As a first time parent I had no idea how to set boundaries with well meaning relatives and experienced a lot of unnecessary stress.
When I brought my son home from the hospital I was greeted by everyone on both sides of the family and any family friends that they could think to invite over to my house. My small living room was so crowded that there was not even a spare chair for me to sit in. In order to preserve some of my privacy I had to shut myself upstairs in my bedroom to learn how to nurse my new baby while everyone else enjoyed themselves downstairs and made a huge mess for me to clean up. I was tired. I smelled bad. I didn't want to include everyone else in the many joys of post-partum recovery that I was discovering along the way.
It took a week for me to get up the courage to kick everyone out of my house and reclaim my baby (who I had only held to nurse since I got home from the hospital). Family and friends may have the best intentions, but unless they are being considerate of your feelings and special needs as you recover from childbirth and bond with your new baby they have no place in your home.
For ideas on how to handle the after-baby audience read:
Bringing Your Newborn Home: Staying in Control of Your Visitors
