My homebirth midwives have a page that they tape to the front door 
after a birth.  It announces the baby's name, sex, weight, etc and 
then says,

"In order for the baby, parents, and siblings to get rested and to 
get to know each other in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, it is 
requested that EVERYONE limit their visits to 15 MINUTES.

"This is a very special time and the desire to share with you must be 
weighed against the need for rest and quiet.

"Before you leave, it would be helpful if you lent a hand -- quietly 
wash up the dirty dishes, take the laundry home, water the plants, 
sweep the floor, check the supply of food, or do any other nice thing 
you feel inclined to do!

"It is important to 'mother' the mother after a birth!

"Your local midwives."

I found out after my births that friends did stop by, read the birth 
announcement on the door, poked their heads only to learn that the 
baby and I were resting, and left their good wishes, gifts, and food 
for us to enjoy later.  Some close friends of course came in and 
snuggled on the bed with me and the baby but even they stayed only 
briefly.  (Some of them had used the same midwives and knew the 
drill.)  There were certainly NO interruptions in the evening, 
nighttime, or early morning hours.

Breastfeeding went beautifully after both of my homebirths.  My milk 
came in within 24 hours, the babies transitioned to yellow stools 
within 36 hours, and both babies gained weight almost from day 1 (ie 
no weight loss or only a couple of ounces; at or above birthweight on 
day 3-4).

I could easily go on and on about how fabulous my homebirths were in 
other ways as well, but that would be getting off-topic.  :-)

Margaret
mom of 3 (1 hospital birth, 2 homebirths)
LLLL
Longmont, CO


>
>Date:    Thu, 7 Dec 2006 07:09:32 +1100
>From:    Nina Berry <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: interruptions
>
>I wonder if home-birth mothers feel 'interrupted' by visitors.
>
>Nina Berry BA/Bed(Hons) Dip Arts(Phil)
>Breastfeeding Counsellor
>PhD Candidate - "Ethical Issues in the marketing of 'Toddler Milks'"

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