How do you all feel about multiple ppl handing your newborn with flu going around?

[Mama_2_Boy]

Well the subject title pretty much sums it up. I know that once babe is born, everyone is going to want to meet her. How do you feel about so many people holding your newborn? Especially since so many virus' can linger 2-3 days in someone without showing any symptoms?

[crunchy_mama]

I am not keen on a bunch of people holding my new baby regardless of illness. I keep new little ones pretty close to me.

[Doberbrat]

not particularily concerned about the flu but I will say that i'm a posessive mamma. We had dd out and about immediately. Went to an awards banquet when she was 6 days old, went to opening day at IKEA when she was 10 days old.

but we did NOT play pass the baby anywhere. People are welcome to look but not touch my babies.

As far as I'm concerned, you're the momma. You worked hard to grow and birth that baby. If you dont want people handling her, dont.

[MsBlack]

I'm a bit more 'community friendly' with my babes than the pp's are....within limits anyway. But during a time when yes, there are tons of viruses going around, I'd be lots more possessive for the first 3-6wks at least. Some people are strict about handwashing before handing over baby, some only schedule appts for one or 2 ppl at a time, some limit visitors to only very closest friends/fam at first. Do what feels right to you!

[Mama_2_Boy]

Originally Posted by Doberbrat

not particularily concerned about the flu but I will say that i'm a posessive mamma. We had dd out and about immediately. Went to an awards banquet when she was 6 days old, went to opening day at IKEA when she was 10 days old.

but we did NOT play pass the baby anywhere. People are welcome to look but not touch my babies.

As far as I'm concerned, you're the momma. You worked hard to grow and birth that baby. If you dont want people handling her, dont.

Wow I've never even thought about it like that. I have one in-law in particular that I'm not keen on him touching the baby. He gets very unnerved with me with I've had to ask him other things in the past...like chewing gum after he's smoked, and then trying to jam it in my son's mouth to 'share'...oh gawd. When I insisted he stop trying to do that, he got all pissy with me...sorry I just don't like the thought of smokers with yellow fingers handling her...
You ever notice some people have a facination with touching the babies face? It's that kind of handling that gets me worried.

[thefreckledmama]

When my youngest was born, an email was sent out to everyone that might be around the baby, it was more or less:

name
weight
length
time

"We know everyone is excited to meet the new baby, and we're excited to show her off. We have a few requests in regards to visitors.

1. Please call before visiting.
2. Please don't visit if you or anyone in your household (or close co-workers) has shown any signs of illness within the last 72 hours.
3. Because of our large families, only grandparents will be holding the baby at the hospital.
4. The hospital is requesting no visitors under 12 years of age.
*********
That helped to head off a lot of initial passing of the baby (with the exception of the great grandma who would ask for the baby, then pass her to whomever else she felt should also get to hold her )

Besides that, I don't pass the baby in social situations (it gets hard to draw the line), and don't really take a lot of visitors the first few weeks. I get that people want to see/hold the new baby, but it's my job to keep them healthy, so I don't mind being the "bad guy" who says no.

[dislocator3972]

I've found that keeping the baby in a sling/wrap minimizes pass the baby. A lot of touching is reduced too b/c people feel like they're invading my space by touching her, and that's just the way I like it!

[leaves]

this has been hard for me, because i hate saying no, especially to sweet old ladies at our church. but i've found the best thing to say is "i'm sorry, we don't really want people to hold him lately, you know with this swine flu thing going around," and everyone is very understanding. i have friend who don't take their babies out of the house until they are two months old, and if they have to, they are in the sling the whole time. if someone tries to touch the baby, she says "this is my space, please don't touch the baby," but i'm too chicken to say something like that!

we tried best we could to limit people who held him to just family members. it seems that if one person says "oh can i hold him?" then another person says "i want to hold him next!" and then what do you say? it never ends!!

[leaves]

Originally Posted by Mama_2_Boy

You ever notice some people have a facination with touching the babies face? It's that kind of handling that gets me worried.

oh oh yes, and their hands. they just don't think about it. my ds is putting his hands in his mouth ALL the time lately and i HATE it when people want him to hold their fingers. ew.

we live in an area where more than half the population is hispanic, and in this culture, there is a superstition called "the ojo" - if someone sees a cute baby and feels the need to touch/caress/stroke, and they don't, they feel bad luck will come to them.

[gossamerwindweb]

Originally Posted by dislocator3972

I've found that keeping the baby in a sling/wrap minimizes pass the baby. A lot of touching is reduced too b/c people feel like they're invading my space by touching her, and that's just the way I like it!

..... we find the same thing. It really works. LOL!

Originally Posted by leaves

we live in an area where more than half the population is hispanic, and in this culture, there is a superstition called "the ojo" - if someone sees a cute baby and feels the need to touch/caress/stroke, and they don't, they feel bad luck will come to them.

yeah, here too. But the sling helps a little, because it is my space and I can move away easily if I see someone heading our way. I also keep all natural diaper wipes handy so if someone grabs his hand I can wipe it off with a diaper wipe. It isn't necessarily a disinfectant, but I feel like it is cleaner before he shoves his hand in his mouth!

[gossamerwindweb]

that eyeroll is because I can't figure out how to delete this stupid accidental message. LOL!

[JMJ]

I feel like it's my responsibility to defend by baby's personal space. That said, I'm really non-confrontational, so it's hard. I am trying to ask people I know to not touch her hands or face, but they can touch her feet. Then, I change her socks before she can put them in her mouth. For people who I don't know who think that they have a right to touch my baby on the face or hands, I'm a little more snappy. I really don't know what makes people think that they have the right to walk up to a human being that they don't know and touch them without permission. I think it's part of our society's tendency to see children as objects or at least somehow deserving of less respect than an adult.

[Nate's Mommy]

FWIW, my pediatrician recommended that anyone who wants to touch/hold our 4 week old should wash their hands or use Purell first. So, at Thanksgiving this year, I plan to smile and offer a firm "So sorry - you're welcome to hold him, but because of the swine flu, our pediatrician insists that everyone wash their hands". I think people will get it.

[Whistler]

It makes me nervous, yes. All the more because he is adopted and using donated breastmilk and formula and didn't get colostrum that I know of.

BUT I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to obsessively worry about germs. My mom did... sterilized everything, went crazy with worry... and my sister and I caught every little bug that came along. So far with my kids, I don't go out of my way to expose them, but I just choose not to let myself worry too much. We keep clean but don't obsessively handwash or sterilize. And I let people at church hold the baby.

So far my kids have been unusually healthy. They rarely get sick and when they do it heals really quickly. I guess their natural immune systems have been allowed to develop.

So far Baby is healthy and I just keep my fingers crossed. The H1N1 scare is not fun with a 7-week-old but I have a feeling we'll come through ok.