Most new moms want to show off their babies, and friends and family may be eager to stop by, see your new little one, and offer their congratulations. But it's easy to become overexerted by a constant stream of visitors in these early days. Guests during this time should be eager to help you, not the other way around. Don't feel like you have to play hostess to visitors. Ask friends and family to help you out by bringing a meal with them when they visit, washing a sinkful of dishes, or putting a load of laundry in the washing machine, instead of letting them coo over the baby while you do chores. Limit the length of visits — your baby might become overstimulated by too much passing around, and you need to rest as much as you can. Also, be sure that your older children don't get overlooked during these visits. Though your loved ones may be eager to see the new baby, remind them to pay some attention to older children, too.

You may not feel comfortable asking certain guests to run errands for you or letting them know when you need to rest, especially if it's someone you have a strained or tense relationship with. It may be best not to have that person in your home at all in these first weeks. But if you can't get around it, try setting up an endpoint to the visit ahead of time. Let the guest know — or have your husband or partner let him or her know — that you have another appointment or commitment in an hour, so the visit will have to be brief. And if you're feeling pressured, you can always make your midwife or doctor be the “bad guy” who requires you to limit your visitors and visits.