Since we’re fresh out of the 4th trimester series, and just starting out with this Postpartum one, I thought there was something we really should talk about. When you have a baby, it’s not you just and your partner (and any other children) who must adjust—your pets will have to as well. I know a lot of people worry about the adjustment, even when they have good-tempered pets.
If that’s you, then let me give you a bit of hope—there’s a lot of information on how to introduce your pets to your new baby, but (as long as your pets aren’t naturally super aggressive) I think it’s actually pretty simple.
act normal – during the very first introduction, try your best to be chill about the baby being there. Your pets will not if you’re on edge, so do you best ot make them feel that the baby is just a fact, and not a threat. Since it’s such a big change, your pet will likely not even want to hang around that long. When we first brought Gwendolyn home, Wendy was like “the heck?”, but after initial inspection, she left.
wendy’s first encounter with gwendolyn 
seung jo says hi shortly after harry’s birth
keep an eye out – if you’re unsure how your pet will handle things—even if you don’t think they’d do any harm—make sure to watch them closely when they’re around the new baby. Since Wendy had never met a baby before, we made sure to shoo her anytime her posture seemed even slightly rigid. She needed to know that we wouldn’t let her hurt the baby. This may have created a longer warming-up period, but we knew she knew the rules. And baby was unscathed.
allow bonding time – if you’re in bed cuddling with baby, and your pet wants to join, let them. Having them relax and enjoy their time while baby is there will help them feel calmer around them, and help them adjust. We had loads of cuddles with me, Wendy, and Gwendolyn. Then, after 2 months, Wendy wanted to sleep by Gwendolyn.
sleeping nearby 
me + baby
slowly lower boundaries – your pet has been doing well. They seem to be able to relax with baby around, and they’ve accepted them as part of the normal family. Especially in the first 3 months, you still might want to keep an eye out, but you can really start trusting that they will be safe around your baby.
obviously pets + babies should 
not sleep together unsupervised
In most of these points, I highlighted my experience with Wendy and her first ever baby. However, when Harry was born, she was super chill. The first time they met, she gently sniffed him, then hung out at the foot of the bed, as per usual. When he cried, she literally cam and sat on his other side. It was very sweet.
We adopted Seung Jo when Gwendolyn was 9 months old, so he had some sort of baby experience. With our second, I made sure to watch him when they interacted the first couple of times, but she was mostly blasé about the whole thing.
Hopefully, this gives you an idea of what you can expect. Remember, your pet is simply getting used to the new family dynamic, and they probably do’t want to cause any trouble. Being present and watchful can help everyone get used to each other smoothly.
Good luck!
