For some reason there is this part of me that wants our family to stop asking to hold my new little baby. He is only days old and is in the NICU but is pretty healthy. Some ppl say it is good that he gets so much love and attention but others say that it's too much passing around, germs, and so forth. Plus, today I had to (well I was being nice) leave the hospital because he had 6 family members waiting outside to hold him. Is there such a thing as too much love and attention too early? I'm so glad he is so popular so I may be being too protective.

Go under the 'Children' section under 'health and wellness' and read the discussion called 'wash your hands please'. That will give you lots of insight.

Yes holding your baby is great for him...but overstimulating him can be exhausting, especially if he is still fighting an infection. I don't mean to sound mean but I think I would want to try to place a limit ...but how do you with grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles?? They are all so excited and happy that he is here.I think I would do what you are doing Mary...just feel a little overwhelmed and unsure inside, but know that this is his family and they all want him to know that they love him. I could never tell my mom or my husbands mom to not go in and hold their grandchild so I see your dilema...maybe you could ask them to look and get close and talk to him but not pick him up??? What do the docs say?? Do they think it's good for him??This is a tough one....good luck

Our daughter was the first grandbaby on my hubby's side...so everyone wanted to hold her...unless...I said "oh..time for to eat" Man that statement could clear the room...haha! But it really did work...his family thought she ate like every 20 minutes...haha...then I would say..oh she fell asleep eating (which for the first week or two they do look like they are sleeping a lot) I did it that way so that I didn't have to hurt feelings and when it cleared out, it gave me a chance to have some quiet time

If you're really uncomfortable, since he's still in the hospital, just ask one of the nurses to politely tell them that it's better for him to not have quite so many visitors. Ask if they can limit it to one or two people at a time. It's their job -- they do it during labor and delivery -- and it wouldn't make it so awkward for you. I can't imagine if you tell everyone to wait until he gets settled at home for visits that they would get too upset. You're his mom, after all, and you're just looking out for his health and well-being.

As I was reading your question and the responses, I formulated in my mind how I would handle it...then I got to Sarah's post and it was what I was thinking! I am sure everyone would understand if the nurses advised he get some R&R while in the NICU.

I would definately let the nurses handle it while he is still in the hospital. It really is tough when you have a large family and everyone is so super excited. I had the same problem with my family (except for the being in the hospital part) and I finally just HAD to say something. K was only 1 day old and we were at my parents for my dad's birthday party (we wouldn't have even gone, but we all knew it would be his last) and everyone kept passing her around. I finally broke down and started crying and told everybody that it was just to early to pass her around because I couldn't handle it yet. I felt like a complete idiot for crying like a crazy woman about it worked and no one thought badly of me for it. They all understood - especially all the women who have their own children. I think it is totally normally and a natural feeling to be overwhelmed with all the people that want to love on a new baby so soon..... after all, it's your time to be selfish and get all the loving that you can after carrying him around for sooooooo long!

The nurses are more than willing to help you out with that. At least they did with us. And after we got home my husband just kind of continued to repeat what the nurses said. He was like an Army Ranger around her. Heaven help anyone that tried to touch her face. He would give them this stare. I thought that he was going to smack the hands of a few people.
I know that some of our family were a little "put off" by us being so protective, but they got over it. It was for her health and our sanity.

I think there is only a problem if he is already having a problem (plus, the baby is in the hospital which is a haven for germs and infection anyway, especially the ones everyone picks up on the way in). However, everyone in my family and my husbands family came by the house the day he was born of the next day after my son was born. They started showing up when he was about 8 hours old or so, except for my immediate family which were all at the birth and held him within his first hour. I have pictures of all of them in his scrapbook.

Carrie

I love it Bishop96!

When our baby was born, we banned everyone from the hospital. That way no one felt they were personally being banned. We just wanted privacy because we'd been trying to have a baby for so long and finally our little miracle had arrived. We wanted to just be the three of us for that couple of days and bond.

After we got home, we just asked all visitors to wash their hands before holding the baby and we have a half-bath downstairs which we set up with some nice liquid soap and plenty of hand towels for everyone