Midwife Claire Wilson Metcalfe has reassured new parents that asking questions about newborn care basics like changing nappies and holding their baby is never a ‘stupid question’
Having a baby can be a terrifying time for new parents(Image: Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez via Getty Images)
A midwife has issued a reassuring message to new parents who may feel anxious or uncertain after bringing their newborn home. The arrival of a baby is an enormous milestone for any family.
One moment, you’re solely responsible for yourself, but in an instant, a parent’s entire world revolves around a tiny human being. While many people will have had experience with babies and children before having their own, this isn’t universal.
Some individuals might not come from large families or have siblings with children, or they may be the first amongst their friends to have a baby, meaning they’ve never even held one previously.
This can feel incredibly overwhelming, particularly for first-time mothers who may find themselves alone with a newborn overnight in hospital once visiting hours have ended.
Claire Wilson Metcalfe, known as theproudmidwife on TikTok, has worked as a midwife for nearly 14 years and has issued a reassuring promise to any parents concerned about not knowing how to change a nappy, wind their baby, or even how to hold them properly
She explained: “If you’re new parents, or you’re in hospital with your newborn baby in the cot next to you. If you don’t know please do me a favour and ask.
“I’ve been asked before by new parents, if it’s their first baby, how do I hod baby, how do I change babies nappy, how come you are very confident holding this newborn baby?
“And the reason you don’t know how to do it is you’ve not had a baby before. If you have not come into contact with somebody who already has a newborn baby and been changing their nappy… Then why would you know?
“Sometimes you’ve just got to say this is new to me, please can you show me. It’s never too much trouble, we are happy to show you because it can be really daunting when you have this little human being.
“And by the way, asking your midwife or a healthcare professional how to do something is not needy. Sometimes people say to us ‘I know this is a stupid question’.
“It’s not a stupid question. If you ask questions about something you don’t already know how to do, it’s protecting your babies safety. It’s making sure that you’re checking you’re doing something right and safely.”
Mums shared their own experiences with midwives while they were in hospital, in the hope of reassuring other parents.
One person said: “I was 19 when I had my first was low risk on a birth unit I was the only 1 there my partner left to go home it was night and I cried cause I didn’t know what to do.
“I had no-one else no family apart from my partner, I pressed the buzzer and I remember saying I don’t have a clue on how to put a nappy on. the student midwife spent hours talking me through everything I will never forget her.”
A second individual expressed: “I’m due my first baby in a month and I’m worried that I don’t know how to feed them or change their nappy or wind them, all I know is how to hold a baby.”
