Hi everyone! As we get closer to meeting Oliver, Zach and I have been putting some serious thought into how to keep him safe when he’s at his teeny tiniest.
As you know, Stella & Joy did not get to come home with us. This delivery, recovery, and journey we are about to embark on with Oliver will be very different. As much as we want to allow everyone to love and enjoy Oliver with us, we also want to protect him. We know, all too well, how many things can go wrong in the blink of an eye.
Oliver will be arriving a little early. Therefore, we will not know if he will need NICU time until he is here with us. We also want our first days with him to be focused on our family of three, plus two very special angels. These early moments will be emotional on so many levels, and we want the space to soak it all in. For these reasons, hospital visits will be kept to a bare minimum, and by invitation only. Please don’t take offense if you are not invited to the hospital, understand how much we have gone through to get here and how important these moments will be. We want everyone to meet and celebrate Oliver and would be happy to arrange said meetings once we are settled back at home.
When we do get home, we have some guidelines we need and expect to be followed for those who wish to meet our sweet boy:
-Please no unannounced visits. I will be recovering from a c-section and will want to be prepared for visitors. This applies to both family hospital visits and home visits. A quick text or email to Zach or me and we will do our best to set a time for you to come over.
-Please wash and sanitize hands before holding baby Oliver. We have plenty of soap and hot water.
-There will be no kissing our little one. This especially applies to his tiny face and hands. Kisses can be quite dangerous in his earliest weeks. We ask that both friends and family respect this. No matter how tempting and kissable his little cheeks may look, we must insist you refrain.
-Please make sure that your Tdap vaccine is updated. The Tdap is recommended every 10 years. If you have recently had a tetanus shot, you are most likely covered, but it wouldn’t hurt to double check. I will have already received one while pregnant, but Oliver is not fully protected until he is able to get his own vaccination. Tdap is a live vaccine, so please get it at least 2 weeks prior to meeting Oliver.
-This has been one of the worst flu seasons recorded. If you or your children are feeling sick, please wait until you are 100% before visiting. Even if you just have the sniffles. Oliver is too precious to be put at risk.
-We feel very strongly about keeping Oliver away from smoke smells. Third-hand smoke (lingering smoke in furniture, clothing and on skin/hair), is still very harmful to him. If you do smoke, please make sure you are free of smoke smell before visiting. This means clean skin and hair, and clean clothes. Any smoke smell will mean visiting with Oliver from a distance. As an early baby, we will be especially careful of his little lungs.
Please know that we have given a lot of thought to these guidelines, and they are all incredibly important to us. If you disagree with any of these, unfortunately that may mean you are unable to visit or hold Oliver. We could not be more thankful for all of the love and support we’ve been shown. I know everyone is excited to meet our little man and we appreciate the understanding with these guidelines to help ease our worries and fears.
