It is the moment that two becomes three. The moment you become a family. And bring a human in to the world. The experience is hugely rewarding and positive but there is no doubt that it is emotionally and physically draining also. When the time comes to arrive home with your baby you look forward to sharing this precious time with your friends and family. You embrace the many visitors and proudly introduce your beautiful baby. 

This is not the case for all families though. Did you know that many families simply make the rule that they do not wish to have any visitors for a certain period of time? A week, two weeks or maybe more. They want to allow themselves time to heal and adjust to life as a new family. They feel that accepting a stream of visitors in to their home will have a negative affect on this. And so they take the bull by the horns. Before the baby is born they make it very clear to friends and family that they will not be welcoming visitors for a number of weeks. Their baby, their family, their choice. 

Reactions to this kind of a decision is often quite negative. Friends and family have been dreaming about newborn snuggles and meeting the new addition to the family during those first couple of days. That precious time when the baby is so squishy, so sleepy and so very new. News that they cannot visit or meet the baby for several weeks is not always well-received. 

In many cases it is second or third time parents who make these choices. Perhaps they have had negative experiences in the past. They now value the importance of that adjustment period of welcoming a new baby in to the family. They have the confidence  to make their wishes known and probably worry less about what people will think or how their loved ones will react. 

What do you think? Is it perfectly acceptable to ban visitors when you arrive home with your newborn? Would you do it yourself? We would love to hear your thoughts. 

Written by Tracey, mummy blogger and staff writer at www.familyfriendlyhq.ie.
Check out her own blog at www.loveofliving.blogspot.ie