Week-by-week library · day one, still at the hospital or birth center
Week 0: your checklist
Quick answer
What should I actually do at day one, still at the hospital or birth center?
Your job this week is logistics and a buffer, not opinions. 10 concrete tasks below, grouped by what they're for.
What's going on this week
Your partner is in the first days of physical recovery, whether the birth was vaginal or a C-section, and recovery from a C-section is a real abdominal surgery recovery, not a bruise. Your baby is mostly sleeping, feeding on an unpredictable schedule, and being checked over by hospital staff. Nobody in the room has slept a full night in a while.
Your checklist
Night-shift logistics
- Ask the nurse directly what recovery-window movement restrictions apply so you know what she should not be doing yet.
- Take the first overnight diaper-and-swaddle shift you can so she gets one uninterrupted sleep block.
Feeding support
- Learn to prep a bottle or handle a pump part now, while a lactation consultant is on staff to show you once.
- Ask what the feeding plan is (nursing, pumping, combo, formula) so you know your actual job, without weighing in on the choice.
Appointments & paperwork
- Confirm who is filing the birth certificate paperwork before discharge; most hospitals hand you the form at bedside.
- Photograph both parents' IDs and the insurance card now so you are not digging for them at the pharmacy counter.
Visitor management
- Set one rule everyone in the family group text can see: text before you come, do not just show up.
- Designate yourself the person who says no to visitors when she is too tired, so it never has to come from her.
Partner care
- Bring her water and a real meal before she has to ask.
- Ask the nurse, in front of her, what postpartum warning signs to watch for over the next few days; see our guide.
Sourced to
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
Last reviewed by the First Dad Guide editorial team.