Health & Parenting

Bringing Your Adopted Child Home

Your New Child’s Homecoming continued...

That's OK! Parents don't always admit this, but even when you give birth to a child, sometimes you don't always feel that instant rush of love.

"Relationships take work, attachment takes work, and little people take work," Walton says. "It doesn't always happen all at once. That's normal."

5. Cut Yourself Some Slack.

As you're taking care of your child, don't forget to take care of yourself.

People advise moms preparing to give birth to "sleep when the baby sleeps," but they often forget to advise new adoptive parents to similarly give themselves breaks.

If you have a partner, take turns on nighttime baby careso that each person gets a full night's sleep at least every other night. Ask that support system you've lined up to help with some of your mundane daily chores for a bit so that you can take time to be with your child and care for yourself.

And expect the unexpected. "The things you think you'll need to worry about, it may turn out you don't, while other issues you never thought about may crop up," Walker says. "No matter how much you prepare, parentingis about the unexpected."