! If your newborn has turned her day into night and vice versa, make sure you wake them every three to four hours during the day to feed.
To settle newborns, focus on mimicking the womb environment.
This makes the transition to the world a little easier - warmth, movement, muffled noise, dim light and a firm enclosure (swaddled in breathable fabric).
Surviving life with a newborn requires a calm attitude, not perfected parenting skills.
Relax - you're not going to get everything right and there is plenty of time to learn, as parenting is intended to take place over a lifetime.