I think back to those scary but exciting first days with my babies.

It seemed that I was less scared and more excited with the arrival of each succeeding baby, but the initial scared part never entirely left me.

To think of a brand new life totally dependent on me for everything is kind of daunting.

And to top it all off, I was generally exhausted and thought I could do it all.

I have one critical piece of advice for any parent of a new baby.

No matter if it is your first baby or your fifth, arrange for someone to help you after the baby comes home.

Think about all the critical things that have to be done to keep your household going and make a list of them.

When the baby first comes home, all you should be doing is taking care of yourself and the baby.

Nothing else matters at that time. Some of the things to include on your list are: laundry cooking picking up clutter child care of older siblings

Your husband can be the caretaker of the home if he is able to be there. Just remember that both he and the new baby's older siblings need to have some time with the baby as well.

So you might still have to find some outside help. In the months before the birth, you should arrange for one or more home caretakers.

Hopefully these people can be relatives or friends, but if necessary hire a neighborhood teenager to keep up the daily tasks for a couple hours a day after school.

There are also home-helper agencies that can be a source of a capable helper.

One of the greatest gifts my mother-in-law ever gave to me was to move-in for the first week after each of my babies came. She generously jumped in and took over running the household so that I was able to baby my baby and myself.

It was so much easier to pick up the jobs when I had a full week of time to get to know my baby.

If you are a new mom, you probably think that you can do it all yourself.

You probably can, but your baby's first week or so should be a time when you get as much rest as possible to be able to deal with the weeks after the outside help ends.

Friends and relatives might ask if you need anything for the baby.

If you have enough clothing for the baby, you might suggest that the best gift they can bring is a casserole for the freezer.

These casseroles can be a life-saver when it's 5 pm and you're still in your `jammies! Believe me those days will happen!

Above all, listen to the people who tell you to rest when the baby rests. They have been there and done that!!

Remember to treasure the days with your children no matter how young or old they are. They are precious gifts beyond measure.

Until next time, Beth Stevenson

If you are tired of experts telling you how to parent, please subscribe to A Common Sense Parent Newsletter available at http://ACommonSenseParent.com. Beth Stevenson, who has parented four children over a span of 24 years, publishes it. No right or wrong answers, just a common sense approach to parenting. Beth@ACommonSenseParent.com