Im not barbaric but at the end of the day the LO has got to be exposed to germs sometime or another so why not from the start so its not a shock to her system... not going as far as to say im going to bath her in the toilet but i cant place her in a germ free sterile bubble for the rest of her life.
i personally think the odd cough or cold will do no harm as it builds the immune system up. also babies are born in hospitals which at the best of times are minty so they survive a few hours there where sick people are being treated so whats a bit of fresh air and new surroundings.

I think it depends a lot on what time of year it is. If it's RSV season I would be very careful. When I was in the hospital as a teenager there were SO many sick babies in there with RSV. To me it's not worth the risk. I think taking them on walks and outside is not a problem. It's taking them into crowded public places with other people that could have contagious diseases. 10 days to do things like that is definitely not too big of a sacrifice to make for my baby.

I took my 3 sons out for the first time at 3 days old (school runs, shopping etc) and its never done them any harm. Babies need to get used to being outside aswell as inside and they will get exposed to germs sometime or another anyway. I also found especially with my first son that the fresh air helped him sleep better.

Everyone is different including babies, so I would suggest you do what you feel is right, your will know your baby better than anyone else.

Can I just ask coz I'm still confused..

I was told that the wait (however long it is) was something to do with the babies immune system and they may be open to illness etc.. Which I never really believed because if that was the case they wouldn't chuck us out of hospital as early as 6hrs after the delivery!! lol

Is this definately not the case then and there won't be any harm to the baby to take them out and about straight away..

I took Oscar out the first day. It's not the baby who will have the problem, wrapped up and comfy baby is fine. Mum however may need to look after herself and not overdo it. Something I learned. I went out for 2 hrs and locally, I was shattered afterwards and felt a little ill, and I had a quick and healthy delivery.

Baby has a lot of mum's immunities in the first month

This is a very good subject that has been brought up. I, myself, have never given this any thought. I just assumed that once you bring the baby home from the hospital, then you could take your baby where ever you go, whether it is on a walk, shopping, to a friends, etc... Personally, I wouldn't go on a shopping trip especially if you have just gotten out of the hospital. Not only are you taking care of your LO, you need to take care of yourself and heal from labor. It is very important for mom to rest so you can take care of LO.

As for me, I don't plan on going out and about for awhile after the baby is born. I plan on staying at home and learning my new routine with the baby and getting used to being a mom. I may go over to my parents house or a family members house, but that it is. I can't say how long, but it's not realistic for the majority of the popluation to hibernate for months before taking their newborn out in the world. We all live very busy lives and it will be alright to talke along your LO as long as you have everything the baby needs (warmth, food, clothing, diapers, wipes etc...). People have babies everyday and I see new babies out and about with their parents all the time. JUst because you have a baby, doesn't mean your life has to stop.

As far as germs are concerned, when vistors come to the hospital and hold your LO, even if they wash their hands, there are still germs in the air. I know parents want to protect their newborns, but I agree with the other posters, you need to expose your baby to these situations so they can build their immune system (unless instructed by your doctor otherwise).

when ever you feel ready shug just if it cold outside make sure baby is wrapped up if it warm make sure it doesnt get to hot and u shud be fine just remember if it is very soon after labour u have got to take it easy ureself so make sure you can sit down now and again if u need to

i've always taken my LO's out from day one for half an hour walk in the fresh air not only does it introduce them to the outside world it always made me feel better too instead of being cooped up in the house. Everyone has their own opinion what suits them but do whatever suits you and your LO best x

I dont know if standard of care is different in the UK, but here in the US, if you're a baby <3 months old and you get a fever (100.4 or higher, which is 38 C), you get stuck for blood, a catheterized urine specimen and spinal fluid taken and you are admitted to the hospital for at least 3 days (until all those cultures are back) on strong IV antibiotics.

This is b/c newborns dont give very many signs of being seriously ill and we would rather be safe than sorry. Generally, they may be a little more fussy or may not eat quite as much as normal, or may be a bit less active or have a low fever (100.4F/38C). Babies tend to look "ok" until they are literally on death's door, they arent like older kids who have a period of looking worse before they really go bad. It's why daycares over here will generally not take babies until 10-12 weeks of age.

Ive taken care of babies who got taken out, got sick, parents didnt realize it was serious and their babies end up with horrible meningitis (b/c they dont have good barriers between blood/brain) and are either severely brain damaged for life or dead.

At 5 months, it's perfectly fine to expose babies to colds and stuff, bearing in mind that they STILL may end up hospitalized, and possibly with permanent lung damage, depending on the type of cold bug it is (RSV, metapneumovirus, etc come to mind as bad ones) but at 1-2 months? not my child. I dont want to spend days in the hospital with him for something i could have prevented.

I mean, he will likely come with me to the grocery store before 2 months old, but he will stay in his carrier (or in a sling) with blanket over him, and I will NOT have random strangers coming over to coochie-coo him on the cheek with their dirty hands.

For that matter, at home, any visitors will be illness-free and washing their hands before touching him, too, at that age.

Of course, Ive seen a lot of the "worst case scenarios" so that does influence my perspective (Im a pediatrician - I graduate from residency in 4 weeks).

Oh, and we dont get chucked out of the hospital at 6 hours, babies HAVE to stay at least 24 hours, and preferred is 48-72. The only exception I know of to this rule is when we evacuated for the hurricaine 2 years ago.

So, to clarify my position - going OUTSIDE or IN THE CAR is fine. Going to places packed with strangers you dont know who may or may not be sick and may or may not touch/sneeze on/otherwise pass germs to your baby is not - and that applies for the first 1-2 months.

Star

i took all mine out in the first week especially tyler so i could buy blue clothes now that i knew that he was a boy. i think its fine its silly for people to say dont leave the house for 1 or 2 months.