In the weeks after you give birth, you'll need help around the house. You'll need to rest and take it easy for a while, and you'll want to spend time just getting to know your new baby and getting used to the new demands of motherhood. This means that cooking, cleaning, and other household tasks might have to take a back seat.

If you can live with a lower level of neatness than you're used to for a while, you may be able to get by if your partner or spouse picks up some of the slack. But some women can't stand to live in a house that doesn't meet their neatness standards. If this describes you, consider hiring a cleaning service to come by a few times in the first couple of months after you give birth.

This is also a great thing to add to your baby-shower registry — the gift of being able to enjoy your baby without worrying about the floors growing sticky or the bookshelves getting dusty. Or let friends and family who offer to help do the laundry, straighten up, and go shopping. You'll have an opportunity to pay them back someday.

If you have older kids, you'll want to consider getting some help for their care in the early weeks after your baby is born. If you're planning on returning to work after your baby is born and your older children usually go to child care, you may not want to change things up during the postpartum weeks: Not only is it probably not a great time to disrupt an older child's schedule, but it could also make the transition harder for you.

If you will be home alone with your new baby and an older child or children, here are some ways you can make sure you get enough rest and help:

• Have Grandma and Grandpa, or an aunt, uncle, or special friend take your older child on a mini-vacation for a few days. This will give your older child an opportunity to feel like the center of attention again while you get a small break.

• Enroll an older child in an activity through your YMCA or community center a few hours a week. In the early weeks especially, you'll want to make sure you have a friend or family member who can do the dropping off and picking up.

• Ask a friend or family member to take your older child or children on special outings a few times a week. Running errands or going out to eat with Daddy is also a nice way to give you a break while helping an older child feel special.

• Hire a babysitter to come to the house a few hours a week. She can take older kids to the park or hold the baby for you while you get a shower or eat a full meal. Responsible preteens and young teens can make great mother's helpers — they can play with older kids, assist with making meals, and even help out with the baby while you're close by in case she needs you.

You might also consider hiring a postpartum doula to come to your house after your baby is born. A postpartum doula is different from a baby nurse, who is usually hired to completely take over child care duties for new babies. Postpartum doulas usually don't assume responsibility of a baby's care but instead try to make caring for a baby as easy on the mother as possible. Each postpartum doula is different, but common services include light housekeeping, providing assistance with breastfeeding, caring for older children, and helping you care for your newborn.